How the Media Promotes Wine, Beer, and Spirits Differently – And Why That Matters

Reader feedback (excerpt):

Alongside many positive reactions to my dossier “Wine & Health,” also published in Weinfeder Journal, Edition 76, I received responses like:

“This very timely dossier on wine and health is especially impressive; the current anti-alcohol campaign leaves no room for nuance!”

“Finally, someone dares to speak plainly. Kudos! Without advertising support, or perhaps because of it, you seem to be the only editor in the wine scene who dissects the bashing of wine with nuance and flips the bird at the WHO. Thank you!”

And the following two commentaries were also particularly influential for me. Because I know and appreciate both authors and because they get to the heart of the matter:

“Dear Arthur, I just enjoyed the latest Weinfeder with a glass of Silvaner ‘Seebuck’ from Ebracher Hof. Your contributions on wine and health were outstanding. It was high time someone pushed back against this new wave of prohibitionist zeal. When people like you add a splash of realism to the ‘noble’ mindset, that can only be a good thing.”

Dear Arthur, after reading your well-considered, open texts – my compliments. Keep up this positive and open presentation on this sensitive topic! I raise my glass with a Weinviertel sparkling wine in your direction! Please continue in this direction – we need many voices like this. Not least to move these discussions into the right position!

These and other comments touched me, because they show: our readers are acutely aware of how differently alcohol is treated in the media. And they notice that wine often enjoys a special status. But is that just a feeling, or is it actually measurable?

I took a closer look: how is wine portrayed in the media, and how does that differ from beer, spirits, or alcohol-free alternatives? A direct comparison offers clarity. Here’s my overview, with a glass of wine in hand. Purely for research purposes, of course.

Wine, the Cultivated Outsider

Wine advertising is more subtle than that of other alcohol categories, but no less strategic. While beer and spirits rely on loud TV ads, sports events, and party vibes, wine is framed as a symbol of culture, pleasure, and lifestyle.

In lifestyle magazines and EU campaigns, themes like terroir, tradition, culinary culture, and moderation dominate. And yes, no other alcoholic drink is so often linked to health as wine.

That’s no accident. Under the “Wine in Moderation” banner, the industry presents wine as part of a responsible lifestyle. It sounds good. And it is good. And it’s necessary. Long overdue. But also: clever.

Two insightful voices:

“Wine is not just an alcoholic beverage. It’s a cultural asset with social, sensory, and symbolic value. Its special media role is understandable: there’s a big difference between drinking alcohol in isolation or as part of a ritual, meal, and enjoyment.”
– Prof. Dr. Nicolai Worm, Nutrition Scientist

“It is scientifically questionable to derive direct medical recommendations on alcohol consumption from population analyses. The relationship between moderate wine consumption and heart health is complex and not monocausal.
– Prof. Dr. Heribert Schunkert, German Heart Center Munich, internationally renowned cardiologist

This is just a brief digression, because I am currently deeply immersed in the topic of “wine and health”. So, back to the facts of the budgets: the average annual advertising budget of the wine industry in Germany has hovered around €46 million in recent years. A modest sum, massively supplemented, however, by over €1 billion annually in EU subsidies for wine marketing, export promotion, and restructuring.

Beer, the Buddy with a Season Ticket

Beer plays in a different league, with a different crowd. It’s about emotion, friendship, and football stadiums. Just look at the Super Bowl, or the Bundesliga and BBQ commercials here in Germany.

The German beer industry spends around €294 million annually on advertising, over six times more than wine. That includes TV, radio, print, out-of-home, cinema, online, and social media, including influencer campaigns (according to German market researchers like Nielsen).

Beer’s message is clear: it’s part of everyday life. Football. Friendship. After work. Risks? Not part of the picture. The beer glass belongs in the scene like a mic belongs to a singer.

Spirit, Glamour After Dark

Whisky, gin, tequila & co. market themselves with style, craft, and exclusivity. Their target audience: young, digital, design-savvy, and willing to pay €60 for a bottle.

The industry spends around €165 million a year. Visuals include: bars, mixologists, limited editions, and people “living their best lives.” Health? Not mentioned. But there are plenty of likes.

Sparkling Wine, the Effervescent Balance

These “quiet luxuries” have their own place. Sekt and sparkling wine ads focus on elegance, special occasions, and joie de vivre. While their ad budgets are smaller, they still reach ~€23 million annually in Germany, spiking seasonally around holidays and events, often exceeding €30 million.

Health messaging? Minimal. The tone is all about celebration, romance, and sparkle, from weddings to opera galas.

Alcohol-Free, a Rising Stage

As alcohol faces growing scrutiny, a new market quietly expands: alcohol-free alternatives. Once mocked, now mainstream, especially alcohol-free beer.

With an advertising budget of 18.4 million euros* for non-alcoholic beer alone, this segment is on the rise. Brands such as Jever Fun and Erdinger Alkoholfrei are strongly represented. The budget for non-alcoholic distillates is somewhat larger at 20.7 million euros, which could increase their market share by 55.4% in 2023 compared to 2022. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine has a market share of six percent in the round, with sales of 23 million bottles in 2021 and rising steadily. Non-alcoholic wine, on the other hand, is slower, with a market share of less than one percent.

Why is alcohol-free wine not accepted? Its taste is not yet convincing and it is often compared to juice. Terroir, varietal typicity, the winemaker’s signature, ageing finesse – all this is missing. But the stage is getting bigger. The applause for the non-alcoholic segment is becoming more audible, both strategically and socially.

*Note: All the figures for the segment as a whole that are mentioned and can be compared today are from 2022. More recent and reliable annual figures on advertising expenditure for non-alcoholic wine in Germany are not publicly available. This may be due to the fact that data for non-alcoholic wine is rarely recorded separately, which indicates a low advertising volume to date or a lack of market data.

What Does This Mean for Wine Lovers?

Above all: we need nuance. And that’s what I aim for. Wine is part of our culture, we know this. But it’s also alcohol, not a health product. Its positive media image? A result of skillful communication. Ingredients help, but they’re not the whole story.

On the flip side, slogans like “every drop is deadly” or “no amount is safe,” as popularized by the WHO, oversimplify a complex issue. What we need is scientific nuance, and that’s what we offer at VINWORLD.

Conclusion: To Each Their Own Glass

Wine may enjoy more favorable media portrayal, but only because it tells its story with more finesse. Beer sells with emotion and scale. Spirits with style. Sparkling wine with moments. And “zero variants” with spirit of the age.

Yet no category is so closely tied to culture, origin, and moderation as wine. That’s a strength, but also a responsibility. And this is precisely our task as a differentiating wine medium, as well as that of the wine industry: to maintain a balance between reporting, criticism, striving for quality, advertising promises, renunciation ideology and joie de vivre …

… just like a good wine.

Cheers, now that I’ve finished this article, I’m opening a bottle of German Sekt. Let’s keep the topic sparkling.

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Photo credit: AI-generated