The era of defaulting to the second cheapest bottle on the wine list could be over, with new research showing Australians are increasingly ordering wine by the glass.

The report by wine preservation system creator Coravin shows:

• 54% of Australian drinkers now order more wine by the glass than two years ago
• Australian venues have increased their by-the-glass offerings by one third since 2021
• Millennial and Gen Z drinkers are driven by discovery and quality, while Baby Boomers are more motivated by practicalities like moderation, cost and driving considerations

Love Tilly Group Beverage Manager James Griffin said: “I’ve seen in my venues that younger guests are much more likely to want just a single glass or two of something of high quality, and therefore want a greater choice of options available by the glass. The days of ‘just a glass of the house red’ are gone.”

Among all respondents, 48% said a wider selection of by-the-glass wines being offered by hospitality would encourage them to order more, with Millennials and Gen X being slightly more interested in a wider selection than Gen Z and Baby Boomers. This was followed by the ability to sample before ordering, where 43% said this would encourage them to order more by the glass, with the most interest coming from Gen Z and Millennials, the least from Baby Boomers.

Cru Bar and Cellar owner Chris Walker said: “You can drink some seriously cool, and often extremely rare wines by the glass these days.”If you said to me 10 years ago that venues would be offering Coche-Dury Meursault or Raveneau Chablis by the glass, I would have said ‘You’re Dreaming’.

“Most places these days have very good listings of wines by the glass, and if they don’t, they are
falling behind.”

Aligned with wine exploration and ‘drinking less but better’ themes, when asked about their preferred wine-by-the-glass experiences when drinking out, they placed food-pairing tasting menus on top (59%).

However, there was a significant interest in experiential type occasions where there can be strong interactions with sommeliers and wine teams with their guests. Younger cohorts especially appreciate time to engage more with wine (and the wine team behind the list).

Around 43% enjoyed guided tastings with a sommelier, with 34% saying they liked ‘meet-the-winemaker’ style events.

This shift has inspired Coravin’s latest venture: The Coravin Guide, the world’s first digital guide dedicated to discovering exceptional by-the-glass wine venues. Launching in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Milan, The Netherlands and California, the guide will help wine lover’s find the list, experience and venue that will suit them best, whether dining out locally or abroad.

Coravin CEO Dave Krupinski said: “We see first-hand how wine by-the-glass is evolving as consumer trends shift towards ‘drinking less but better’ and a deeper curiosity in wine exploration grows.

“We recognised a clear need for a platform celebrating the quality, variety and accessibility of wines by-the-glass. We are proud of the role Coravin can play in breaking down barriers and connecting wine lovers with the people and places redefining wine experiences.”