Wine Sales Direct from the Vineyard: A Geisenheim Study on the Key Drivers of Revenue

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Fewer orders, fewer regular customers, smaller shopping baskets: direct sales in the wine industry are losing momentum. A recent analysis by Geisenheim University in Germany now sets out in black and white why this is the case and what solutions are available to winegrowers.

May 2026

→ To the German original article: Loose, Simone; Schütz, Leon;  Wetzler; Antoine. Umsatztreiber in der Direktvermarktung: eine Analyse auf Basis realer Marktdaten. Geisenheim, 2026.

Photo © Florian Smetana

Health trends, demographic shifts and a general decline in interest in wine are causing major problems for the wine industry. A strong direct-to-consumer model could be the solution: the Geisenheim sales analysis – Geisenheimer Absatzanalyse – examined the development of turnover in direct sales at 343 German wineries between 2021 and 2025. This sales channel remains the most important and also generates the highest margins. The study’s findings are clear: anyone wishing to stabilise or increase their turnover must actively attract new customers and retain and engage existing customers in the long term.

The analysis is based on real sales data: 443,000 invoices containing around 1.45 million individual items. The results are far from encouraging: turnover fell by 17% during the period under review, with sales volumes dropping by 30% due to a 22% reduction in the number of orders, each containing 28% fewer items. On average, direct sales revenue at the wineries examined fell by five per cent per year. Only a very small proportion of the estates were able to continuously increase their direct sales revenue over the entire period.

Reason: loss of customers. The decline in turnover is primarily due to a loss of customers: in 2021, the average winery had around 770 active customers, a figure that fell by 4.6% by 2025. The top 25% of businesses managed to keep their customer base almost stable, whilst a small proportion of businesses even managed to increase the number of active customers. The bottom 25%, on the other hand, lost more than 9.2% of their customers annually.

The reasons for the loss of customers are well known: the number of wine drinkers is falling. The baby boomer generation is ageing. Younger demographics are drinking differently, more mindfully, or not at all. At the same time, the cost of living and economic uncertainty are on the rise. As a result, wine is increasingly seen as an occasional treat rather than a regular purchase.

What do successful businesses do? Successful businesses create touchpoints: events, tourism initiatives, partnerships, newsletters and personal engagement all become key business drivers. Those who stay visible are the ones whose wines remain in the shopping basket. After all, it is precisely these factors that are crucial for stable sales:

1. the number of active customers
2. how often they place orders. 

So: keep in touch with your customers and build loyalty! Successful businesses encourage repeat purchases by consistently engaging with their customers. They stay in regular contact, create opportunities for customers to buy, and provide targeted sales incentives – from newsletters and promotional offers to personalised letters.

→ Please feel free to get in touch – we’re here to help. And if you’re not quite sure where to start: clear POSITIONING and a distinct differentiation from the competition form the foundation for everything that follows. And that is precisely where our expertise lies. Let’s take a look together!

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