LONDON, Oct 1 — Swedish wine drinkers are the biggest consumers of organic wine compared to drinkers in France, Germany and England, according to a new report that paints a portrait of the organic wine market in Europe.

According to research carried out by Sudvinbio, more than half of wine drinkers in Sweden (51 per cent) said they’ve sprung for a bottle of organic wine. That compares to 36 per cent of French wine drinkers, 32 per cent of German consumers and 21 per cent of Brits.

A further breakdown reveals that while men are the predominant wine drinkers in Europe overall, women lead men by an albeit small margin in the organic wine department, with 51 percent of drinkers made up of females.

That figure spikes in the UK and Germany, where 54 per cent of organic wine consumers are female, and in Sweden where that number is at 52 per cent.

France is the only country that bucks the trend, with more men (54 per cent) drinking organic wine than women (46 per cent).

Likewise, researchers found that overall consumption across Europe is higher among drinkers under 65.

While concern for the environment was cited as the main motivating factor for regular organic wine drinkers in France and Sweden, interestingly, British consumers cited taste as the primary reason they choose organic over regular wine.

In Germany, half of drinkers said they choose organic as part of their everyday lifestyle.

Other popular reasons for drinking organic wine include health and ethical factors.

The report also detailed average prices paid across Europe for organic bottes. It seems organic wine is cheapest in Germany, where consumers said they paid an average of €6.50 (RM31.94) per bottle.

The Brits shell out the most at €9.70; the French pay an average of €7.50 and in Sweden it costs about €9.10.

In 2012, the European Commission introduced new rules for labeling organic wine in Europe, setting the maximum sulfite content at 100 mg per liter for red wine, and 150 mg per litre for rosé and white wine. — AFP-Relaxnews