2 Million Bottles in One Year... 4,900 Won 'Ultra-Low Price' Wine Boom Era

Emart Dos Copas Wine Popularity
Follow-up Jal Reserva Launched at 8,900 Won
Wine War Extends from Marts to Convenience Stores
Imported Wine Surpasses Beer in Value Through July This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Just one year after the introduction of ultra-low-priced wine to the market, it is changing the landscape of the alcoholic beverage market. With the 52-hour workweek and the rise of 'home drinking' and health-conscious consumers following the COVID-19 pandemic, wine consumption is increasing more than beer and soju, which have been staple menu items at company gatherings.

Emart announced on the 27th that 2 million bottles of Dos Copas, an ultra-low-priced wine priced at 4,900 won, have been sold within one year of its launch. Considering that the most popular wine brand in Korea sells up to 1 million bottles annually across all distribution channels, Dos Copas' sales volume is record-breaking. Since the launch of Dos Copas, the number of consumers enjoying wine has increased, with wine sales rising by 20.5% and the number of purchasing customers increasing by 36%. Wine, which accounted for 19.6% of sales within the alcoholic beverage category last year, expanded to 23.8% this year. This means that wine accounts for about one-quarter of Emart's alcoholic beverage sales. During the 'Wine Market' event held last May, wine sales reached 12 billion won, marking the highest performance ever, surpassing sales during holidays and year-end periods over the past three years.

Since starting the National Wine Project in 2018, Emart has expanded its wine selection to about 2,000 items this year, the largest scale in the distribution industry. As a follow-up, they are releasing premium-grade wines with higher quality at ultra-low prices. Starting from the 30th, 'Dos Copas Reserva (Portuguese red blend)' will be sold for 8,900 won. The wine war in the distribution sector is also heating up. Lotte Mart's two 3,900 won Spanish winery 'Vinos Bodegas' 'Real Fuente' wines, launched on the 25th of last month, are also popular. With an average daily sales volume of 10,000 bottles, 200,000 bottles, half of Lotte Mart's initial stock, were sold out within two weeks. Real Fuente alone recorded about 800 million won in sales over two weeks. Lotte Mart has placed an additional order for 500,000 bottles. Besides Real Fuente, Lotte Mart is selling the French wine 'Leo de Chambostin' Magnum (1.5L) model for 7,900 won, Chilean wine 'Natua' for 4,900 won, and the French Bordeaux AOC-certified 'Chateau Lepin Franc Bordeaux' for 5,900 won.

Convenience stores have also jumped into the wine war. Emart24's liquor-specialized stores, which expanded their alcoholic beverage selection, surpassed 2,000 stores just one year and five months after launch. At Emart24, wine sales in the first half of this year increased by 215% compared to the same period last year. GS25 and 7-Eleven also saw increases of 20.1% and 32.2%, respectively, in the first half of this year. Since 7-Eleven launched its wine reservation order service on its application last April, wine sales have surged. GS25 also saw sales in the Gangnam area jump more than 70% after starting the same-day wine reservation service 'Wine25.' Convenience stores are diversifying their wine selections, ranging from around 10,000 won to 1 million won.

According to the distribution industry and the Korea Customs Service, last year's wine import value was $259.25 million, surpassing the previous record high of $244.01 million in 2018. From January to July this year, the import value was $134.08 million, which is even higher than beer imports at $112.03 million. The global alcoholic beverage market is showing a similar trend.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.