As Japan’s overall wine market faces a downturn, small-format, canned wine is experiencing a surge in popularity, industry data shows. Sparkling wine in cans, in particular, has found a robust market among consumers who have taken to at-home drinking—a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
Two major Japanese beverage companies, Mercian Corp. and Suntory Holdings Ltd., are capitalizing on this trend. Mercian recently launched a sparkling wine and a sparkling rosé in 280-milliliter cans under Frontera, a brand owned by Chile’s Concha y Toro. The wines are priced at about ¥400 (US$2.55) each—a premium in the canned wine market. The company aims to target women in their 30s and 40s, positioning the product as an affordable luxury. Following a successful launch of a similar product last August, Mercian reported sales reaching 130% of its annual target in 2023.
Suntory, on the other hand, introduced its canned sparkling wine last September with a price tag of around ¥200 (US$1.27). The company plans to expand its offerings with a rosé wine starting this July, sold exclusively through Seven & i Holdings Co. group stores.
Despite a decline in overall domestic wine sales—which fell to ¥124.1 billion (US$790.78 million ) in 2023 from a peak of ¥145.1 billion (US$924.6 million) in 2020, a drop of 3.8% from the previous year—canned wine sales have soared. According to Intage Inc., a market research firm, sales of canned wines reached ¥3.4 billion (US$21.65 million) in 2023, approximately 2.5 times the figure in 2017. The segment was particularly driven by a 62.8% year-on-year increase in sparkling wine sales.
“The rise in single-person and dual-income households, coupled with a preference for more convenient options, has propelled the popularity of canned wines,” said Toshimitsu Kiji, an analyst at Intage. “This market shows promise and is expected to continue its growth trajectory.”
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