The Future of Drinking: Moderation, Mocktails and the New Wine Culture in Europe

There was a time, not so long ago, when wine was the undisputed star of the table. Then came the pandemic, and with it a spike in at-home drinking — boredom, forced free time, the urge to turn even an ordinary dinner into a small ritual. That phase is well behind us now, and what we're seeing today, working alongside restaurateurs and producers across our markets, is a deeper, more structural shift.

The keyword now is moderation. This isn't about drinking less as a trend — it's a cultural repositioning. People are consciously choosing what and how much to drink, often switching between wine, cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic options within the same week, sometimes the same evening.

Barry Dick, Master of Wine and Bulk Sourcing Manager for Beers, Wines and Spirits at Waitrose & Partners, confirms it from a vantage point further up the supply chain: wine, he writes, is now part of a broader drinks category rather than a dominant one, and moderation is fueling growth in the "buzz" market — sophisticated non-alcoholic alternatives that offer a similar sensory experience without the alcohol. A generational shift, not just a trend

The driving force behind this is largely generational. Gallup's 2025 data put the share of American adults who drink at the lowest point in nine decades of tracking, with the under-35 group sliding sharply over just two years — and while that's a US figure, the underlying attitude is showing up across Europe too. Younger drinkers are significantly more likely to avoid alcohol to save money, sidestep hangovers, or simply avoid getting drunk, and many cite genuine concern about alcohol's effect on mental health as a key reason to cut back. Interestingly, the picture isn't one of strict abstinence — recent IWSR research shows that performative sobriety campaigns like Dry January are actually becoming less central to how younger drinkers moderate; instead, they're drinking less often, and less per occasion, when they do drink. It's restraint with intent rather than a rejection of alcohol altogether — and it's exactly the kind of nuance that should shape how we talk to younger customers: not "no," but "less, and more deliberately."

Prague: a sober bar on the way

In Prague, this shift is about to take physical shape. Sober Bar, set to open soon on Italská Street near Náměstí Míru, will be the city's first dedicated alcohol-free venue — a concept seven years in the making, led by Tobiáš Pikart, previously co-owner of well-known Prague venues Boothill and Midgard Bar. The menu will include non-alcoholic ciders, Italian and Spanish alcohol-free wines, and Czech syrups, juices and lemonades used both as standalone drinks and cocktail ingredients, alongside a light, vegan food offering. It's worth being precise about positioning here: this isn't a venue built around religious or dietary restriction — it's aimed squarely at the health-conscious, wellness-minded crowd, with the vegan menu reinforcing that holistic, "feel-good" framing rather than any halal angle. It sits within a wider local pattern: non-alcoholic beer consumption in the Czech Republic has more than doubled over the past decade, while standard beer consumption has dropped to a historic low.

Milan: integration rather than separation

Milan hasn't gone down the dedicated-venue route in the same way — instead, the city has folded serious non-alcoholic options directly into its existing aperitivo culture. At Mag Café in the Navigli district, the team crafts alcohol-free riffs on gin, rum and vermouth at 0.0% ABV, including a reinvented Negroni, while the historic Camparino in Galleria, right by the Duomo, now serves an alcohol-free "Crodino Spritz" alongside its classics. Elsewhere, Fonderie Milanesi near Bocconi builds mocktails from fresh, seasonal ingredients that rival their alcoholic counterparts in care and complexity, and The Moebius dedicates a full menu section to non-alcoholic drinks. It's a telling contrast: rather than creating a separate sober space, Milan is making the existing ritual more flexible — proof that the city's most Campari-loyal institutions are adapting rather than resisting.

What this means for our clients

Two cities, two different responses, same underlying force. For hospitality and food clients, the takeaway is the same either way: wine — and alcohol more broadly — has to earn its place rather than assume it. That means building wine lists and drink menus as a narrative rather than a static catalog, giving genuine, well-crafted space to low- and no-alcohol options, and speaking to younger customers in their own terms: moderation as a positive, intentional choice, not a compromise. This is a conscious choice that needs to be communicated with intention and knowledge to avoid backfiring or misunderstandings. We are here to support businesses that are ahead of the curve on food and wine trends and want to anticipate market needs rather than wait and see.