Hungarians love alcohol: but what they drink most is quietly changing

Wine remains a key part of Hungary’s drinking culture, but new research suggests consumption habits are shifting in subtle yet telling ways, especially among younger generations and women.

Wine still holds a strong position in Hungary

Wine is the second most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage in Hungary, according to a new market survey conducted this autumn by the National Council of Wine Communities (Hegyközségek Nemzeti Tanácsa, HNT). The findings were shared with the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) on Wednesday.

HNT explained that the comprehensive research was carried out to provide a detailed and reliable overview of changes in Hungary’s wine market and consumer trends, with the aim of supporting the competitiveness of the country’s wine sector.

Long-term trends made comparable

The survey followed the same methodology as similar studies conducted in 2017 and 2023, ensuring comparability and allowing long-term trends to be tracked accurately.

According to the latest results, the proportion of wine consumers among legally drinking younger generations has continued to decline. However, the resulting drop in consumption has been significantly more moderate than in previous years.

Data from 2025 show that 46% of the population do not drink wine at all. Meanwhile, 26% consume wine once a month or less, 20% drink wine several times a month, and 8% drink wine several times a week.

Beer leads, sparkling wine follows

Beer remains the most popular alcoholic beverage: more than half of the adult population consumes it, with one third drinking it more than once a month. Sparkling wine ranks next, although the vast majority of consumers drink it only monthly or even less frequently. Looking at alcohol consumption overall, 17% of respondents said they never drink alcohol, 36% drink less often than once a month, 31% consume alcohol several times a month, and 16% do so several times a week.