Fruit Wine Industry: Cider & Co. Successfully Established as a Second Mainstay Apple Wine Remains the Most Important Product
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“These are challenging times: Like wine, beer, and other products, apple wines and fruit wines are also feeling a certain degree of consumer reluctance in retail and the foodservice sector,” summarized Klaus Heitlinger, managing director of the Association of the German Fruit Wine and Sparkling Fruit Wine Industry (VdFw), during the presentation of the annual results at the VdFw general meeting. According to the VdFw, domestic sales of apple wine, fruit wine, cider, and other beverages made from apple wine or fruit wine declined by 5.9 percent in 2025, from 99 million liters to 93 million liters. Revenue stood at 128.9 million euros, 4.8 percent below the previous year’s figure of 135.4 million euros.
12.5 Percent Increase for Apple Wine-Based Beverages
The winners in the diverse portfolio in 2025 were cider, apple wine spritzers, and other apple wine-based mixed drinks: Their domestic sales rose by 12.5 percent, from 16 million liters to 18 million liters. “In recent years, producers have succeeded in raising the profile of the classics—cider and fruit wine—while simultaneously establishing new products as a second pillar of their business,” explains Heitlinger. Cider achieved domestic sales of 35.8 million liters in 2025 and, with a 38.5 percent share of sales, remains the industry’s most important product.
However, beverages containing apple wine and fruit wine each account for slightly more than 19 percent of total sales. “This mix of traditional specialties and new concepts is proving to be a good way for the industry to attract new customers in addition to existing fans,” said Heitlinger. In addition to product presentation and innovative flavor varieties, the packaging also plays a key role.
Today, apple wine and related beverages are offered in elegant, contoured glass bottles and, in line with current trends, in long-neck bottles and beverage cans. Non-alcoholic ciders and fruit wine products have been enriching the product range for several years now. These de-alcoholized products currently account for only a small share of total industry sales. However, they are steadily gaining in importance: In 2025, their domestic sales rose by 20 percent compared to the previous year.
