The wine market in Spain is cooling off. According to data from the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE), exports have fallen 7% in value and 15% in volume in the first quarter of 2026. Yet there is a niche that resists this trend: natural wines. We’re seeing them more and more on menus at bars and restaurants. Yet what’s most striking is the surge in online demand.
A few years ago this category was associated with discoveries at a gourmet shop or recommendations from a sommelier. However, data from Decántalo, Spain’s ecommerce platform with the largest wine catalog, show that narrative falls short. Comparing the first half of 2021 with the same period in 2026, the base of customers buying natural wine on the site has grown by 70%, orders by 57.7%, and revenue by 38.5%, with all three metrics outpacing the rest of the catalog. This phenomenon stems from two factors: growing consumer interest in sustainable bottles and producers’ pursuit of offering an alternative to wine’s industrialization.
For Nacho Martínez, head of catalog and purchasing at Decántalo, this behavior has a recent precedent in another category: “I see a very clear parallel with the craft beer movement: first there was a big industry that standardized certain styles, until independent producers began crafting under their own label, also as a reaction to that standardization of taste. Natural consumer curiosity did the rest, and people began to seek something different from the standardized.”
Online Shopping Fosters Curiosity Among Older Generations
To understand where this craze for online purchases of natural wines comes from, we have to go back to the pandemic. 2020 may be a distant memory, but from afar we can see that it changed the rules of the game, especially for older generations. Adults aged 40 to 50 were hesitant about buying beverages through online channels, but lockdown fostered not only purchases but curiosity to sample different flavors. In this way we reach 2024, a turning point year: natural wine customers on Decántalo’s website grew by 41%, more than double the catalog’s overall revenue growth (17.3%). Furthermore, in 2025 the trend did not slow, with 29.1% more customers and 28.8% more revenue.
The interest isn’t limited to Generation X. Younger generations, such as millennials, consume less alcohol, but have begun to show growing interest in natural wines. Young adults recognize in these bottles the identity of their place of origin, an important factor, since this is a generation that bets on reviving regional traditions through culture and the drive of local commerce. In fact, they have popularized the concept “mindful drinking”, a more conscious consumption, with more attention to labeling transparency and to the absence of additives.
In general, in Spain people drink less alcohol than ever, and when they do, they seek an experience. Therefore, those who buy natural wine are not looking for the cheapest option. The average bottle price has risen 16.6% over five years, a sign that buying on mobile or on a computer is not a low-cost alternative to a specialized bar. The online buyer looks for the same product profile they would find in a gourmet shop, and is willing to pay for it without needing a physical intermediary.
