Sorry beer: Canadians are turning to wine, spirits

Food preferences are changing. And so, it seems, are tastes in alcoholic beverages among Canadians.

The latest data from Statistics Canada finds that beer is falling in popularity, while wine and spirits are on the upswing.

Beer sales grew just 0.6 per cent across Canada during the 12-month period to March 31, 2012.

Wine, meanwhile, experienced a 5.6 per cent sales hike. Spirits rose 3.9 per cent

Beer’s share of the market has been slumping for years, in fact. A decade ago, in 2002, beer held 50 per cent of the alcoholic beverage market in Canada. Last year share fell to 44 per cent.

Wine's share, on the other hand, rose to 31 per cent last year, from 24 per cent in 2002.

Beer remains the most popular alcoholic drink in Canada, and in some regions sales are still frothy. In Alberta, for example, beer sales rose 7.1 per cent last year. However, in Quebec, sales fell 3.9 per cent.

Whiskey-type products, including whiskey, bourbon and scotch, were the most popular spirits last year. These accounted for 27 per cent of spirit sales, followed by vodka (24 per cent) and rum (17 per cent)

The market share for red and white wine has switched in the last decade, according to Statistics Canada, with red wine sales surging and white wine falling in popularity.

Last year, red wine accounted for 57 per cent of total wine sales, up from 48 per cent in 2002.