The festive season is approaching fast and, for many of us, the run-up to Christmas means attending a never-ending stream of Christmas parties. In most of these merry gatherings, the consumption of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages is as self-evident as pulling the Christmas cracker.

However, MPs consider the heavy drinks culture in UK a serious issue and suggested a ban on pub happy hours and the use of cut price booze as loss leader in supermarket. The Common House Affairs Committee blamed the availability of cheap alcohol for the level of violence on the streets and called for a minimum price for alcohol.

If happy hours bring unhappy communities, another familiar problem related to the over-consumption of alcohol is the direct affect hazardous drinking has on people’s overall health, with liver damage and cancer being the most prevalent. According to a recent report, health concerns have been a major cause of the slow drink sales, and a number of countries including Japan, Spain, France and Germany are expected to witness a decline in alcohol beverage sales in the next five years.

With increasingly health conscious consumers choosing to turn away from mass-market beer and bland wine, the brewing and winemaking industries have no other choice than to take action. The best way of keeping their future safe is through product innovation, and as the industries have paid more attention to the recent consumer interest in food and drinks that stimulate the senses, brewers and vintners will respond with a greater variety of flavours, products designed to complement different flavours of food, and products which provide different sensations beyond flavour alone.

So at next year’s Christmas you may find yourself drinking a Limited Edition Christmas Pudding Ale instead of your normal tipple.

Related research: Future Trends in Beer and Wine: Emerging markets, private label and innovation