936 million bottles of Italian sparkling wine consumed in 2023 (70% abroad)

Italian sparkling wines are just short of surpassing 1 billion bottles consumed in a year. The year 2023 will stop at 936 million bottles (of which 7 out of 10 abroad), with a substantial hold in consumption, in volume, on 2022 (and +24% on 2019), with 333 million caps that will jump, in the world, in the festive period of the end of the year alone, of which more than 95 only in Italy, with Italians that for Christmas and New Year will also toast with 6 million bottles of foreign sparkling wines (mostly Champagne, ed.). Thus the traditional analysis of the Osservatorio Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) - Ismea. But if they hold consumption in quantity, to change is, as found since the beginning of the year, the choice of a product in some cases more affordable for the pockets of Italian and foreign consumers grappling with an expensive life that does not loosen its grip. According to elaborations on data from Nielsen, Ismea and Uiv record the increase in purchases of cheaper sparkling wines such as charmat method including varietal and vintage (+7.5% to 206 million bottles the estimate through 2023) compared to Italian “flagship” appellations such as Prosecco (Doc, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg and Colli Asolani) and Asti Spumante or to the Metodo Classico (Trentodoc, Franciacorta, Oltrepò Pavese, Alta Langa, Lessini Durello), which close the season with a 3% contraction (727 million pieces).
Under the tree, however, sparkling wines will come with a higher average price this year, with price lists rising more than 5% due to inflation and surplus production costs. In total, Italian sparkling wine producers and companies will collect 1 billion euros during the holidays. In the last 10 years, sales of Italian sparkling wine in the world have practically tripled, with value growth of 351% in the U.S. (top buyers), but also in other outlet destinations such as the United Kingdom (+350%), Germany, (+42%), France (+416%) or in emerging Eastern Europe, with Poland at +983%.
Looking to 2023, on the other hand, exports in the first 9 months of 2023, processed by the Uiv-Ismea Observatory and based on Istat data released yesterday (here is the general overview in the WineNews analysis, ed.), mark a trend decline of -3.1% in quantity for sparkling wines, which in value, due to inflationary effects, turn positive instead (+2.5%). At the overall level, exports to the third quarter of 2023 stand at -0.2% in volumes, while the balance on values indicates a decrease, worsening, of 1.9% (€5.65 billion). PDOs struggled (volumes at -3.8%), while sales of bulk wines rose (+18.9% volume), which, as a result of falling producer prices, lowered the average value by about 14%. Among the top markets, difficulties continued in the United States (volumes at -12.8%, values at -9.5%), while Germany closed the period at +12.4% in volumes thanks to maxi-orders of bulk wine. Stationary in the United Kingdom and slightly contracting in Switzerland. Overall, the gap between EU (volumes at +9.3%) and non-EU (-9.2%) demand widens.