THE DRIVING FORCE OF ITALIAN WINE GROWTH IN EXPORTS AND THE DOMESTIC MARKET IN Q1 2015 WERE PDO WINES, ESPECIALLY SPARKLINGS THAT RECORDED DOUBLE DIGITS IN ITALY AND AROUND THE WORLD, REVEALED THE ISMEA REPORT

The ISMEA, Italian institute for studies, research and information on the agricultural market, report showed 1.8% slowdown in volume (6.3 million hectoliters), and 6.2% increase in value (1.6 billion euros) in Italian wine exports compared to Q1 2014. The plus figure in value comes from the good performance of PDO (+ 6%) and PGI wines (+ 4%), which offset the 8% less in bulk wines. How did it go with Italy’s main winemaking partner countries? The United States (data refer to wines and musts, ed.) was once again confirmed the number one market, in value, for Italy.
In Q1 2015 Italian wines yielded 428.6 million euros, up 20.4%, to 1.08 million hectoliters, for + 12.8% in value. Germany, the first foreign outlet in volume for Italian producers did very badly, recording 8.3% less in volume, 1.7 million hectoliters and 2.1% less in value, 305.1 million euros. The United Kingdom is instead growing again: Q1 2015 recorded Italian wines at 897.047 hectoliters (+ 6.9%) for a value of 200.2 million euros.
Switzerland and Canada also did well in value (+ 3.7% and + 6.7% respectively for 104.9 and 86.7 million euros), despite slight declines in volume (0.7% less and 0.3 % less), while the historic and most important Italian wine Asian partner Japan, is back on course, with +10.8% in volume and +8.4% in value.

Italian bubbles continue their upward climb: + 25.9% in volume, to 731.376 hectoliters, and + 26.3% in value, for 258.5 million euros. 70% of the total is now Prosecco, while Asti is losing ground at 17.6% less in volume and 20.8% less in value. The best performing markets are still the US and the UK that show 67% and 61% increases in volume demand for Italian sparkling wines and + 64% and + 53% in value, but bubbles are showing double digit growth even in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.
This is the situation in exports, while there is some good news even from the Italian domestic market, which alone accounts for half of the Italian wineries’ business, at least on the large retail chains, where sales in the first half of 2015 have grown 1.2% in volume and 1.8% in value compared to 2014, again mainly due to sparkling wines (representing 10% of the total) that increased 10.4% in volume and 9.3% in value at home.
PDO wines overall, are growing the most, but PGI wines have had great results too. Table wines instead are not doing well and have lost 2% in volume and 5% in value.