Prosecco, Ripasso, Franciacorta, Barolo and Brunello under the Christmas tree

At Christmas, wine is increasingly becoming the right gift, able to overcome doubts and uncertainties, intercepting the taste of every wine lover. But what will we find under the tree? Considering the best-selling bottles, in terms of quantity Prosecco is the wine chosen for the Christmas toasts of Italians, followed by Ripasso and Franciacorta, as emerges from the data of the Osservatorio Signorvino, which has drawn up the numbers of its 17 points of sale, which together are worth a turnover of 31 million euros and 1,500 labels, which offer a cross-section decidedly representative of the trends in the wine shop in the days of the holidays at the end of the year. A similar ranking for value sales shows, however, a different podium that sees Amarone in the first place, overtaking Franciacorta, in contrast to the trend in 2018. The great reds such as Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino are well positioned, demonstrating that at this time of year there is a greater predisposition for more important expenses.

Looking at the typologies, Italians under the tree favored the choice of red wines (50% of purchases, in value), with a significant difference on the categories of bubbles (23%) and white wines (18%). However, it is precisely white wines that recorded the highest growth compared to the same period last year (+47%). The most sought-after regions, on the other hand, are Veneto (36%), Tuscany (16%) and Piedmont (12%), followed by Lombardy (10%) and Trentino Alto Adige (8.5%), but compared to the same period in 2018, good news comes from Apulian (+45%), Friulian (+18%) and Sicilian (+7%) wines, which recorded the greatest growth. In terms of price, there was the highest growth (+7%) for labels on the shelf between 29.90 and 49.90 euros, followed by the previous bracket, between 9.90 and 29.90 euros, which is confirmed to be the range with the highest incidence on sales, with 54% of total turnover, while the average price of the bottle sold is 17.60 euros.

The average for Christmas gifts is 31.40 euros, which is lower than the average for personal purchases, which averaged 42.40 euros over the Christmas period. A trend that can be based on the fact that the consumer's goal is to find search labels, to stock up on their personal cellar in view of the holidays to spend with the family. For gifts, on the other hand, one prefers to be on the safe side, choosing well-known brands, proposed with a good quality-price ratio and going to select themed packaging, wooden boxes, chopping boards and materials to compose a package that allows to embellish and make a good impression. 70% of gift purchases are personalized and composed according to the taste of the customer, who therefore wants to choose the labels directly from the shelf, even if the help of the wine specialists in the shops is increasingly required. It is interesting, however, to note that the customization of gift baskets is shrinking significantly in recent days (down to 45%) to give space to the proposed packaging: last-minute customers prefer to choose ready alternatives, designed by the store, ideal for each price range and addressee.