The global value of wine in 2021 reached 245.6 billion euros. In Italy 14.2 billion

In 2021, the world market for alcoholic beverages, divided into five categories - wine, spirits, beer, cider and ready-to-drink - was worth EUR 1,317 billion, with an annual growth rate for the period 2020-2025 of +5.5%. Beer is the main driver (42% of the total world market), followed by spirits (35%) and wine (20%), while ready-to-drink (2%) and ciders (1%) are at the bottom of the list. As indicated in the “Wine Report”, produced by Cross Border Growth Capital, a leading advisor in Italy for extraordinary finance operations for start-ups and SMEs, and the online wine shop Vino.com, growth scenarios vary according to geographical area: South America stands out as the area with the greatest potential, while Asia Pacific is worth a third of the sector, proving to be the most mature market. Finally, Europe, which ranks third in terms of growth potential, holds 29% of the global market value, totaling €349.8 billion.

For wine, in particular, a global value of € 245.6 billion is estimated for 2021, and € 305.2 billion is forecast for 2025. With an annual growth rate of 6%, Europe occupies a prominent position, followed by the Middle East, Africa (6.5%) and Latin America (6.1%). A framework in which individual countries show significant differences, especially in terms of how the drink is purchased: the range of sales by e-commerce goes from 11.9% in the United Kingdom (up from 10.1% in 2015) to 1.7% in Spain and Germany, passing through 9.9% in France (a figure that has almost doubled since 2019, when it stood at 5.5%) and 9.8% in the Netherlands (up sharply from 2.5% in 2015).

In this context, Italy is in the middle, with 4% of sales coming from online shops. The scenario for wine in Italy is particularly encouraging, with a total value for 2021 of 14.2 billion euros (third after France, 20.7 billion, and the United Kingdom, 15.8 billion) and an estimated annual growth rate of 7.9% between 2020 and 2025, the highest on the continent.
“Confirming these forecasts, 2025 would see Italy recover a position in the ranking, coming in second place after France and before the UK”, comments Marco Meoni, Associate at Growth Capital. “It is precisely the Italian wine market that shows the best state of health in 2020, with pre-Covid values recoverable as early as 2022. Observing the growth trend of e-commerce, it is natural to think that, in the near future, this channel could become increasingly decisive, not only for wine, but also for the alcoholic beverages market in general”.