For conviviality, but with moderation: wine and Italians in the out-of-home, according to TradeLab

9 out of 10 Italians drink wine outside the home, most associate it with conviviality and cheerfulness, consider it recognized national excellence, like to tell about it at restaurants, which, however, they find less often than they think, and still more than 8 out of 10 say they are convinced of the importance of conscious consumption without excesses. This is the extreme summary of the relationship between wine and consumers in the Belpaese in the out-of-home, signed by TradeLab, carried out with more than 1,000 interviews with a representative sample of the Italian population between 18 and 74 years old, illustrated by Bruna Boroni, Director Industry AwayFrom Home of the research agency, in the Federvini general assembly.
As mentioned, the first positive finding is that almost everyone consumes wine away from home (89%), but with differences. 16% are “adorers”, i.e., those who always consume it at restaurants; 36%, the largest class, are “adopters”, i.e., those who drink it spent outside the home, and for whom wine is a favorite product; 25% are “acceptors”, i.e., people who drink wine occasionally but do not put wine at the top for preferences; and 12% are “availables”, i.e., people who drink wine rarely but do not exclude it from their choices.
Only 11% say they are “Rejectors”, or those who never drink wine. Crossing the data, then, it can be summarized that 52% of Italians can be defined as “wine lovers”, with 27% who focus exclusively on the nectar of Bacchus, and 25% who in addition to wine are also fond of spirits. Looking at the total sample, 37% of Italians say they drink wine more frequently at home, while 26% drink more at restaurants, and a 36% who draw a tie between away-from-home and at-home consumption by frequency.
Another interesting aspect, is to see which values or words Italians associate wine with. In first place is “conviviality”, indicated as the first choice by 39%, followed by “cheerfulness”, at 33%, and then “Italy” at 29%. In fourth place, with 24 percent of the first responses, comes “food”, further evidence of the prevailing Mediterranean model that sees wine consumed in meals, and then gradually terms such as territory, gratification, authenticity, culture, prestige and sustainability, to stop at the top 10.
Nearly 90% of Italians, then, when drinking out, say that the telling of the territory, production methods, characteristics and history of that wine (but also of spirits) enhances the drinking experience, and only 10% say they are indifferent, while just 2% consider it boring. So there is a positive predisposition to wine telling and explanation in restaurants, but paradoxically, it emerges that in the experience of Italians this happens rarely in 51% of cases, never or almost never in 15%, quite often in 31% of cases, and very often for only 3%.
In any case, 65% of Italians agree that wine and sparkling wines are recognized excellence of Italy in the world, 62% think that wine enhances food, for more than 56% it is a tasting experience and not just drinking, and more than half like to experience the wines of the territories where they are. More than 40%, still, want to learn about the culture of the product they drink, think wine makes living more fun, unites people and creates groups, and is a sustainable product.
The synthesis of all this is in the clusters of out-of-case consumers identified by TradeLab. The largest one, gathering 40% of consumers, is “Fun and social”, for whom a toast is synonymous above all with fun and aggregation. Next comes “Pleasure & lightness” (26%), composed of those who indulge in a glass mainly to gratify themselves, but always with attention to conscious consumption. 15% are in the “Made in Italy” cluster, or those who drink only on certain occasions, but who recognize the excellence of the national product. 10%, on the other hand, are part of the “just to drink” cluster, that is, the consumer for whom wine is a drink like any other, while 9% are part of “cutlure & taste”, which is also the more adult class, more attentive to wine provenance, tasting, and so on.
Another very comforting aspect is that conscious consumption prevails, by a clear margin. 52% of Italians say they never overdo alcohol, 23% admit it has happened 1 or 2 times at most in their lives, and 17% confess to indulging in an extra glass sometimes, but only if they do not have to drive. The most important reasons for avoiding abuse, and focusing on moderate consumption, are concern for health (41%, especially among young people), awareness that exaggerating is dangerous if you have to drive (31%), but also fear of impaired behavior (16%).
And when Italians are asked who is responsible for educating about the conscious consumption of wine and alcoholic beverages, 49% answered the family, 24% the state through, Social Communication Campaigns, 10% bar and restaurant managers, while only 7% indicate schools, 5% doctors, and 4% influencers or public figures.