30 million Italians drink wine, but less than in the past. Down the daily consumption

More than one in two Italians drink wines, even if they drink less than in the past. Almost 30 million Italians consume the nectar of Bacchus, 55% of the Italian adult population, 66% among males and 44% among females. The Osservatorio dell’Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) notes this data, which elaborated the latest, unpublished, Istat data on alcohol consumption in Italy in 2021. According to the Uiv analysis, in the last 10 years, the number of consumers (over 29 million) has grown slightly (+ 2.3%, + 9% for females), while the most significant changes are recorded in the habits of the demographic clusters that compose them. Surprisingly, compared to 2011, young people between 18 and 34 years old lost little in number (-2.9%, but a slight increase in the last 5 years), while the most significant changes concern the 35-44 age group (-23%).
The more mature groups have an increasing trend: + 11.4% from 55 to 64 years and + 19.3% from 65 years upwards. In addition, the figure for daily consumers decreased from 14.9 million to 12.4 million (-16.8%) in the decade, with a drop of 31.3% for those who drink more than half a liter per day. “Compared to thirty years ago - said the president of Unione Italiana Vini, Lamberto Frescobaldi - when wine was a sort of side dish, the relationship with consumers has evolved a lot. Today in Italy wine, which is reductive to define fashion, is a cultural status; knowing it means being an interested, culturally prepared, and curious person. Because it is not only the product that attracts but also what lies behind it: the territory, the stories, the social context; a moderate approach that has nothing to do with getting high. Therefore, we believe it is wrong for the European Commission, in its preventive programs, to combine wine with other beverages used for compulsive consumption”.
Among the regions, it is Umbria that boasts the highest share of consumers compared to the population (62%), followed by the Marche (60%) and, on an equal figure with 59%, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Valle d’Aosta. Following, the two Red regions par excellence, Tuscany and Piedmont, with 58%, while at the bottom are the Islands: Sardinia (48%) and Sicily (45%). With almost 20% of consumers, Lombardy leads the division of consumers by region, followed by Lazio (10%) and Veneto (9%). Finally, among young people (18-34 years), the Osservatorio Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) notes, that daily consumers are decreasing (-10%). A snapshot of an Italian wine that generates a turnover of 14.5 billion euros a year, with exports alone worth 7.1 billion (+ 12.4% growth in 2021) and an active trade balance for 6.7 billion euros.