Awaiting duties to be confirmed, Italian wine consumption in the US closed 2024 in the red (-4.4%)

In spite of export data, real consumption of Italian wine in the United States closed 2024 in decline. Therefore, the feared duties of the Trump administration are now taking on an even more disturbing meaning. The Italian wines union, Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) Observatory has elaborated the numbers referring to all of last year’s sales of the Italian product, off and on trade, in the United States. According to the analysis, 2024 closed on a decline, -4.4% drop in volume in sales of Italian wine in the United States, compared to the general deficit of the total market, at -7.2%. According to Sipsource surveys in the US retail and HoReCa (hotels, restaurants, catering) sectors, white and red wines are paying the highest price. They both dropped -6.4%, while Italian sparkling wines are holding their own (+1.5%) as well as gaining significant market shares over competitors. The main denominations are struggling, except for Prosecco, Brunello di Montalcino and Barolo. The Nielsen-based UIV Observatory data, which monitors sales on US mass market retailers and retail also confirmed these trends. Last year, the drop in volume of Italian wine went down to - 4.2% and -2.5% in value (to 2.6 billion euros). Purchased volumes of almost all Italian wines are down, marking peaks for Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (-7%) and Lambrusco (-6%), while only Sicilian whites (+5%), Brunello di Montalcino (+3%) and Prosecco (+1%) are going against the trend, although Prosecco went down -4% in the last quarter. The last quarter of the year, which includes the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, was one of the worst, registering losses of -7% in volume and -6% in value.
On the contrary, according to UIV, export figures for the first 11 months registered + 7% growth and were only partially conditioned by the pressure - imposed by duties - in November. The demand for sparkling wines in November rose as much as 41% compared to the same period in the previous year, and will set a further record in December, but there will not be much to raise your glasses to.