USA, Prosecco counts 31% of Italian wine sales: boom from $0 to $531 million in 15 years

The Prosecco wine story has been one of the most significant success stories in the wine world over the past 15-20 years, and the long-term numbers often tell it even better. It now accounts for 31% of the value of all Italian wines sold in the United States, and boasts a very high penetration rate across all age groups, starting with Millennials (27%) and females (6 out of 10 users are women). It is also the symbol of Made in Italy mixed-wine. The marriage between Americans and Prosecco seems to be steadfast and strong, as 15 years after redefining the production pyramid (Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Asolo DOCG, and Prosecco DOC), the value of the “new” Prosecco denomination has increased from zero to over 500 million US dollars. This is a 178% jump over the past 7 years alone, equal to four times the overall growth rate of Made in Italy wines in the USA”, a focus the UIV-Vinitaly Observatory released today, noted, just before Vinitaly.USA (Chicago, October 5-6), the B2B trade show dedicated to Made in Italy wines.
According to a Vinitaly and Italian Wine Union (UIV) analysis, Prosecco's US market share is higher than the Italian wine average (27% versus 24%), while its value reached 531 million US dollars in 2024. This all-time record has been maintained year after year, except for a brief pause in 2020, and then a comeback over the following four years, resulting in a further 90% increase. Prosecco is the “popular” symbol of sharing and accessible drinking. According to Carlo Flamini, the Observatory’s Director, it is worth 2.9 billion US dollars annually to consumers, with bottles at average prices of only 18 US dollars per bottle (0.75/liter). “In just a very few years”, Flamini said, “Prosecco has become the most popular Italian wine, at 40%. This figure is significant, considering the product's young age, and that it is becoming closer and closer to iconic wines like Champagne, which leads at 52% popularity. The Veneto wine, however, has now overtaken the French sparkling wine in terms of purchase conversions, at 31% share versus 24% for the French wine”.
SipSource, the American distributor platform, has confirmed that Prosecco has taken the lead not only in volume, but also in consumer value for sparkling wines in the United States. As a matter of fact, in the first seven months of this year the Italian sparkling wine’s market share of the total sparkling wine category reached 30%, compared to Champagne’s 28%. Spending segments in US divisions have shown there is ample room for growth in the Western and East North Central States. User density is high throughout the Eastern area, from New England to the Mid- and South Atlantic, where more than half of total consumption is concentrated.
Prosecco represents 87% of Italian sparkling wine sales in the US in value and 25% of all Italian wines. It has also tapped into mixology trends, as there is a very high share of Prosecco among cocktails. According to IWSR, in addition to the glass of wine, there are now various formats available, from ready-to-drink to freshly made cocktails, and from spritzers to fruit juice mixes, which are especially popular with women and Gen Z.
In addition to tariffs, the ongoing challenge is multi-ethnic. According to the UIV-Vinitaly Observatory based on IWSR data, the share of traditional (Caucasian) consumers is still high compared to competing beverages, such as cocktails, hard seltzer, and ready-to-drink. The goal is to penetrate these increasingly demographically notable communities.
“There have definitely been challenges over the past few years outside the sector”, Adolfo Rebughini, Veronafiere CEO, stated, “starting from Covid and then the decline in purchasing power and consumption, and competition with other beverage categories. Prosecco has demonstrated extraordinary resilience, strengthening itself, thanks to a coherent promotion strategy as well as more and more effective promotional investments, confirmed by participating at Vinitaly.USA of the Veneto Region’s collective and some of the leading companies of the three denominations. It is in this spirit that Prosecco, together with all the Made in Italy companies that will participate in Chicago, are ready to face the challenge of tariffs. This is proof that when Italy combines quality and promotion, it can be global leader, which is the same goal we set ourselves at Vinitaly.USA for all our excellence products”. At Vinitaly.USA (Chicago, October 5-6), Vinitaly will feature 250 exhibitors, including wineries and Consortiums, totaling an aggregate turnover of more than 7.2 billion euros. The expected attendance of importers and buyers is in line with figures registered at the 2024 edition of Vinitaly.USA, confirming the event’s appeal and continuity for the Italian wine demand on the US market. The “wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum”, and the training courses of the VIA - Vinitaly International Academy, as well as specific sessions by Vinitaly Tourism and the SolExpo Oil Bar are also scheduled at the same time.