E-commerce confirms the rise of sparkling wines, and surpass of white over red wines

In a historical period for wine marked by declining consumption, but also by changing habits favoring easier-to-drink products with lower alcohol content, one category seems to be adapting particularly well to these shifts, and it is that of sparkling wines. This trend is also confirmed by purchases made by wine lovers, including online buyers, which reveal another emerging and stabilizing scenario: the growth of white wines and the decline of reds. According to data collected by Gruppo Italiano Vini (Giv), Italy’s leading wine company in terms of production and marketing of premium wines, owner of 15 historic wineries in key Italian wine regions, together with its partner Making Science, a digital acceleration company, 56% of the revenue generated in 2024 on its proprietary platform Vinicum.com came from the sparkling wine category marking a steady growth trend over the past three years: 48% in 2022, 54% in 2023. In terms of product macrocategories distribution, still white wines follow (18%), which in 2024 surpassed still red wines (16%), contrary to 2022 and 2023, while rosè wines account for 10%. Online sales seasonality in 2024 remained stable with previous years, with a strong concentration in the fourth quarter (40%) confirming the importance of the holiday season for the sector. This is followed by the second quarter (24%), third quarter (22%), and first quarter (14%). Demographic data analysis, explains the note, based on Google Analytics 4 and processed with the help of Making Science, reveals that the most active group in terms of online wine purchases is aged 25-34 (24% of turnover), followed by the 35-44 and 45-54 age groups (both at 19%). However, in sessions with engagement, defined as visits lasting more than 10 seconds or involving at least one conversion or two page views, the 45–54 age group (22%) and those over 65 (18%) show higher interest, though this interest less frequently translates into purchases, indicating a gap between interest and digital buying propensity among older consumers. From a gender perspective, men clearly dominate both in turnover (75%) and interactions (70%) highlighting a stronger male inclination toward online wine purchases. Among the most significant trends is the continued move toward premiumization: since 2020, the average cart value on Vinicum.com has increased by 24%, indicating a greater willingness among customers to invest in higher-quality labels. Finally, a survey conducted on a selected sample of Vinicum users explored interest in low-alcohol and low-calorie wines. The average scores (3.1 and 3.4 out of 5, respectively) confirm growing attention to lighter alternatives, although this curiosity has not translated into significant purchase demand yet. “In last years - explains Roberta Corrà, President of Gruppo Italiano Vini and Consorzio Italia del Vino - conflicts have reshaped the geography of exports and are also changing consumption habits, both due to inflationary trends and because wine is sometimes perceived today as a non-essential product. There is also growing attention to health and sustainability, as well as to quality. In other words, consumers often want to drink less but better. These are profound transformations, and data analysis enabled by our partner Making Science helps us interpret them, improving both online sales performance and results across other channels”. According to Victor Vassallo, managing director of Making Science Italia, “reading real-time data that captures evolving trends in a rapidly changing market like wine, and then using it to guide digital marketing and broader business strategies, is a key competitive lever. It’s a challenge we’ve long supported Gruppo Italiano Vini in, also leveraging the potential offered by Ai.” The introduction of e-commerce allowed Giv, previously focused exclusively on the B2B market, to expand into B2C. Vinicum, one of the first e-commerce platforms in the sector in Italy, now serves as a major data hub. This data is analyzed, measured, and activated with the support of Making Science, an international company specializing in digital acceleration through Ai-based solutions. This provides a real-time and continuously evolving snapshot of changing consumption habits, combining transactional, behavioral, and preference data, both from campaigns and e-commerce platform activity, with survey data collected from customer samples.