Mostly reds in the glass, but Franciacorta, Amarone and Prosecco at the top: Signorvino Observatory

Almost one bottle of wine out of two uncorked by Italians when out of the home is red wine (48.5%), just over one out of four is sparkling wine (27.8%), less than one out of five (17.5%) is white wine, with liqueurs, sweet and rosé wines sharing the rest. The most popular denominations are Franciacorta, Amarone della Valpolicella, Prosecco Doc and Docg, Valpolicella Ripasso, Trentodoc, Barolo, Lugana, Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Primitivo di Manduria, Valpolicella, Chianti, Etna, Barbaresco and Rosso di Montalcino. Overall, the price range that is most popular (and has also grown the most) is that between 5 and 20 euros (39.6%), while 18.2% of references are between 20 and 30 euros, 15.8% between 30 and 50 euros per bottle, but there is also a significant 9% between 50 and 100 euros, and a significant 17.4% that goes beyond 100 euros per bottle. This is the picture of the redemption of out-of-home consumption by Italians in 2021, taken by the Signorvino Observatory, an analysis tool of the largest wine shop chain in Italy, part of the Veronesi Group, led by Federico Veronesi and Luca Pizzighella, and with 25 establishments throughout Italy, which has developed a turnover of 35 million euros in the year that is about to end, in which it has sold over 1 million bottles (1. 007,905 to be exact, as of yesterday), and is already looking ahead to 10 new openings in 2022, with the declared objective of reaching a turnover of 50 million euros.
The study, illustrated yesterday in Milan, is carried out by the Veronese parent company which, by processing the data collected directly from the 25 points of sale in the area and from the e-commerce site active since May 2020, is able to provide indications on the trends in the sector referring primarily to consumer choices with the intention of being a guide for producers but also for the entire Italian wine sector.
Analyzing the ranking by product, Signorvino explains, the podium for the sparkling wine category is occupied by Prosecco Doc Extra Dry, Franciacorta Extra Brut and Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore Docg Brut, while for red wines Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, Amarone Classico della Valpolicella and Primitivo di Manduria excel. The appellations that recorded the greatest increase in sales were Primitivo di Manduria (+15%), Franciacorta (+28%), Prosecco (+36%) and TrentoDoc (+42%), clearly outstripping, in terms of percentage growth, Etna with a trend of +82%. For Signorvino, whose main claim is “cantina con cucina” (wine cellar with kitchen) and whose main focus is on “in store” consumption, the wine shop area accounts for 45% compared to 55% for the restaurant area, “demonstrating that Signorvino is recognized as a real reference point in the city for buying the right bottle for every occasion”.
But also for Signorvino, which has focused on a peculiar e-commerce formula, namely O2o (offline to online and vice versa, which translates into the fact that you can also order wine in store and have it delivered at home, or order it from home and pick it up/consume it in shop), the greatest growth is represented by the online channel, at +27% over last year. Again, as regards the "Loyalty" channel, the data available to the company speak of 45% of loyal customers in 2020, while in 2021 about 54% of customers who have made at least one online purchase are enrolled in this program. In the period analyzed (from January 2021 to date), about 8 bottles were purchased in this channel per order, twice as many as the average number of receipts in the shop. The average receipt is 106 online and 44 in retail. And if Franciacorta is the protagonist of in-store sales, e-commerce shows greater attention to Amarone della Valpolicella.
Analyzing the e-commerce channel again, it emerges that the typical Signorvino customer is 62% male with an average age of around 43 years. Compared to 2020, however, the incidence of male customers is decreasing, leaving more room for female users who register an increase in terms of incidence of +5%. Women are also younger, with 32% aged between 30 and 40 and 29% between 20 and 30.
“This year we have done a lot of work on digitalization, improving and optimizing our e-commerce”, explains Luca Pizzighella, sales director of Signorvino, “which was launched in May 2020, the O2o service, and forging a new partnership with Glovo, both for food take-away and for home wine delivery, to give our customers an additional service. In addition, the business-to-business channel was developed by forging important new partnerships through the creation of dedicated labels and projects. Nevertheless, we are convinced that wine is sharing, and in our shops it is possible to live an immersive experience, thanks also to our “wine specialists” who can advise and guide customers in their purchase. This is why we have confirmed the opening of another 10 shops in 2022, in shopping centers, in historic town centers and with new tests in traffic road locations”. And perhaps it will also be the year of the debut abroad, in Signorvino's plans, as Pizzighella himself told WineNews.