Vinarius 2023 wine shops: “positive, considering the economic situation”

One out of three Italian wine merchants (33%) said wine sales in the first 10 months of 2023 were identical to the same period in 2022, and a further one out of three (33%) said they even increased. Only one third said sales have decreased. “It is a generally positive trend, taking into consideration the difficult economic situation in 2023 that included inflation and high costs of living, especially when we compare it to data from other sectors”, Andrea Terraneo, president of Vinarius, the association of Italian wine shops, said. Vinarius gave the first results of the survey carried out by professionals on sales and consumption trends in advance to WineNews. The sentiment on forecasts regarding the upcoming holidays, which is the most important period of the year for wine sales, is also positive. In fact, 53% of the wine dealers interviewed have expectations of sales being identical to those of 2022, while as many as 42% expect an improvement. Only 5% have negative expectations. As far as typologies are concerned, bubbles are the category that over the last three years has seen a constant and significant increase in sales.
“The results of the survey give us hope”, President Terraneo continued, “and confirm the effectiveness and continuity of our work, towards a now targeted, and well-defined clientele”. The survey based the details of the types of wines sold during the Christmas period on the trends over the past three years. Sales of red wines show a positive sign according to 63% of wine shops, while 26% said they remained the same. There is an 11% of wine sellers, however, that said sales of red wines have decreased. The situation is even better for white wines. According to the survey, sales were positive for 46% of wine sellers, and the same for 50%. It is worth noting, though, the decline in sweet and dessert wines, as 53% of wine sellers said sales remained the same, 20% that they were increasing, but 27% of the responses noted a decrease, in many cases even quite significant. In general, bubbles are doing well, enjoying a decidedly positive trend. As a matter of fact, 100% of wine sellers reported a constant and significant increase in sales of sparkling wines, including Made in Italy wines and Champagne.
The survey is part of the continuous study activity conducted by Vinarius over the past few years, and is further confirmation of the importance association places on understanding and analyzing market dynamics. Research has been conducted analyzing the responses of wine merchants, i.e., the players who, in the wine world, undoubtedly have their hands on the pulse of the market, are sensitive to changes and have direct contact and dialogue with the public. “Wine shops”, the Vinarius president, Andrea Terraneo concluded, “undoubtedly have a privileged point of view on the wine market, as they can observe and foresee the behavior and choices of the end consumer, thanks to direct dialogue. This is the reason why wine merchants’ contributions are valuable and fundamental”.