Wine, 1 in 2 Italian drinks it. The Italian market in “Italy Wine Landscapes” by Wine Intelligence

With tourism at a standstill, international travel back possible at least in the EU, but still at zero and with a very slow recovery, the Italian market will be more important than ever for Italian producers soon. And the good news is that, on the whole, out of 50 million adults, those who drink wine in Italy are 34 million, of which 28 drink a glass at least once a week, with 1 wine consumer out of 3 who drinks almost every day. This is one of the evidence that emerges from Report no. 1 “Italy Wine Landscapes 2020” of the English agency Wine Intelligence, analyzed by WineNews. Which shows consumption of 43 liters per capita for still wines alone (behind Portugal alone, with 56.4 liters, and France with 49 liters), with consumers equally divided between men and women. 42% are over 55 years old, 32% are between 18 and 44 years old. A “curious” population of wine lovers, so much so that 55% want to try different wines regularly (a percentage that rises to 69% among those under 34), and who drink mainly because they love the pleasure and taste of wine. 78% look for wines of the highest quality according to their ability to spend, and 6 out of 10 are convinced that enjoying a glass is also good for their health. In general, more than 1 out of 2 consumers consider wine an important element of their lifestyle, a strong interest in wine, and 53% also believe that bottles are generally reasonably priced. 41% feel competent in the matter, while 24% say they do not understand much about it. Furthermore, it emerges that red wine (89% of those who have drunk at least once in the last year) and white wine (88%) are the most consumed alcoholic beverages by Italians, followed by beer (85%). At a distance follows the Spritz (54%), ahead of sweet sparkling wines such as Asti (51%), craft beer (47%), Italian bubbles in general (46%) and other sparkling wines (45%). Among the varieties consumed by the largest number of Italians, on the white front stand out Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Falanghina and Verdicchio, while among the reds lead Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano, Lambrusco, Merlot, Sangiovese and Primitivo.
The best known denominations, instead, are Prosecco Doc (52% the percentage of those who have heard of the denomination), Brunello di Montalcino (51%), Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (50%), Chianti (48%), Chianti Classico (45%), Franciacorta (45%), Barolo (40%), Barbera d'Asti (40%), Lambrusco (40%), Asti and Moscato d’Asti (38%), followed by Primitivo di Manduria, Amarone della Valpolicella, Valpolicella, Vermentino di Sardegna, Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, Oltrepò Pavese, Nobile di Montepulciano, Bardolino, Greco di Tufo and Morellino di Scansano. While the strongest brands in Italy, according to the “Global Wine Brand Power Index”, are, in order, Ferrari, Berlucchi, Fontanafredda, Donnafugata, Cà del Bosco, Mionetto, Feudi di San Gregorio, Valdo, Sella e Mosca, Antinori, Zonin, Mastroberardino, Sassicaia, Duca di Salaparuta and Marchesi di Barolo.
In terms of purchases, at least in the last 3 months, the most popular was Prosecco Doc (purchased by 24% of Italians who bought wine), ahead of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (19%) and Lambrusco (15%). Among the purchase channels, supermarkets (72%) and hypermarkets (48%) remain the most popular channels for buying wine among regular Italian wine consumers, but 2 out of 5 Italian consumers have also bought wine in specialized shops, such as wine shops or wine shops (46%), in the last 6 months, while 29% buy directly from the winery, and 14% on the internet. The brands where more wine is bought are Conad (30%), Coop (28%) and Esselunga (21%), and among the others, 6% use Eataly as their main channel, 3% use Vino.it and Tannico, and 2% use Signorvino. Among the variables that most influence the choice of wine is the ability to pair with food, then the fact that it is a known denomination or a known brand. Then come the price, region of origin and grape variety, and still the environmentally friendly method, and the alcohol content more or less high.
Focus on e-commerce, which in times of lockdown has recorded dizzying percentage increases: according to the Wine Intelligence analysis, on this channel the buyer is mainly male (66%), and young (52% are between 18 and 44% years old), and is mainly made by curious wine lovers: 77% of those who buy online want to try new wines, 71% declare a high involvement with wine. On the web, the most purchased denominations are a mix between “pop” and “great noble” wines, so much so that the “top 5” is represented by Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Brunello di Montalcino, Prosecco, Barolo and Lambrusco at denomination level.
Looking at catering, the most affected channel by the crisis caused by Covid, if on the one hand, it emerges that 74% of consumers consume wine not only at home but also in restaurants and bars, the prospects in this sense are not encouraging: only 6% of consumers surveyed say they are more inclined than before to go to lunch or dinner at the restaurant, while 82% think they will do so less even when the restrictions to contain the contagion have passed. Trends directly opposite, however, to those who think they will do more than before online shopping, 40%, compared to 29% who think they will decrease purchases via the web.
Among the curiosities that emerge, the possibility of growth on the markets of all products that in some way recall issues such as safety and health, including wine. In this sense, sulphite-free, organic, natural and sustainable wines are those that could have more opportunities for growth in the immediate future.