WINE CONSUMPTION IS DOWN IN PRODUCING COUNTRIES - SPAIN, FRANCE AND ITALY, BECAUSE THE CRISIS AND ANTI-ALCOHOL LAWS TURN AWAY CONSUMERS, SAY OTTAVIO CAGIANO, MANAGER OF FEDERVINI AND THE WINE JOURNALIST, ANDREA GABBRIELLI

The pattern of wine consumption per capita in different countries has become a phenomenon. The trend is an increase in consumption in importing countries, and a fall in producing countries and there is no indication of when and where it will stop. The case in Spain is emblematic: the analysts expected 17 liters per capita in 2010 and it was only 9.5 liters. But the trend is the same in all the producing countries, like France and Italy. Why? “It is a “natural” phenomenon”, Ottavio Cagiano de Azevedo, chief executive of Federvini (Italian Federation of Wine Industries) told WineNews. “It started in the ‘80s, when the domestic market began to be saturated and then it converted to quality. The various economic crises have contributed to re-shaping consumer spending, but their habits have changed, too. Today there is more attention and moderation. And that is why the “anti-alcohol” laws do not solve the problem: those who comply with the law are just the “testimonials” of conscious consumption. Over the past 30 years we have accepted the fall in consumption and now we are paying the consequences with the loss of the typical, responsible consumer”.

Exports save us because the approach and the laws are different in countries that do not have a wine tradition. Not just China, where between 2005 and 2009 the per capita consumption increased by 100%, but also the “traditional” importing countries like Northern Europe and the U.S. in the lead, where there is a greater curiosity about new products and new tastes. “This leads to another problem for domestic consumption,” says wine journalist Andrea Gabbrielli. “CMO wine provides most of the funding for promotion in third countries, although 70% of production is consumed in the EU. Therefore, sufficient funds to support and promote consumption in Europe are lacking.”