Wine is the ideal beverage for good company, according to Italians

The wine shelves of large retailers are increasingly well stocked. Those who choose a bottle often find themselves in front of a veritable wine store where well-known labels coexist with more niche wines, appellations among the most emblazoned ones make a good showing but there is no shortage of low-cost products. Wines for every pocket and every occasion, but often the act of putting the bottle in the cart is not immediate. So what makes consumers choose, from a wide range, one bottle over another? The desire for sociability and to be in company, over a glass of wine.
A confirmation of the convivial value of the nectar of Bacchus, what comes from the research that Carrefour commissioned to Swg, “Telling the wine, beyond the label”, illustrated at the “Milano Wine Week” 2023, to investigate the drivers of choice for the purchase of wine. Alongside Carrefour Italia, in the research also two exceptional partners such as Ferrari Trento, a reality owned by the Lunelli family and a true institution in the production of made-in-Italy sparkling wines, and Gruppo Zonin1821, which, with its more than two hundred years of history, is one of the most important companies and families of Italian wine.
The survey confirms that the majority of consumers are driven by being with others, young people first and foremost. 44% of Gen Z say they feel like partygoers, and drink wine to be with others, thus seeing the product as a cue to socialize. As people get older, they dwell more on the quality of the product, taking the proper time to taste it, named as a primary drinking occasion by 28% of Gen X. Millennials, on the other hand, are a target without too many pretensions about wine, who like to surround themselves with moments of exchange, over a good glass, regardless of product knowledge: as many as 33% define themselves as basic wine consumers. Among the sample analyzed, only 4% would define themselves as collectors, the group of those who let wines age to preserve them for future moments. Regarding the most sought-after characteristics, however, Boomers are the category of prominence. In 5 out of 6 categories, the Boomers class is the one that most reported being increasingly attentive to Italian terroir and production.
Among the most consulted channels of purchase, the supermarket is the one preferred by more than 60% of respondents while in front of the shelf the area of origin of the wine is the second most observed factor in the choice: a sign of the growing interest and attention to the territory of origin by the final consumer. Once again, wine proves to be much more than just a drink, but a cultural product that makes it possible to spend excellent time in company, encapsulating territory, tradition and conviviality. It is these, in fact, intangible evocative traits that more than others attract us to one wine over another for 50%, 39% and 38% of people surveyed, respectively. In wine storytelling, the territory is placed at the center for 52%, while “producer” and “brand” still have little impact on consumers (23% and 15%). Interesting, however, is the preference for warm (37%) and engaging (35%) narratives that tell what lies behind the production of a territory’s excellence, as well as the product.
The research reveals another interesting aspect related to the importance of the wine industry’s label aesthetics: a double-sided business card for young and old. Young people turn out to be more attracted to innovative design elements (24%), details such as finishes, reliefs and special materials (21%). Older adults are more attentive to informative content (56%), such as the territory/region of origin, grape variety, appellations of origin, and alcoholic strengths. The producer’s name on the label occupies a second-rate role (20%) and also has little impact on the choice processes in front of the shelf. Also on the label, what makes the difference is the geographical area (47%) and the type of grape variety (37%). Only as a last resort (4%) is the issue of awards and recognition considered. Among the other aspects paid attention to are designation of origin (35%) and alcohol content (33%).
Supermarkets are showing that they believe in wine. This is demonstrated, for example in the case of the major French player, by the creation of more than 150 exclusive Carrefour references, more than 80 of which have been studied four-handedly with local producers. And then the opening in May 2023, of the Terre d'Italia store in the De Angeli area, a further step in the desire to promote conscious, committed and increasingly rounded wine consumption.
“Our path of democratization in the area of wine continues”, announced Christophe Rabatel, CEO Carrefour Italia, “a path that has seen as one of its key points the opening of the Terre d’Italia store, through the promotion of a more conscious attitude among consumers, aimed at emphasizing the excellence of the Italian territory and bringing consumers closer and closer to a new vision of the world of wines. As operators in the large-scale retail trade, we have a great responsibility in spreading the Italian spirit”.
Camilla Lunelli, director of communication and external relations at Ferrari Trento is pleased “that conviviality emerged from the study commissioned by Carrefour as one of the key drivers of wine consumption. Conviviality, which culminates in the moment of the toast, has an important social value and, in Italian culture, leads wine to accompany food, in a model of conscious consumption. Another theme highlighted as a priority by the survey is the link with the territory, which, for us, is represented by the mountain viticulture of Trentino, in a virtuous relationship with the places and the community that we have wanted to promote and protect for over 120 years. Communication must then have its own identity. Ferrari Trento's is distinctive thanks to its contamination with other worlds that are expressions of the best made in Italy, such as fashion or design, making it an ideal ambassador of the art of Italian Living”.
Francesco Zonin, vice president of the Zonin1821 Group and the face of the seventh generation of the Zonin Family, said how “in this historical moment, the link with the new generations is a particularly important issue for the wine industry globally. First and foremost, with Millennials and Gen Z, the wine world must learn to dialogue with complementary themes than those we are used to thinking about, which, however, are too often centered solely on the organoleptic characteristics of the product. We must increasingly invite reflection on responsible consumption, communicate the different wine cultures we cherish, explain the relationship between wine and health, argue in the area of sustainability, expose ourselves by telling about the social responsibility activities we implement or the corporate values we promote, but also present novelties (including, ready-to-drink or non-alcoholic products) that complement the traditional proposals and can be the subject of consumer experimentation”.