Wine: out of home holds and quality rewards. As told by the Meregalli Group’s 2023 budget

With exports that perhaps, with full year-end figures, could give another very small growth but certainly not a triumph, and domestic consumption in decline, at least in large-scale retail (which weighs for almost 70% of wine consumption by volume, ed.), some more positive signs seem to be coming from bars, restaurants, wine bars, hotels and the out-of-home in general, for the Italian wine market. At least looking at the results of the Meregalli Group, one of the most important and historical (more than 160 years in business) distributors of fine wine & spirits, which closed a 2023 (year in which it also became a “Benefit Society”, ed.), with a turnover of 99.4 million euros (up 8% on 2022). Thanks to a policy of “premiumization”, the group explains, which sees the consumption of higher-priced, quality products, which, in recent years, has had an important acceleration. A balance, that of Meregalli, which is also a good observatory of the consumption trend.
Still wines, Meregalli explains, are the best-selling category: rosé confirms the growth of recent years, white wine travels above average, with a greater incidence on sales in the Northeast and central Italy, unlike red wine, which stands out in the Northwest and Southern areas; sparkling wines always have a high and constant demand, which is concentrated in the Northeast and Southern areas in an equivalent manner. Among traditional spirits there is a significant growth in vodka +18% and among new trends it is Tequila that emerges strongly with an increase of 18.5% over the previous year. In the whisky world, exponential growth of Japanese brands is highlighted with +120% over 2022. The bitters category marks +26%, on the heels of the growth of recent years, and together with liqueurs and grappa is confirmed as the best-selling distillate in the Northeast. A curious figure is that of grappa, which naturally has a strong incidence in the Northeast and an interesting percentage in the South. The trend in out-of-home consumption is interesting. For pouring, which encompasses places of consumption such as restaurants, hotels, and bars, there is a relevant growth +10.07% on body sales, which increases by 3.58%, where, however, quality is confirmed among consumers’ purchasing choices. On the other hand, online sales are affected, with a small drop in sales, another figure that testifies to the recovery of out-of-home consumption.
Returning to Meregalli’s figures, however, the group points out that growth is widespread across all companies in the Meregalli galaxy, but particularly for “Visconti43”: with a 27% increase in turnover, in 2023 the company, which distributes small brand names, 40 wineries from Friuli to Burgundy, from Tuscany to Champagne, has undergone a transformation from an srl to a spa and in 2024 will introduce surprising new features. The French-speaking foreign subsidiaries Meregalli France and Meregalli Monaco also increase their turnover by +1.6%, as do the non-wine companies, among which Aznom and DTales stand out, albeit artisanal and with marginal impact on the group’s performance, register an important increase in 2023 +73.58%, a symptom of the growth phase that is affecting the luxury sector.
“2023 has been a complex year for the economy and geopolitics, but the world of quality wine and our group in particular”, comments Marcello Meregalli, CEO Gruppo Meregalli, “come out strengthened. A great team of people first of all, has allowed with tenacity, to achieve these results; thanks to all the collaborators, production partners and the many customers. So many continuous investments, mandatory to grow and so many will be put in place in 2024: we look positively to the future and hope that not only the premium world will go up, but that there will be a return of the middle class, the real strength of Italy”. “We are ready to face the new year with renewed confidence from our customers”, concludes managing director Corrado Mapelli, “and confirmed vigor from the Meregalli team, and above all with our strong will not to take anything for granted. The market is constantly evolving, trends and needs change, the approach to the world of work must consequently evolve considering all related aspects. We will come prepared certain to share with all partners, friends, clients and stakeholders a 2024 to remember”.