WINENEWS/VINITALY SURVEY – VINO NOVELLO IS NOT JUST A TREND AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE: SNUBBED UNTIL RECENTLY BY WINE CONNOISSEURS, NEW WINE IS NOW BECOMING A PLEASURABLE SEASONAL TRADITION. 38% OF WINE LOVERS BUY AT LEAST ONE BOTTLE EACH AUTUMN

Young people have always loved it because it is bubbly, has fruity perfumes, and light flavor but now Vino Novello, or New Wine, is becoming a pleasurable seasonal tradition for wine enthusiasts as well, those who had, until now, snubbed it. In fact, 38% of serious wine drinkers buy at least one bottle of Novello to welcome in the fall season. These are the results of a recent survey conducted by winenews.it (one of the most popular wine sites for Italian “eno-nauts) in collaboration with Vinitaly (the most important wine event organizer in Italy, which held its first fair dedicated solely to Novello on November 5 and 6 in Verona titled “Anteprima Novello”.

Though young people may still be the main target for Novello, thanks to the peculiarities of this wine that perfectly matches the tastes of new generations, it surprisingly appeared that wine experts are now the ones who are making it truly popular. Out of the 1,290 “eno-nauts" who responded to the survey, 42% claimed that Novello represents “an enological curiosity to taste once a year”; 26% stated it was a “wine I like very much”; 21% a “wine that doesn’t interest me”; and 11% “a low quality wine”. So, it appears that it is curiosity that pushes enthusiasts to buy Novello, now also becoming synonymous with the beginning of the autumn season and as an ante-prima of the next wine vintage that is yet to arrive. The appearance on supermarket and wine shop shelves of the new wine after the traditional déblocage at the beginning of November is a temptation that few now resist: 38% of wine enthusiasts buy at least one bottle, 19% up to five bottles, 9% between five and ten bottles, 5% over 10 bottles, while 29% do not buy any bottles at all.

It is the perfect companion to a dinner with friends or a light meal. And as for what Novello should be accompanied with, wine enthusiasts maintain a traditional stance: chestnuts are the first choice (41%), followed by pizza (22%), cold cuts (20%), and first courses (17%).
The most popular places to acquire Novello are supermarkets (84%), followed distantly by wine shops (12%) and direct from producers (4%).
As for judging the quality of Novello, wine lovers sustain that there is still a long way to go. For 44% of those surveyed, Novello is not capable of fully expressing quality and territory, for 25% it is close but still not quite there, and for 21% not at all, while 10% are already completely satisfied with Novello.
As for the amount of Novello available, 73% of wine enthusiasts responded that shop shelves offer too many different labels of Novello, while 27% responded that the large selection was a positive factor for consumers. And it may be precisely because of this vast choice that wine enthusiasts have a hard time deciding on a favorite label. Only 22% responded with a specific name, while the remaining 78% were oriented towards experimenting with different names and changed brands with each acquisition.

And, finally, promotional events organized around New Wine do not seem to spark much interest: only 26% of “eno-nauts” attended fairs and tastings during its premiere at the beginning of November, while 74% prefer to drink it at home.