According to the Observatory of the Italian Wine Union (Uiv), the number of Italian wine consumers is increasing, but people are drinking less. Aperitifs (+79%) and female consumption (+12%) are growing. Elaborations on Istat base of alcohol consumption in Italy over the last 35 years.
More and more drinkers, more and more moderate: in the last 15 years in Italy the number of occasional wine consumers has grown by 35 percent (+4.4 million); in parallel, daily consumption has decreased by 22 percent. It is increasingly defined – according to the Observatory of the Italian Wine Union (Uiv), which prepared the Istat update on alcohol consumers – the new face of Italian wine consumers, now at 29.4 million (55 percent of the population). The profile that emerges is that of an audience, driven by women (+12% vs. -2% of males), who do not give up the “national” alcoholic beverage even if a very different approach than in the past is consolidated. “The numbers,” said Uiv president Lamberto Frescobaldi, “once again summarize the responsible relationship of Italians with wine, now understood more as an element of sociality and lifestyle than as a food. It is proof of how the cultural approach to the product is now fundamental in a country that is not only the leading wine producer in the world but also one of the most virtuous in terms of life expectancy.”
A trend that is less reflected by broadening the field to the relationship with other spirits, such as beer and aperitifs. For beer, which has 27.4 million consumers, both daily (+19% since 2008) and occasional (+30%) users have in fact grown, with a decline only for “seasonal,” summer-related users. In strong acceleration is given the segment of alcoholic aperitifs-where wine with cocktails also plays an important role-which today counts almost 22 million followers (+41% in the last 15 years), thanks in particular to the female boom in out-of-home consumption (+79%), now the prerogative no longer only of young gen Z (up to 26 years old) and millennials (27-42 years old) but also in very strong ascent for the now leading 45-54 year old bracket.
Returning to wine, which in the period under consideration (2008-2022) increased its audience by 4%, among daily consumers (12 million Italians) the over-65 age group resists, while strong contractions are shown by young people (25-34 years old), at -38%, but even more so by 35-44 year olds (-48%), with major declines (-26%) for 45-54 year olds. The trend is reversed when considering occasional consumers (+35%), and particularly the older age groups: in fact, over 45, the increase is 53%, the equivalent of more than 4 million additional consumers. Overall, the Uiv Observatory elaborations note, last year daily wine consumers uncorked 461 million fewer bottles than in 2008, while occasional consumers increased the volumes purchased by an equivalent of 344 million bottles.
Detail regions – Wine consumers
Lombardy (16.7% incidence on the Italian total), Lazio (9.8%), Campania with Veneto and Emilia-Romagna are the main Italian regions by number of wine consumers. A ranking that changes if we look at the incidence of users on the total population by region: in first place jumps Emilia-Romagna (62% consume wine), followed by Valle d’Aosta (61%) and – tied – Veneto, Umbria and Tuscany at 60% on a national average that reaches 55% (29.4 million consumers).
Looking at the history of the last 11 years (2011-2022), the trend of a general decline in daily users to the benefit of occasional users is confirmed, according to the Uiv Observatory. The main decreases in daily users are recorded in the South, with Puglia (-33%) and Abruzzo (-28%); above the national average (-19%) other important producing regions, such as Piedmont and Trentino (-25%) in the North and Campania (-23%) in the South, are also above the national average (-19%), while average declines are noted in Veneto, Tuscany Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. In the Islands, while daily winelovers in Sardinia decline by 23 percent, Sicily proves the most resilient to the trend, with a decline of just 2 percent in 11 years. Overall, the lowest user rate in the category is marked by Trentino Alto Adige (34 percent of the entire population).
Among occasional users, above-average (+25%) increases are seen particularly in Trentino-Alto Adige, then Molise, Veneto, Abruzzo and Campania. Overall, the region that lost the most consumers during the period is Calabria (-17%), followed by Sardinia (-10%). In contrast, good growth was recorded in Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Campania and Umbria.
Source: UIV Observatory
