Great Italian red wines bucking the trend on the US market. This is what the analysis of the Uiv – Vinitaly Observatory on the SipSource data from August reveals. In the decline of still wines in the United States, in fact, there is a segment that is going against the current. These are luxury made in Italy, Italian red labels from 50 dollars and up (price at distribution), which between January and August recorded a growth in sales in value of 3% compared to a general performance of luxury products at -7%, with the French at -16% and the Americans in line with the market average.
According to the monitoring of actual wine sales found by US distributors, it is a surprising positioning, that of the top-of-the-range Italian reds, which hold a nano-share of 2% on the volume of sales of Italian reds but which in value represent 14% of Italian reds in the US. This market share rises to 23% if we include super-premium reds (between $24 and $50), compared to just 6% of sales by volume.
Brunello di Montalcino boosts the US market for great Italian red wines
“Italy can count on the one hand on the strength of territorial brands now recognized as iconic by American enthusiasts; on the other on the experience of American tourists in Italy, increasingly a factor of affection once they return home,” explains Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv).
It is no coincidence that the protagonists (almost absolute) of the luxury niche are Tuscan labels, responsible for 45.5% of the US market of high-end Made in Italy reds, which grew by 13% between January and August of this year.
Leading the way in the preferences of a typical consumer who is particularly conservative and fond of already known proposals and territories is Brunello di Montalcino, the first denomination with a market share of 32% of luxury reds. Followed at a distance in the regional ranking by the Bolgheri galaxy (11.5%) and Chianti Classico (2%).
Among the noble Piedmontese wines, Barolo (16%) earns second place overall, while Barbaresco (4%) is off the podium, one step below Bolgheri Superiore (7%).
According to the Uiv – Vinitaly Observatory, however, wine areas that have driven the luxury segment up to now are in serious difficulty, such as Bordeaux (-37%), Burgundy (-12%), and Napa Valley (-24%).
From “noble” reds to new trends that, from the USA, are embracing consumers all over the world, as underlined by Marzia Varvaglione, president of Agivi, Association of young Italian wine entrepreneurs of Uiv:
“From ready to drink, to low and no-alcohol, it is important not to have prejudices, we must not be afraid of the new that is advancing. As Italian producers we must understand the underlying phenomena and, consequently, begin to communicate wine in a more inclusive way. Our role, as entrepreneurs, is to understand what new opportunities the market presents, in particular the US one. Talking about young people – she concluded – is a question of responsibility: they will be the next generation of wine, young cosmopolitans attentive to quality on the plate and in the glass”.
