Wine market with more shadows than lights in the USA, the first outlet for Italian sales abroad with a value that in 2023 touched 2 billion euros. On the one hand, the slightly positive sign of quarterly imports from overseas (+1,1% volumes), on the other a further drop in consumption in the US off and on trade channels. According to the UIV Observatory based on SipSource, which measures sales in 75% of US commercial establishments, the month of March (-13%) further worsened the quarterly picture which sees Italian wine consumption at -9,5% on the already complicated start of the previous year.
A trend, the Italian one, which goes hand in hand with the overall purchases of wine in the world's leading market, which has contracted by over 10%. In a context of a downward trend that has persisted since last May, all types of Italian products are paying the price, starting with whites (-11,5%), as well as reds (-8%) and sparkling wines (-6%). Among the main denominations, double-digit drops for Barolo up to Chianti Docg and Pinot Grigio. Prosecco is also down (-4,5%), while consumption of Asti Docg is stable, Chianti Classico is slightly growing and Brunello di Montalcino is rising in double digits.
A complicated start to the year on the tables but stable at customs, which reported a mini-recovery in orders in the first quarter with volumes at +1,1% (80 million litres) and values at +2,6% (508 million dollars) after 2023 closed at -13%.
In the period, sparkling wines fell in volume by 4,6%, while bottled wines recorded a +0,6%. The overall data recorded a regression in March compared to the first two months, which closed with an increase of almost 3% of bottles directed to the USA.
"The hope - said the general secretary of the Italian Wine Union (UIV), Paolo Castelletti - is that we can stop a downward spiral resulting from a mix of cyclical and structural factors, and the refill of orders at the beginning of the year can be a good sign as long as consumption supports orders. A determining factor for the medium-long term - he added - is that of promotion, with the CMO funds that remain strategic for a market with high potential such as the United States. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty is in the process of presenting the new tender well in advance of previous years and this in itself is excellent news for wine companies".
