Italian Bubbles' Holidays

 December and January are undeniably the months during which the greatest number of corks are popped – of sparkling wines, needless to say – to be poured in the glasses of pleasure-loving and festive guests at the countless banquets of these days. The joyful bangs of bottles of sparkling wine – which are exceptionally “tolerated” only during moments of celebration – is not only and exclusively about Italy but, evidently, the whole world. Specifically, the holidays that have just passed, and are still being celebrated for a few more days, mark a significant achievement for Italian sparkling wine. It's good news, of course, happy to know that wine lovers around the world, when celebrating their special moments, do so by uncorking a bottle of Italian sparkling wine. It is obviously not the only wine with bubbles that sees the way to the joyful glass these days, since – as is well known – in the world there are other important countries producing sparkling wines and which equally enjoy the favors of enthusiasts.

 According to what is reported in research carried out by Uiv-Ismea (Italian Wine Union - Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market), at the end of the 2023-2024 holidays, 333 million bottles of Italian sparkling wine will have been uncorked worldwide. Of these, it is expected that more than 95 million bottles will be consumed in Italy. A decidedly important number and, in the specific case of Italy, considering our country's population of around 60 million inhabitants, it means that every Italian has uncorked at least one bottle of sparkling wine produced in our country. Regarding the volume of purchases, these are in line with those of the last year, still marking an increase of +24% compared to 2019. The bubble holidays in Italy do not end here. The Uiv-Ismea research estimates that, in the days of Christmas and New Year alone, as many as 6 million bottles of foreign sparkling wines will be uncorked as well.

 The good news for Italian sparkling wine does not end here. In fact, the research states that, according to estimates for the year 2023, the consumption of Italian sparkling wine stands at 936 million bottles, a figure that substantially confirms the trend of recent years. Furthermore, it is estimated that at the end of next year, the overall consumption of Italian sparkling wine should exceed one billion bottles, thus predicting a substantial increase in the diffusion of our country's bubbles. Moreover, this data highlights how the consumption of sparkling wines is mainly concentrated in the holiday period at the end and beginning of the year, a widely known and always predictable condition. By evaluating the figures from the Uiv-Ismea study, it is highlighted that approximately one third of the total bottles of sparkling wine were uncorked in this specific period, with the remaining two thirds evidently consumed over eleven months.

 Although these are decidedly positive numbers, one cannot help but notice that, from a social and cultural point of view, sparkling wines still remain firmly associated with holidays and the celebration of particular occasions. The habit, or rather, the thought, of associating a sparkling wine with a meal still remains a pleasure that wine enthusiasts, in general terms, tend not to consider. Yet, as far as I'm concerned, pairing a sparkling wine with a meal has been both a thirty-year old habit for me and – not least – a real pleasure. Not to mention, moreover, my habit of pairing bubbles with pizza: also in this case a habit of at least thirty years, to the amazement of my guests, who were and are, much more naturally oriented towards other drinks, including beer and sweet and soda pops. After all, it is enough to look at the wine lists of the majority of restaurants to understand how the habit of pairing sparkling wine with a meal is almost ignored: the presence of bubbles is always decidedly modest, often completely absent.

 As regards preferences relating to the type and specific value of sparkling wines, the category recording the greatest increase is that of sparkling wines produced with the Charmat method, particularly those sold at lower prices. This category, in fact, saw its sales increase by 7.5% compared to the rest of sparkling wines, corresponding, for the year 2023, to 206 million bottles. The main Italian denomination sparkling wines – such as Prosecco and Asti, in addition to the main classic methods – for the year 2023 recorded a decrease of 3%, equal to 727 million bottles. Inflation and consumers' lower willingness to spend are evidently among the factors responsible for these results. For the holidays of the end and beginning of the year, therefore, consumers do not give up the joyful bang of a bottle of sparkling wine, even in the forced need to spend less as long as they celebrate.

 However, these results do not compromise the extraordinary sales success achieved by Italian sparkling wines over the last ten years. Italian bubbles have in fact increased their sales value by 416% in France, 351% in the United States of America, 350% in the United Kingdom, 42% in Germany, up to 983% in Poland. Moreover, the Uiv-Ismea study highlights – based on Istat data (the National Institute of Statistics) – that exports in the first nine months of 2023 recorded a decline of 3.1% for sparkling wines, however, due to the effect of inflation, the corresponding value increased by 2.5%. By considering the entire Italian wine sector, in the third quarter, exports recorded a -0.2% in volume, while in terms of value, the drop was equivalent to -1.9% corresponding to 5.65 billion euros. Denomination wines have dropped by 3.8% in terms of volume, while bulk wines increased by 18.9% and, due to the drop in production prices, the average value consequently fell by 14%.

 As regards the markets, in the United States of America the volume decreased by -12.8%, corresponding to -9.5% in terms of value. The trend is decidedly opposite in Germany, which records an increase in volumes of 12.4%, a result which is however largely determined by the volume of sales of bulk wines. The United Kingdom market, however, remained unchanged, while that of Switzerland recorded a slight decline. Finally, the study highlights the demand from European Union countries increased by 9.3%, while those outside the Union recorded a decline of 9.2%. In general terms, by considering the particular economic conditions of this period, these are overall positive results. The effect of inflation and the increase in production costs have in fact seen the average price of sparkling wines grow by 5%, a reason that has certainly pushed consumers to choose the cheapest bottles, just not to give up the “moment of celebration”. In this regard, it should however be noted that, precisely on the occasion of the holidays at the end and beginning of the year, even “high-end” sparkling wines, including foreign ones, recorded a significant increase. Evidently, for the holidays, there are also those who are willing to pay a higher price, just to pour a quality sparkling wine into their glass.