After years of stagnation, there has been a marked growth in sales of Italian wines on the shelves of the major retail outlets, both in volume and value.
According to research conducted by IRI with Veronafiere, sales of 75cl bottles in 2015 increased by 2.8 per cent in volume compared with 2014.
According to the Client Solutions Director of IRI, Virgilio Romano, the growth was doubly positive "because it was not stimulated by either promotions or from falling prices".
The promotional pressure, in fact, remains at high levels and unchanged from the previous year, while the prices are on the rise: the average prices of wines with denomination of origin, for example, were up 1.9 per cent.
Sales of sparkling wines in retail chains were up 7.8 per cent in volume and by 7.5 per cent in value, although the average price was slightly down on 2014. Organic wines grew in volume by 13.2 per cent, but the litres sold are still limited to 1.63 million.
The best-selling wine ever in Italian supermarkets remains Lambrusco with 12.77 million litres sold, still shadowed by Chianti, which leads in the value ranking. Chardonnay moves into third place growing 9 per cent, while significant growth was also achieved by Vermentino, Trebbiano, and Nero d'Avola.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
