The Business Monitor of Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) and Vinitaly analysed and published the Nielsen figures showing the plunge that some of the top sellers in the individual countries experienced.
Germany
In Germany, sales of Pinot Grigio plummeted 18 %, Nero d'Avola lost 24 %, Chianti 19 %, Prosecco Spumante fell 12.8 %, Prosecco Frizzante 28.6 % and Valpolicella plunged over 50 %. Even Germany's favourite Primitivo lost ground (-9%). Growth was generated by wine from the Sicilian grape variety Grillo (+6.5% in volume, +7.2% in value) and rosé wines (+9% volume, +8.6% in value).
Italian wine closed the first half of the year in the German trade with a decline in volume of 10.5 %.
UK
While sales of Prosecco remained stable in the USA, it plunged by 18% in its main market, the UK. The British are also buying considerably less Sangiovese (-22%), Primitivo (-18%), Montepulciano (-15%) and Pinot Grigio (-9%). In Great Britain, too, only rosé wines recorded a marked increase (+12%).
In Great Britain Italian wine sales declined by 14 %.
USA
In the USA, Pinot Grigio, which accounts for almost half of the total sales of Italian still wines, fell by almost 3%. Lambrusco suffered a decline of 15.7 %, Chianti of 11 %. Only Brunello di Montalcino excelled with a volume growth of 29.4 percent (value +29%), which hardly changes the overall picture, however. Of a total of 48.3 mill. litres of still wine, Brunello accounted for 35,817 litres.
In the USA Italian wine fell by 7.5 %.
Food Retail
Sales are also declining in Italy's food retail sector. In the same period, still wines lost 8.4 % in volume and 6.9 % in value, according to surveys by Information Resources, Incorporated (IRI). The sparkling wine and champagne category lost 9.4 % in sales with an 8.4 % drop in value.
According to the UIV, the sales channels analysed in the report account for about 70 % of the total sales of Italian wine.
