2009 – The magic of Italian bubbles

Great success among vips
Success goes on at homeand abroad. Wines with Italian bubbles have conquered the world’s most particular palates. President Barak Obama has a predilection for them with first courses, Robert De
Niro chooses them for his restaurants, Vladimir Putin likes sweet ones best, Brad Pitt loves the classic ones, George Cloney the dry ones. A host of former champagne lovers, converted to bubbly
wine made in Italy. The heritage and varietal wealth of our wines charm for their easy consumption and because, among so many typologies, anyone can find his/her match. Bubbles evoke an air of
merrymaking, they become a means to bring about joy and be happy, to “live Italian style”, too. A leit motif in different newspapers and world talkshows when the subject is food and cooking.

The Italy labels wine
345 million bottles are estimated to be shipped between Italy and the rest of the world at the close of 2009. A never-before-reached record. The
challenge consists in going beyond the “festivity consumption” betting on the every day one. “Even with the present consumption crisis – says Giampietro Comolli, economist expert and patron of
Italian Bubbles Wine – products griffed “Italy” are thriving abroad, provided their origin is assured.” The origin increases the value of our products, makes firms’ turnover grow and stimulates
employment. To eliminate fraud and imitations of Italian products, which create a huge economic loss as well as a damage in image, the armouring of Italian labels has become an absolute
strategic priority for the Italian government. Spumante wines have a strong appeal on consumers, both regular and novice, both abroad and at home, because they meet individual and widely spread
immediate requirements: a low alcoholic content, ease of traceability, good matching with any kind of cuisine, modernity, a price in line with present economic means.

National economic value
The economic sector of Italian spumante wines is worth about 3,000 million euros at consumption. Top wines, with a Controlled and/or Guaranteed Origin Denomination, are 278; 20 regions are
involved in production, 75 provinces and 390 communes are deputed to provide the best grapes; 600 wineries produce at least one bottle of bubbly wine; 2360 are the made-in-Italy labels present
on home and world markets. Veneto, Piedmont and Lombardy are the most productive regions: Lombardy leads the field in bubbles made by classic method; Veneto and Piedmont, instead, are
head-to-head with about 110 to 120 million bottles produced in 2008.

A sparking and female export
173 million bottles are dispatched abroad to 70 countrie, for a consumption value of 1.850 million euros ( 19% over 2007). Italy is the third producer in the world and the second exporter.
After France, with 197 million bottles, and before Spain, with 157 million, Italy is the second exporting country in the world. The best buyers are Germany (41 million bottles), the Usa, with
29 million, Russia, with 17 million, and the UK, with 16 million. With the fanciful appealing slogan “Bubble’s Wine”, Italian bubbles show up in the world. Female consumers prefer the “slightly
sweet aromatic” taste to the “full bodied alcoholic” one of other bubbles. The world market has recognized a higher value than in the past to Italian spumanti, consumers buy with competence and
look for certainty of origin, that is for a modern international relationship in line with present means.

Italian aperitifs
Cocktails forgotten, exotic colourful drinks ousted, today in 10apèritifs 6 are based on Italian bubbles. At the restaurant, price ranges first in the Italian consumer’s motivation for
the choice of spumante wines, while it is the last concern in the case of glass consumption during the “Italian aperitif”. At the supermarket, it takes 2 to 5 minutes to buy a spumante bottle,
because of the wealth of offer and typologic variety. Among the very young – according to a survey – a flute of bubbles has replaced soft drinks and cocktails as an apèritif in 50% of
cases. Experts complain about little assistance at supermarkets, with murky messages.

by Giampietro Comolli

YEAR 2008
BUBBLES WINE DISPATCHED NATIONAL PRODUCTION – ITALIAN AND WORLD MARKETS (million bottles – rounded off)

CHARMAT OR ITALIAN METHOD PRODUCTION   (ITALY – TOTAL)
– DOCG Asti  (13.600  – 75.395)
– DOC Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene (35.200 – 49.000)
– Dry Spumanti (DOCG – DOC – IGT and aromatic/varietal Sparkling Wines) (53.900 – 105.800)
– Sweet Spumanti (Quality – VSQ, Sparkling Wines-VS and varietal Sparkling) (30.600 – 74.600)

            TOTAL (133.300 – )304.795

CLASSIC METHOD PRODUCTION    (ITALY – TOTAL)
– DOC Trento  (7.650 –  8.020)
– Oltrepo Pavese, Alta Langa, Alto Adige, Friuli and different DOC Sparkling Wines  (1.800 – 1.800)
– Quality Sparkling Wines (VSQ), Sparkling Wines (VS) and varietal Sparkling   (4.100 –  4.200)
– DOCG Franciacorta  (8.750  – 9.670)

            TOTAL  (155.600 – 328.485)

Source: Customs, Importers, Wine Houses, Protection Consortiums and Associations, Istat-Ismea, Assocameraestero,Research Institutes.
Data still provisional on March 30,2009

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