An increase in Prosecco sales
of more than a third in the US is driving healthy growth in the
Italian sparkling wine market, experts have said.
Sales have gone up by 35 per cent in North America, while
the average price of a bottle has risen by more than 36 per cent
to around $12, wine expert Danny Brager said at the launch of
Italian wine company Wine 2 Wine.
The growth has lead to a six per cent increase in sales in
the US of Italian sparkling wines, a category which makes up
half of all Made In Italy exports.
Brager, US senior vice president of the alcoholic beverage
department at Nielsen, a global information company, said "the
demand for Prosecco is greater than for Champagne throughout the
year, except for Christmas".
"The growth in Prosecco has occurred without eroding the
market share of other sparking wines," he said. "It is winning
over one in three people who have never tried Italian sparking
wine."
Some 45 per cent of US consumers say they drink sparking
wine only at home, while 12 per cent say they consume the
alcoholic drink only in a restaurant.
Sales of draught wine, on beaches and in less informal
locations, are growing.
Brager said that in general US consumers tend to follow
trends among their friends.
"Consumers in the United States love simple messages
regarding wine; they are scared of anything complex and they
drink what their friends drink," he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
