Over the last twenty years in Italy, there has been an increase in the consumption of white wine (+10%) and rosé (+15.4%), while there has been a decrease in the consumption of red wine (-30.6%). This trend could continue in the coming years, as wines with low alcohol content are becoming increasingly popular in everyday use, thanks to their greater ease of drinking, which makes them more accessible to consumers. It is therefore understandable that white wines, led by sparkling wines, have overtaken red wines both in terms of production and consumption.

This change is confirmed by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (Oiv), which highlights how Italy and France, the main wine forces, have reduced the production of red wines in the last 20 years. In particular, Italy has increased the production of white wines, influenced by the global success of Prosecco, while France has increasingly become a leader in the production of rosés.

In 2021, the world production of white wine represented 50% (130 million hl) of the total production, while red wine ones was 42% (110 million), and the remaining 8% (21 million) was rosés. Red wine production has fallen 25 percent since its peak in 2004.

The increase in demand for white wine has been driven by sparkling wines and by countries such as Italy, the United States, South Africa and Australia. The United States became the largest consumer of white and red wine in 2021, with a total of 33.1 million hectoliters (or 14.1% of global consumption): 11.5 million hectoliters for red wines, 18.3 for white ones and 3.2 for rosé.

In summary, in Italy there has been a constant increase in the consumption of white and rosé wines, while the consumption of red wine has decreased significantly. This change represents a collapse if we consider that red wine represented 49% of consumption in 2000, falling to 37% in 2021.

Source: Wine News