Wine: consumption occasions are changing and interest in no/low alcohol is growing

In the wine market, sparkling wines and products strongly associated with a particular territory or style are driving demand. There is also growing openness towards no- and low-alcohol products.

In the year ending in April 2026, in the sector (Circana data, total Italy, Hypermarkets+Supermarkets+Lsp+Discounts), 616 million litres of wine were sold (-4%), with turnover standing at around 2,35 billion euros (-1,7%), as well as more than 105 million litres in total of sparkling wines and champagne (+1%), with value growth of 1,3%, bringing turnover to 776 million euros.

Geographical areas and distribution channels

The geographical distribution of volume sales for the two wine + sparkling wine/champagne segments shows the North-West in the lead, with 32,6% market share and 34,4% of the value. It is followed by Central Italy+Sardinia, which accounts for 27,3% of volumes and 28,5% of market share. The North-East represents 19,5% by volume and 20,4% by value, while the South completes the picture with a share of 20,6% by volume and 16,8% by value. As regards distribution channels, supermarkets confirm their absolute centrality, handling 51,7% of volumes and 61,1% of total value, followed by discount stores—which represent the second most important channel—with a share of 30,3% by volume and 17,9% by value. Free-service stores, on the other hand, record a market share of 10,4% by volume and 11,4% by value, while hypermarkets bring up the rear with 7,5% of volumes and 9,6% of value.

Segment performance

Analysing them in detail, the two market segments show divergent trends. Within the wine category, the Italian Doc/Docg subsegment ranks first by value, with 1,25 billion euros and 217 million litres, but is declining both in volume (-3%) and value (-1,4%). Italian table wine is the second subsegment by volume (210,4 million litres), but shows a decline of 5% in quantity and 2,8% in value, falling to 383,3 million euros. Finally, Italian Igt wine closes with 178 million litres (-3,7%) and a value of 661 million euros (-1,4%). Within the sparkling wine and champagne segment, however, the dry Charmat subsegment is the most in demand, with almost 86 million litres (+1,3%) and 527,3 million in turnover (+0,5%). Traditional-method sparkling wine shows the strongest trend, with a jump of 6,8% in volume (8,4 million litres) and +6,1% in value, reaching 151,2 million euros; it is followed by champagne (+4,5% by volume and +3,3% by value), despite its high average price of 50,86 euros per bottle, almost three times higher than the average price of traditional-method sparkling wine (17,95 €). The only subsegment in decline is sweet Charmat: -5,7% by volume and -6,1% by value. The top three players (Caviro, Riunite & Civ, Gruppo Italiano Vini) account for 11,7% of the market by value, while private label reaches 15,3%.

Read more about DM Magazine June 2026

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.