Italy is the top supplier of wine to the United States but its quality is not yet fully perceived by American consumers. To improve perception and positioning in a highly-competitive market, the Italian government is investing 20 million euros in a three-year campaign, said Maurizio Forte, the Italian Trade Commissioner in the United States. The campaign, targeted to consumers aged 35-55, will be focused on communication initiatives but also training opportunities and B2B events in five states (New York, Illinois, California, Texas and Florida) with a new video – ‘Italian Wine-Taste the Passion’ that will be distributed nationwide thanks to social media.
The largest buyer of Italian wine
The main aim of this campaign is to elevate the perception and the positioning of Italian wine in the United States, Forte told ItalianFood.net in an interview on the sidelines of Gala Italia, the annual Italian gathering of wine media and personalities organized by the Italian Wine & Food Institute with the support of the Ministry of Economic Development and the ICE-Italian Trade Commission. Italy is the main exporter of wine to the US by volume, with a market share of 27.7%, according to 2017 data by ICE US. However, Italy is second in value terms, with a 31.4% market share. The US is the largest buyer of Italian wine in the world with a 23.5% share of total exports worth 1.86 billion dollars in sales in 2017. We are the first suppliers in quantity, we are the first suppliers in value, but the average price of Italian wine is not yet satisfactory. American consumers are choosing very often Italian wine, but I think there’s room to educate them and explain to them to choose Italian wine of always higher quality, Forte said.
Watch the full interview from Gala Italia here: