In November 2023, the US wine market witnessed a month-on-month decline of -11% in total consumption, widening the sales volume deficit to -8% for the first 11 months of the preceding year. Notably, Italian wines emerged as a singular anomaly, curbing losses to -3% in November and maintaining a cumulative -3.5% for the year, according to data from the Wine Observatory of the Italian Wine Union (UIV). The standout performance of Italian wine can be attributed to the buoyancy of the sparkling wine segment, which exhibited a commendable +2.2% year-on-year growth. This starkly contrasts with the general downturn observed in still wines, with reds declining by -9%, whites by -3%, and rosés by -13%.
Analyzing distribution channels, out-of-home consumption (restaurants, bars, hotels) experienced a moderate -5% decline, whereas off-premise demand (organized large-scale retail, wholesale, liquor stores, grocery) plummeted significantly to -9%.
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In November alone, sparkling wines outpaced whites, posting an impressive +8% growth compared to the same period in 2022. This elevated sparkling wines to the position of the most consumed Italian wines among US wine enthusiasts, commanding a market share of nearly 38%, outpacing whites at 35.5%, and reds at 17.5%—the latter experiencing a pronounced dip of -16%.
Yet, the struggles encountered by red wines extend beyond the realm of Italian varietals. In 2023, the market at large witnessed a substantial contraction of -10%, exacerbated to -15% by November. In a noteworthy counterflow, sales of cocktail wines demonstrated resilience, registering a commendable
