Milan's Aperitivo Festival kicks off: Italians find it hard to give up spritz
According to Cga by Niq, 37% of Italians have consumed at least one aperitif in the last three months: a stable share over time. Supermarket sales of sparkling wines, gin and ready-to-drinks increase
4' min read
4' min read
The aperitif is a ritual that changes over time, but one that Italians can hardly give up. According to an analysis conducted by Cga by Niq for the Aperitivo Festival, held from 5 p.m. on 9 to 11 May in Milan, 13% of Italians indulge in what has now become a ritual more than once a week, 17% once a week, 46% at least once a month, and 23% more sporadically. 37% of Italians have consumed an aperitif in the last three months (+1% over 2023). And not only in classic bars (39%) or cocktail bars and dedicated venues (34%), but also in wine bars, trattorias and disco bars (15%), restaurants (13%) and pubs and beer gardens (10%).
Then there is consumption at home, with "aperitifs + vermouth" sales reaching 200 million Euro in sales in large-scale distribution, although even in this area the cut in the trolley has been felt a little (-0.5% in value and - 5.2% in value). On the other hand, sparkling wines, gin and ready-to-drink, which totalled Euro 813 million in receipts (+4.2% in value and +3.6% in volume), do not seem to be affected by the crisis in the trolley.
With regard to the type of aperitif consumed, among the alcoholic drinks, Spritz (33%) takes first place, followed by Prosecco (29%) and beer (26%). Among non-alcoholic drinks, on the other hand, ready-to-drink bottled drinks or ready-to-drink cocktails win, followed by fruit juices.
Also thanks to the renewed attention to sanctions of the highway code, young people in particular are mainly oriented towards options with low or no alcohol content (such as 0% alcohol beer and mocktails): 27% compared to an average of 20%.
"These are trends to be monitored," says Matteo Fortarezza, industry consultant lead at NielsenIQ, "as they not only allow us to intuit the changes in consumption behaviour, but also open up new positioning opportunities for soft drink producers and neighbourhood venues. In fact, 31% of consumers intend to increase the frequency of their visits to venues within easy walking distance, a figure that is up 13 percentage points for Gen Z. 15%, on the other hand, said they would like to go to different venues such as restaurants, museums or cinemas, a trend that once again mainly involves Gen Z (+7 percentage points), confirming their propensity to change their consumption habits.
The85% of the sample considers the proposal of food pairings important: they look at 0 km products, PDO or local products; and 4 out of 5 consumers say they are willing to pay a premium for a superior gastronomic offer. In particular, 45% would be prepared to spend up to EUR 5 more, 44% between EUR 5 and EUR 10, and 12% over EUR 10..
