The orange wave of the Spritz is now a symbol made in Italy

Until not so long ago, 'Made in Italy' was associated with a specific colour: red. Ferrari red in the first place, but also - to stay in the automotive sector - Alfa Romeo red or, changing sector, Valentino red. For some years now, a second colour has been added to red: the orange of the Spritz, of the Aperol Spritz in particular. It is an orange wave that sweeps through the historic centres of Italian cities pressed by overtourism with Spritzes camping out on the tables of bars, the many seaside resorts, beaches, terraces overlooking the sea and those in mountain resorts. In fact, the orange wine glass with a stem, filled with ice, with a slice of orange is now a fixed presence even in the most popular TV series, from The White Lotus to Emily in Paris and many others, giving foreign settings an unmistakable Italian touch.

An unstoppable, allMade in Italy success story that has matured over the last twenty years, even though both Spritz and Aperol are many years older. The Spritz - as one not infrequently hears barmen tell it - originated in the 19th century with the Austro-Hungarian militia stationed in the north-east of the country. Italian wine, even white wine, was too alcoholic for those soldiers and so they began to dilute it with mineral water. Over time bitter was added and mineral water was replaced by soda or tonic water, but in the Triveneto region the Spritz is still made with still wine today.

In the early 2000s, the intuition - attributed to a Venetian bacàro - to make it with Prosecco (which in turn was starting its own whirlwind parabola of growth in production and market) and was fully espoused by Campari which, in the meantime, in 2003, had taken over Aperol and boasted (under the Cinzano brand) its own Prosecco production.

'Aperol was born in 1919 and Campari took it over in 2003,' explains the managing director house of aperitfs of the Campari Group (3 billion turnover 2024, 15% achieved in Italy), Andrea Neri. 'Starting in 2009 we structured a strategy centred on the aperitif and the consumers' need for a less alcoholic and less demanding drink than cocktails but more sophisticated than a simple glass of wine or a beer. We took the Veneto Spritz, hitherto presented in classic glasses, and elevated its image with a more elegant and premium 'drink' garnished with orange slices, to bring it closer to cocktails. Thus choosing a price positioning higher than a beer but lower than a cocktail. A not excessively alcoholic proposal (around 8 degrees), sparkling, easy to drink, and we took this product out of Triveneto, first throughout Italy and then Europe'.

Abroad, we started in Austria and Bavaria, where there was a segment of consumers from Italy who were already familiar with the Spritz, and then the range gradually expanded. 'In 15 years,' adds Neri, 'Aperol Spritz has become the most widely drunk spirit in Italy and, with its simple recipe (3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part soda), has conquered continental Europe, the UK and the world'.