Vinitaly 2026

Vinitaly

Wine sales slow down, but sparkling wines are still bucking the trend

In Italian supermarkets, according to Circana, purchases stopped at 737 million litres (-3.4% per annum) with an expenditure of 2.3 billion (-1.1%), but sparkling wines are the exception: the Classical Method wines grew the most, sold at an average price of over 18 euros per litre

by Manuela Soressi

12 April 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

There was a setback for wines in modern distribution, the most important channel for sales of this type of product: compared to the previous year, In 2025, Italians reduced by 3.4% the quantities purchased in large-scale distribution, stopping at 623.8 million litres of wine, reports the analysis prepared by Circana that will be presented at Vinitaly. Expenditure has also decreased (-1.1%), down to EUR 2.3 billion, despite a 2.4% increase in the average price to EUR 3.79 per litre. "After a 2024 in which the decline in wine sales in large-scale distribution had eased, last year the market went backwards, losing more than 20 million litres and 26 million euro," commentsVirgilio Romano, business insight director at Circana.

Bollicine che passione

Not for all types of wine, however, was it a bad year. Sparkling wines continued to toast in 2025 and closed the year with growth, albeit more moderate than in 2024: Sales in the retail channel increased by 1.5% in volume and 1.2% in value, exceeding 109 million litres and 750 million euro sell-out.

Among sparkling wines, it was the performance of the Metodo Classico that stood out, which, in spite of its price (EUR 18.44 average price per litre) grew in large-scale distribution by 4.9% in value and 6.3% in volume, exceeding EUR 148 million and 8 million litres sold.

The market is closed by liqueur wines, which, with their 3.7 million litres sold for EUR 33.3 million, represent the smallest segment and also record the most negative annual trend, falling by 4.7% in volume and 2.8% in value.

Purchasing guidelines

In 2025, the basic orientations guiding the purchasing choices of Italians remained substantially unchanged. It was mainly still wines and white wines that ended up in the shopping trolley. However, still red remained the best-selling type, with over 261 million litres sold, i.e. 18 million litres more than still white (243 million litres in total). In contrast, among sparkling wines, sparkling white clearly prevailed, with more than 98 million litres sold against 6.8 million for sparkling rosé and 2.5 million for sparkling red.

In general, in 2025, those paying the bill for the greater attention of Italians to alcohol consumption were mainly the more noble wines, i.e. those with denomination of origin (DOC, DOCG and IGT) sold in 75 cl bottles, which closed the year with a drop in quantity of 2.6% compared to +0.7% in 2024. Only the price increased, rising as in 2024 (+2.1%) to EUR 5.69 per litre.

Even in 2025, the Prosecco remained the most purchased sparkling wine (and also the wine) in modern distribution, with over 53 million litres sold (+2.6% per year) for a countervalue of 392.7 million euro (+0.9%). In second place was confirmed by Lambrusco with over 28 million litres (but down 7.2%) followed by Trebbiano, stable at over 23 million litres (+0.3%). Among the top sellers, Sangiovese replicated the volumes of 2024, while Montepulciano, Chianti, Chardonnay, Barbera, Merlot, Nero d'Avola and Müller Thurgau showed a negative trend. Positive, on the other hand, was the performance of Vermentino, which reached over 12.3 million litres (+2.5%), Ribolla at 9.1 million litres (+4.2%) and Primitivo with 8.3 million litres (+3%).

The analysis conducted by Circana shows that in 2025 Italians also chose other wines, causing sales to take off. Standing out among these 'emerging' wines was above all Grecanico, which grew by 13.7% in volume and 9.4% in value. Among the grape varieties, the trend was also very positive for Nebbiolo, which recorded +9.7% in volume and +9.1% in value, Pinot Nero (+7.8% in volume and +6.4% in value) and Lagrein (+5.2% in volume and +6% in value).

Private labels are also being flexed

On the competitive front, 'the downturn that has characterised the wine market in large-scale distribution has also affected distributor brands (Mdd,ed), which cover 19.3% of sales volumes (including discounters where they are very present, ed), and for which 2025 wasa year of settling after a positive two-year period,' says Romano.

Overall, in 2025, Italians bought 119.5 million litres of wine and 12.6 million litres of sparkling wine 'signed' by brands belonging to retailers, spending 292.4 and 70.7 million respectively. Compared to 2024, the setback was sharp (-6.1% in volume and -4.1% in value) due to the combination of recent difficulties in the modern channel and consolidated difficulties in discount stores, which weigh about 30% of the market. The most penalised were wines sold in 75 cl bottles (-6.5%), where the incidence of Mdd fell to 11.1%. Also dropping, after a very positive 2024, were sparkling wines (-0.4% in volume), where Mdds signed 12% of the total volumes purchased in large-scale organised distribution.