Assoenologi sends a message: we need a new Renaissance for Italian wine.
A very clear message came from the National Congress of Assoenologi in Conegliano.
Enough talk about the crisis.
We need to build the future.
Italian winemakers have launched a call to the industry: abandon negativity and imagine a new Renaissance of Italian wine.
The message comes at a complex time.
Markets are more competitive, geopolitical tensions create uncertainty, and consumption is growing less rapidly than in the past.
But this is precisely why a new vision is needed.
Italy continues to have strengths that no competitor possesses:
unique wine biodiversity in the world
hundreds of native vines
denominations recognized everywhere
leadership in wine tourism
high international reputation
The challenge is not to defend the past.
The challenge is to enhance it in a modern way.
Digital communication, hospitality, sustainability, technological innovation, and internationalization represent the tools of the new Renaissance.
This is not the first time that Italian wine has undergone a transformation.
Each time he came out stronger.
The same thing could happen this time too.
Young people aren’t abandoning wine: they’re changing the way they approach it.
One of the most discussed topics concerns the relationship between young people and wine.
Many argue that the new generations are not interested.
Even in this case the reality is more complex.
Millennials today represent the fastest growing segment in demand for wine tourism experiences.
Nearly 70% of companies indicate them as the group most present in visits and events dedicated to wine.
Young people don’t refuse wine.
They reject some communication models.
For years, the sector has spoken primarily to insiders: complex language, technicalities, excessive classifications.
Today consumers are looking for:
authenticity
simplicity
experiences
relations
emotions
It is in this context that the Sardinian project dedicated to young Cannonau was born, presented at the National Congress of Assoenologi as a model for dialogue with the new generations.
The idea is simple:
not to change the identity of the wine, but to find new languages to describe it.
Young people continue to drink.
They often drink less quantity but seek greater quality.
They alternate wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
They choose more consciously.
This is a cultural shift, not an abandonment of wine.
Companies that are able to interpret this evolution will have enormous opportunities in the coming years.
Wine tourism: the true driving force behind the new growth of Italian wine.
If wine were truly in crisis we wouldn’t be witnessing the boom in wine tourism.
Yet the numbers tell a different story.
According to the ilGolosario Wine Tour Observatory, analyzing approximately 1,700 Italian companies, over 60% of wineries have seen an increase in direct sales thanks to wine tourism activities.
This is a huge number.
This means that wine is no longer purchased only on shelves or through distributors and importers.
More and more often it is purchased directly where it grows.
The modern consumer wants to live an experience.
He wants to visit the vineyards.
He wants to know the manufacturer.
He wants to understand the territory.
He wants to eat, taste, photograph and share.
In fact, 82% of visitors choose itineraries that combine:
visit to the cellar
tasting
gastronomic experience
discovery of the territory
Wine thus becomes an integral part of a tourist ecosystem.
Italy has an extraordinary competitive advantage.
No other country can offer simultaneously:
unique landscapes
thousand-year history
an immense artistic heritage
regional cuisine
hundreds of denominations
widespread hospitality
Many Italian wineries are still only exploiting part of this potential.
And this is where one of the key growth opportunities for the next decade lies.
Rather than increasing production, we need to increase the value of experience.
Those who visit a winery often become loyal customers for years… and this is worth much more than a single sale.