Italian Wines Gain Popularity in Brazilian Market

Due to its tradition of producing coveted labels, Italy is the world’s largest wine producer, surpassing France (which leads in terms of added value) and Spain, which hold the top positions in production. In Brazil, despite a strong tradition of Italian immigration, Italy only ranks fourth among imported wines, trailing behind Chile, Argentina, and Portugal. However, the situation is changing.

Data from the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) shows a 4.4% increase in Brazilian imports of Italian wines in the first eight months of the year, rising from $23.5 million to $24.6 million. While this may seem modest, there has also been a significant increase of 14.3% in the average cost of Italian wines purchased by Brazilians, from $3.43 per liter to $3.92 per liter. Today, Brazil is the fourth-largest market in the Americas for Italian wines, behind the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Part of this result can be attributed to specific promotional efforts, both for regions with a rich tradition like Chianti in Tuscany and for labels produced in less popular but highly promising origin denominations, such as red and white wines made at the foot of Mount Etna. A few months ago, for example, ITA organized the “I Love Italian Wines” fair, featuring masterclasses on recent Italian production and a producer fair (some of which are not yet imported to Brazil).

This is a strategy that Portugal has been implementing quite intelligently. In addition to events for professionals, the press, importers, and restaurants, the committees responsible for both national production and specific regions organize gatherings with the final consumer. This initiative is important so that each person can taste different wines and develop an interest in the countries, typical grapes, and various producers.

The chart below shows Brazilian imports of wine from Italy between Jan 2019 and Aug 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Wine Imports from Italy | Jan 2019 – Aug 2023 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Italy has a higher degree of complexity due to its various origin denominations, divided among IGT (typical geographic indication), DOC (controlled designation of origin), and DOCG (controlled and guaranteed designation of origin). Currently, there are 118 IGTs, 330 DOCs, and 74 DOCGs. Delving into this world can be a complicated task, and it is crucial for importers and restaurants to gauge what will have the greatest acceptance in the local market.

Moreover, there is a growing number of importers exclusively dedicated to Italian wines. For instance, Italy Import, owned by former goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel, who played for Parma between 1990 and 1993 and again between 2001 and 2003. But it’s not the only one. There are others focused solely on labels from Italy, such as Italianino and L’Aretuseo, specializing in this segment.

Source: Veja S. Paulo

To read the original text report, visit: https://veja.abril.com.br/comportamento/com-acoes-de-divulgacao-importacao-de-vinhos-italianos-cresce-no-brasil

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