Wine consumption in times of Covid-19

Together with the significant boom in wines sales in supermarkets, there has been a corresponding surge in those through Home Delivery, Click&Collect and E-commerce as consumers continue to stay at home.

Perhaps it was to be expected, given the increasing number of hashtags like #iobevoacasa (I drink at home – almost 10,000posts in Instagram) and its “siblings” #bevoacasa (I drink at my home) or #strappatincasa (strapped at home). The latter is a social media initiative launched by producer Luca Balbiano to create “a virtual meeting place to continue to talk about wine and share it with those who #restaacasa (stay at home), discussing pairings, anecdotes or, simply, for the pleasure of being together – while apart –in a convivial way”. There are many similar social media initiatives by those (producers, consortiums, wine shops and PR agencies) who want to see wine consumed even if in a different way, in other words everyone in their own home. And this through sharing videos and photos or even through webinar or conference calls to exchanges views and experiences.

Thus people are still drinking wine, even if not in traditional venues like wine bars and restaurants (both closed by law). They have been forced to stay at home for almost a month and a half now and those involved in smart working can “leave the office” at 6pm and, as if by magic, find themselves in a relaxing environment without having to undergo the stress of commuting. For this and other reasons, including not having to drive and still in the habit of enjoying a good meal, more wine is being consumed at home. And there is no lack of evidence of wine sales increasing in supermarkets and online.

Large retail stores play a big role in this sales boom. In Italy, there are 30,841 of them between box stores, supermarkets, discount stores and local shops and all have seen sales shoot up since the coronavirus emergency began. The surge has been a bit less for the box stores, since they are difficult to reach without a car, but the increase has never been less than 10% and recently they have been similar to those during the Christmas holidays. This was initially due to panic buying, followed by general buying and then, and this in regard to the topic here, due to bars and restaurants being closed. In regard to wine, there was a 12% jump in sales in the last two weeks of March over the same period in 2019.

Online sales have seen the greatest leap, including those through supermarket chains. Esselunga, the first major Italian supermarket chain to embrace online sales, has reported that the Click&Collect method – ordering online with in-store pickup – which had previously accounted for 1% of food sales, has in recent weeks soared to 20%. For conclusive evidence in regard to the surge in online wine sales, one need only look at those for the specialized websites. Tannico, the sector leader, has released data showing how sales at the end of March, compared to the same period last year, were up 100% in Lombardy, 90% in Piedmont, 85% in Emilia Romagna and 82% in Veneto. In other words, in the regions that have been hit the hardest by the virus, people are not going without wine. The increase, while more moderate, has been significant in other Italian regions as well.

At this point, it is interesting to see what Italians are drinking in “captivity”. There has been a drop in sales for important wines (Champagne, Barolo, Brunello and Bolgheri) while sales have increased for day-to-day wines with those for white wines up 20%. Sales have also risen for Sicilian reds, Chianti Classico and Barbera.

In conclusion, wine consumption has in no way ceased and, in fact, home consumption has risen, reversing a trend that seemed to indicate that fewer people were drinking at home, preferring to do so in other venues. Another important fact is that consumers are increasingly paying attention to the quality/price ratio of wine. In other words, during a global crisis like the current one, consumers want value for their money or, as the Americans say, bang for their buck.