CREA survey finds 94.4% of Italian respondents drink wine at least occasionally

Consumption frequency and age

Wine remains part of the lives of most participants in a 2024 survey of 1,038 consumers: 94.4% said they drink it at least occasionally and 56.5% consume it at least once a week. The findings appeared in the Wine and Consumers Special Report published in CreAgritrend, the quarterly bulletin produced by CREA through its Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy. Preferences and consumption patterns varied mainly by age and gender.¹

Daily consumption rose markedly with age, from 3.8% among respondents aged 18–24 to 24.6% among those aged 55–65. Over the same age range, the proportion drinking wine only rarely declined from 32.3% to 16.6%.¹

Where wine is consumed

At-home consumption increased from 33.3% among the youngest respondents to 61.6% in the 55–65 group. Drinking during social occasions with friends or relatives showed the reverse pattern and was more important among younger consumers. The share consuming wine in restaurants, bars and wine shops was comparatively stable across age groups, ranging from 50% to 60%.¹

Preferences by wine style and gender

Red was the most popular wine category overall, but the results showed different profiles for men and women. Frequent red-wine consumption was reported by 56.7% of men and 47.3% of women. White wine was frequently consumed by 45.5% of women and 36% of men, while the corresponding figures for rosé were 20.5% and 15%.¹

Regular spending and maximum budgets

The €4–8 bracket formed the core of regular wine purchases, cited by 45.8% of respondents. Another 32.8% placed their usual purchases between €8 and €15, while 11.8% bought below €4 and 9.6% above €15.¹

Maximum willingness to pay was substantially higher than routine spending: 41.2% would spend more than €20 on a bottle, comprising 27.8% prepared to pay €20–30 and 13.4% willing to exceed €30. The difference indicates that some consumers have higher budgets for particular occasions than for regular purchases.¹

What drives a purchase

Taste ranked first among purchasing criteria, earning an average of 4.22 on a five-point scale and being considered important or very important by 82% of respondents. Denomination of origin followed with an average score of 4.00 and a high-importance rating from 73.7%. Price ranked next at 3.91, with 71.1% describing it as important or very important.¹

The producing winery remained influential, recording an average score of 3.79 and being rated important or very important by 66.3%. Vintage was less decisive, at 3.48 and 51.8%, while packaging placed last among the reported factors, at 3.27 and 42.6%. The results show that respondents evaluated wine through a combination of sensory appeal, origin, price, producer identity and other product characteristics.¹