There were times when wine seemed to know no obstacles, undisputed emperor of
thoughts and glasses of countless consumers and enthusiasts, regardless of age
– the one considered as legal, of course – gender, social background and
economic condition. Wine was the preferred subject of most of the people, in
particular at the table, as well as in private occasions and in public
gatherings. Very often we ended up having endless dissertations on the wine which
we had at that moment in the glass, often dreaming of having another totally
different one, however necessarily being happy with the bottle which was on the
table. And most of the time, more than one. This didn't just happen on
private occasions, but also when you were in company at a table in a
restaurant or wine bar. It was something concerning everyone, including young
people, obviously of the age allowing the legal consumption of alcoholic
beverages. It was done in moderation – at least as far as I was concerned –
because, in wine, we did not see just a drink to be simply drunk, but the
expression of a culture and knowledge that was considered seriously and with
respect, a shared beverage and meant to be shared.
Times have obviously passed by, wine has changed, we have changed, of course
factors, conditions and the relationship of people with wine have changed as
well. Including young people. For many years we have continued to talk about the
relationship of the new generations with wine and – apparently – this
relationship punctually and cyclically experiences moments of ups and downs. The
future, in this sense, would seem to see the relationship of young people with
wine even further distant. A condition that, apparently, already started a few
years ago, and it doesn't seem, at the moment, that there could be a sudden
new love at first sight or renewed passion. The young generation and,
apparently, also the future ones, seem to be more interested in the consumption
of other alcoholic beverages, especially beer which seems to have established a
solid bond with them. Of course, compared to past times, beer has benefited from
a development, also qualitative, decidedly unimaginable twenty years ago, at
least for mass-market beers.
This is also thanks to – but not limited to – the excellent job done by the
countless so-called artisan breweries, which in recent years have flourished
and grown almost everywhere in the world. Many of them have undeniably been
capable of creating beers of high quality and which have joined the production
– present for decades, albeit niche – of the historic breweries, in
particular those of Northern Europe. Because, it must be said, good and huge
quality beer has always existed, despite having been, so to speak, drowned by the
ocean of mass production. Something happened, in many respects, also in the wine
and food industry in general. After all, it is a simple law of the market: the
greater the offer of products, economic potential and profit, the greater the
competition. Last but not least, this also happens in any other sector. The
number of wineries existing today – in quantity – is unimaginable if we compare
it to that of twenty years ago. And each of them makes wine with the same goal:
to sell and make a profit at the expense of all the others. Mors tua vita
mea. (Your death, my life)
As for the fact, then, that young people consume less wine, suggesting they are
in favor of a healthier lifestyle, therefore reducing alcohol consumption, it
should be noted that, in reality, this is not the case at all, although this may
have pleased someone. Young people consume alcohol, and sometimes even in
worrying quantities, especially in the form of beer and spirits. Admittedly,
alcohol is alcohol anyway, regardless of its origin or production: it makes no
difference whether it is contained in wine or in any other beverage. After all,
it is the sum that makes the total. The sum, indeed. Because if it is true that
beer is – and will probably be in the future – the alcoholic beverage most
consumed by young people, it must also be said that its consumption does not stop
at just one glass, rather several bottles. Considering, not least, the economic
factor, as four bottles of mass-market beer cost, on average, much less than
one bottle of modest wine, however the quantity of alcohol consumed is
greater.
If current estimates see young people consume less wine – preferring other
alcoholic beverages – the trend for the future could be even more negative,
towards a progressive and inexorable lack of interest. On the occasion of the
last general assembly of the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV, Italian Wine
Union), it was underlined that in the immediate future the trend in the demand
for wine will progressively decrease. The cause would be to be found in the
progressive increase in the average age and the lack of interest for wine in new
generations. The immediate forecast is for an increase in the consumption rate of
just 7%, with an estimated average annual growth of 0.35%, a forecast which is
believed to be valid until 2039. According to the Observatory of Unione
Italiana Vini, in the future, exports will progressively represent the
fundamental discriminating factor of the market, forecasting an estimated
decrease in domestic consumption of -1.2 million hectoliters.
The study conducted by UIV analyzed the trends relating to the progressive aging
of consumers. If in the decade 1990/1999 the consumption of the over 65
population and the under 25 population was in perfect parity – about 18% – a
drastic decrease is forecast for the decade ending in 2039. At that time, in
fact, it is expected to see the population over 65 representing 30% of
consumption, while the population under 25 will drop to 13%. The same forecast
should also take place in the other main European wine producing countries
– Italy, France, Spain and Germany – thus confirming the current and
progressive downward trend. Habits and consumption have changed in all these
countries since the 1960s, when the Italians and French registered a per capita
consumption of 140 litres. Regardless of these estimates and figures, the
progressive disinterest of young people in wine is something that has been
noticed since many years now. And it should be emphasized that it is not a matter
of their lack of interest in alcohol intake, given that young people willingly
consume other alcoholic beverages, especially beer and spirits.
Personally – from what I see, read and hear – it is the result derived from
the way wine has been treated and considered in the last ten years, more or less.
In this period, in fact, we witnessed the rise of mediocre wine
storytellers, who, not possessing any wine culture and expertise, started a
trivial and superficial writing style, arguing, no less, the communication of
wine had to be simplified, made easy (and you know, in Italy when you
use English everything becomes more easy, indeed eezee, like the
Italians pronounce it) just to make wine appealing to young people and promoting
its consumption. The strategy – of which producers must be considered
accomplices and guilty because have easily fallen under the spell of the
easy communication revolution – has produced a detachment of interest
from young people towards wine. To me, this is the obvious consequence.
Simplification is nothing more than the trivialization of a concept, stripping it
of everything and in the end nothing remains, just a trivial easy drink
like any other easy drink. Wine has been trivialized to the level of
cheeky and easy-to-drink beverage: just uncork and drink, just like what you
would do with any non-alcoholic drink or soda pop, then be happy, carefree and
easy.
Furthermore, by considering no one is foolish – especially young people –
when a consumer decides to have an easy drink look at what he or she has
in the pockets and then make a decision. Why, unless he or she has a genuine
interest, should the young consumer choose an easy wine when with a tenth
of its price, and even less, can be bought an equally easy drink? Not to
mention, even more than one? If wine is degraded to the level of a carefree and
careless beverage, like any other drink – not to mention, a deplorable attitude,
given that wine is an alcoholic beverage – one cannot therefore complain the
wine has been ignored for the fact it is more expensive. Not to mention, those
who, in adopting this type of commercial and promotional policy, never
fail to emphasize that wine, even in the shiny and bewitching young and
easy version, is culture, tradition, quality and all the well-known fairy
tales that often follow. It doesn't work and the young people are proving it to
you. Why should they prefer wine, in the fascinating guise of easy drink,
anonymous and ordinary wines, when the competition in that market is capable of
offering winning alternatives at a decidedly lower price and, above all, just as
easy, indeed, undeniably much easier?
Antonello Biancalana
|