With classic regions such as Tuscany, Piemonte and Veneto, Italian wines occupy the fourth position among the most imported ones into Brazil. It is the second European country that sells the most whites and reds to the country, behind only Portugal, which occupies the second position, and in front of France, currently the fifth country most sought after by Brazilians when it comes to wines.
Italy, in the world of wine, can be defined as several countries in one, because of its diversity and the number of indigenous grapes. In this scenario, Tuscany, land of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, is the main region in the country when the ranking is based on the most exported Italian wines to Brazil.
In the first seven months of 2020, Brazil imported US$ 183.4 million, in FOB values, in wines. From Italy it was US$ 16.1 million. Of this total, US$ 4.5 million originated in Tuscany, which corresponds to 95,900 boxes of 9 liters. Altogether, Tuscany corresponds to 27.8% of Italian labels imported by Brazil from January to July this year, in value.
In the same period last year, Tuscany also held this leadership, but its share was 23.2%. This was equivalent to US$ 4 million, with 71,900 boxes of 9 liters of wine. Comparing January to July 2019 with 2020, there was an increase of 12.5% in value, and 33% in volume. The data show that, even in this prestigious region, there is a demand for lower value labels.
When analyzing who brings Italian wines, the distributors, who are the traditional importers, closed July 2020 with 56.5% market share. Direct imports by supermarkets, with 26.2% and e-commerce companies, with 17.3% are the other importers.
Data from January to July 2019, however, show how supermarkets and e-commerce are buying more Italian wines and pushing the value of bottles down. In this period, distributors had a larger share, 68.6%, while supermarkets had 16.7% and e-commerce, with 14.8%.
Brazil brings wines from Tuscany of greater value than from less famous regions, such as Emiglia Romagna, Puglia or Abruzzo. Thus, when analyzing the wine region that exports the most wines to Brazil in volume, the leadership becomes Emiglia Romagna, both in the period from January to July 2020 and 2019. There are 175,800 boxes of 9 liters of wine in 2020 and 241 thousand boxes in 2019. Next comes Puglia, with 121.5 thousand boxes this year and 118.5 thousand boxes in 2019.
Another point to call attention is the growing preference for Primitivo grapes in Brazil. From January to July this year, there were 72.8 boxes of 9 liters with wines made with this variety, which corresponds to US$ 2.2 million. These are wines that cost US$ 30.4 a box of 9 liters, always in FOB values. In the same period last year, the import of Primitivo was in second place in the ranking, behind the popular Lambruscos.
Lambrusco, by the way, remains firm as the type of Italian wine most importedto Brazil. This wine has a lot of sales volume, but with a low unit value. In the first seven months of 2020, there were 146 thousand boxes of 9 liters Lambrusco, with an average box value of US$ 14.5. To compare, Lambruscos’ imports in these seven months were US$ 2.1 million, less than that of Primitivo, despite the double volume.
In the list of the main Italian regions, after Tuscany, leader in value and in third place in volume, it follows Puglia, in second place in value and in volume, and Emiglia Romagna, leader in volume and third in value. Next in this ranking are two regions also known for the prestige of their wines. Fourth in terms of both value and volume is the Veneto region. Piemonte, of the classic Barolos and Barbarescos, occupies the fifth position in value, but the seventh place in volume, since the wines of the region are traditionally more expensive. Barolos have a FOB value of US$ 173.4 per box of 9 liters and Barbarians, US$ 243.
The ranking of the ten main Italian regions that export to Brazil is completed with Sicilia (sixth in value, fifth in volume); Abruzzo (seventh in value, sixth in volume); Friuli (eighth in value, tenth in volume); Umbria (ninth in value, eighth in volume) and Lazio (tenth in value, ninth in volume).
