Tradition may not be enough to keep Italy’s culture of wine alive. A new study shows that Italians under the age of 35 are drinking fewer bottles of vino than ever before.
While 69% of Italians over 65 drink wine every day, that number drops to a mere 13% for Italians under 35.
Many respondents cited cost of wine as a factor in their decision to drink less, but 50% of Italian consumers spend less than €3 on their table wine. Another oft-given reason for cutting back on wine was health reasons.
The results of the study were announced at Vinitaly, where Italian winemakers were especially focused on winning back their domestic consumer base.
Though wine drinking may be on the decline among the 16-35 age group, Italian per capita consumption is still one of the highest in Europe. The French drink the most with 56.6 liters per person per year, but Italians rival their northern neighbors, downing 56.2 liters on average.
Perhaps there is still time to preserve the wine-making traditions Italy is famous for.
