Italian sparkling wines are set to dominate Christmas and New Year parties, with an 11% growth in foreign sales expected this year, according to Italian farmers' association Coldiretti. Based on Istat data for the first eight months of the year, Coldiretti anticipates that exports will surpass €1.3 billion in 2017, with an estimated production of more than 600 million bottles.
Coldiretti says that the UK was the world's leading market for Italian sparkling wine in 2017, with a 13% growth in exported bottles. This was ahead of the US, which saw growth of 16%, followed by Germany with a 14% increase. The best-selling Italian sparkling wines in these markets are Prosecco, Asti and Franciacorta.
