Moscato Wine Market Size & Trends
The global moscato wine market size was valued at USD 1,704.7 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3 % from 2023 to 2030. The growth of the market is being driven by the increasing demand for sweeter and lighter wine with a low alcohol percentage. Moreover, the diversity of choices and exciting new offerings are attracting new consumers and boosting the consumption of Moscato wine. The COVID-19 crisis had a negative impact on the market, with producers in several countries being impacted in different ways. According to the U.S. national wine association WineAmerica, 1,085 wineries from 49 U.S. states, representing around 10 % of all American wineries, faced financial losses in March 2020 alone as high as USD 400 million.
However, online retail sales of wines such as dessert wines like moscato grew exponentially during the pandemic. Consumers who utilized specialist wine apps or ordered wine online during the pandemic increased their frequency of wine consumption in Old World countries such as Spain and Portugal. According to the Alcohol.org, a third of people in the U.S. who were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic were also drinking on the job.
The pandemic disrupted the tasting room as an exclusive sales channel, prompting producers to come up with new strategies to move their wine stocks. Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) e-commerce is an intuitive development of this method: buyers may choose what they want, when they want it, and how many bottles they want by visiting the winery's website rather than going there in person to purchase a bottle.
Advances in Moscato wine manufacturing practices are also supporting the growth of the market. Companies are increasingly investing in technologies that reduce their carbon footprint, minimize waste generation, and use renewable energy sources in their production processes.
The grape types used to make Moscato are distinguished by a high concentration of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids. In fact, Moscato types are known for producing aromatic wines, and they are mostly used to make Fortified, Sfursat, and Passito Moscato, which are sweet aromatic wines. The grapes are mostly white with a medium-sized berry that is spheroidal or slightly flattened in shape and yellow-greenish in color.
Type Insights
Moscato bianco dominated the type segment accounting for the highest revenue share of 36.9% in 2022. Moscato bianco is the noblest of the Moscato family and has been farmed for at least 800 years. It is also the variety that served as the foundation for Moscato d'Asti, the style that many commercial brands want to imitate, and was the reason for the most recent Moscato boom. Moscato bianco is the most widely grown Moscato grape. It is Italy's seventh most widely planted white grape with around 11,500 hectares under vine. Consumers prefer moscato bianco because it is the most established moscato wine variety available in the market.
The moscato giallo segment is predicted to expand at the highest CAGR of 13.1% during the forecast period of 2023-2030. Moscato Giallo is a member of the Muscat family of grapes that is most typically found in the Trentino-Alto Adige area in northeastern Italy. It is most frequently used to produce air-dried passito-style sweet wines and has a similar grapey, musky flavor to most Muscat varietals. The growth of this segment can be attributed to its unique characteristics such as musky flavors, high levels of sugar, and thick skins which makes them great for the production of lusciously sweet wines.
Sales Channel Insights
The supermarkets & hypermarkets segment dominated the sales channel segment with the largest share of 21.9% in 2022. According to the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), supermarkets & hypermarkets in France sold around 920 million liters of wine which accounted for 62% of the total volume of wine sold in 2020, thus emerged as the biggest sales channel for wine distribution in the country. The growth of this segment can be attributed to consumer preference for supermarkets & hypermarkets due to its true one-stop shop, forgoing an additional trip to dedicated wine and spirits retailers.
The online retail segment is anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period. In the U.S., online sales of wine increased from 0.3% in 2018 to over 3% in 2022. Although that might appear to be small steps, it reflects an increasing trend in online wine sales that use direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing as a channel. The DTC approach, in which winemakers sell directly to end users rather than through a merchant, allows consumers to engage with distant producers and receive individualized suggestions based on their purchasing history.
Additional benefits of buying wine online include ease, access to a larger selection of wines, and the option to examine ratings and reviews from other consumers to make informed purchasing selections.
Regional Insights
Europe led the market and accounted for a 43.1% share of the global revenue in 2022.According to the European Union (EU), it had 3.2 million hectares of wine plantation in 2020, equivalent to 2.0 % of the utilized agricultural area (UAA), equal to about 45 % of the world’s wine-growing areas. The Moscato wine varieties are prominently grown in Italy. Moscato bianco is one of the most cultivated native vines in Italy, widespread both in the southern and northern regions.
On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period. Asia Pacific has a large and rapidly growing population, which is driving demand for alcoholic beverages. Additionally, the region is undergoing rapid urbanization, which has led to changes in lifestyle which lead to increased demand for dessert wine such as Moscato. Furthermore, factors such as more women in the workforce and rising household incomes aid the market growth in the region.
Key Companies & Market Share Insights
The global Moscato wine market is expected to witness competition among the companies due to the presence of several players across the industry.The key players in this industry include COPPO S.R.L., MICHELE CHIARLO, Barefoot Cellars, Azienda Agricola Saracco, yellow tail (Casella), Stella Rosa (San Antonio Winery, Inc.), Sutter Home Winery, Inc., Bartenura, Innocent Bystander, and La Spinetta.
Wine producers are focusing on new varieties of Moscato wines to cater to the changing needs of consumers. For instance, In March 2023, a U.S.-based Oliver Winery introduced Melon Mint Moscato in the market with selected major retailers. Oliver's new refreshingly real Melon Mint Moscato joins its award-winning real fruit Moscato collection, which includes Blueberry Moscato, Cherry Moscato, and Lemon Moscato. Some of key companies operating in the global Moscato wine market are as follows.
COPPO S.R.L.
MICHELE CHIARLO
Barefoot Cellars
Azienda Agricola Saracco
yellow tail (Casella)
Stella Rosa (San Antonio Winery, Inc.)
Sutter Home Winery, Inc.
Bartenura
Innocent Bystander
La Spinetta