Daniele Simoni (CEO Schenk Italia): ‘Interesting scenarios will open up, allowing new investments and greater flexibility and speed in production’
Ora (BZ), 9 January 2025 – ‘Some markets, such as those of Denmark, Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands, are showing a growing interest in zero- or low-alcohol products, with a strong interest in producing them locally to be more competitive. For Italy, however, the need to export wine for dealcoholisation and then re-import it until now entailed costs and complexities that penalised the sector. Currently, the volume of dealcoholised wines represents a minimal share of the wine market, 2-3% of total production, except for a few brands, and therefore remains a niche product. The main challenge is to understand whether it will be possible to attract those consumers who, although they do not habitually drink wine, perhaps for social reasons or special situations (e.g. designated drivers or pregnant women), nevertheless wish to share the experience.
Now that even in Italy, with the signing by the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, of the decree for dealcoholised wines, it will be possible to produce dealcoholised wines, very interesting scenarios will open up for Schenk Family Italia, both in terms of economies of scale, which will allow us to invest more in the markets to make these products known, and in terms of flexibility, speed and sustainability of production.”
These are the words of Daniele Simoni, CEO of Schenk Family Italia, the day after the official signing of the decree that also allows Italian producers, of which Schenk Family Italia is one of the main players, to produce dealcoholised wines.
For Schenk Italia, which to date has produced between 50 and 80 thousand bottles of dealcoholised wines and beverages in Spain, 25% of which are marketed in Italy, this news represents an opportunity to move production to our peninsula and increase its competitiveness in this market niche. On one condition. ‘To really grow the sector in Italy, it will be necessary to convince even those who traditionally do not consume wine to choose a more natural alternative, such as dealcoholised wine, over cheaper and less natural drinks. Although technology now makes it possible to obtain dealcoholised wines of increasingly better quality, the difference in taste compared to alcoholic wines remains significant.’
Press Info Shenk
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