Italian sparkling wine on Polish wine market: the case of Franciacorta DOCG

Poland has traditionally been known as a nation where beer and vodka were the two most popular alcoholic beverages. Since 2004, after Poland’s entrance into the European Union, Poles and especially young people have been starting to travel abroad and returned to Poland with new cultural and alcoholic experiences. Hence, wine consumption in Poland has changed throughout time. This country is one with the quickest economic development rates in the EU and it is also gaining power inside the EU, due to the consistent expansion of its economy and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (Aswani, 2021). The growing income influences Polish customers’ willingness to spend more for products that stand out for their quality and exclusivity (i.e., premiumization trend), as for premium sparkling wines. The purposes of developing this dissertation are to find out the motivations behind the Polish customers’ interest in premium sparkling wines when making their wine selection. The aim is to understand which factors influence the interest in sparkling wines features for Poles. In addition, another goal of this thesis is to provide insights about the commercial potential of Franciacorta DOCG, an Italian premium sparkling wine, in the Polish wine market. Data were gathered through two qualitative surveys (via questionnaires): the first addressed Polish wine customers (152 respondents) and the other professionals from the Polish wine industry (107 respondents). Strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analyses were conducted using the surveys’ results. Polish wine consumers’ perspectives were first gathered, followed by the specialists’ viewpoint. Finally, information from the SWOT analyses was processed to define external factors which revealed potential and danger for the Polish wine market, while internal considerations for Franciacorta DOCG and premium sparkling wines revealed their strengths and shortcomings. Reasons of premiumization trend appear when Polish wine enthusiasts prioritised testing out new alcohol beverages and purchasing better wines for themselves after the Covid-19 pandemic (Aswani, 2021). Wine awareness among Poles is constantly growing, which influences the increase in the demand for new wines on the Polish wine market. The features of sparkling wines that matter most for Polish customers are price, trusted brands, wine origin and the production method. The market potential of Franciacorta DOCG in Poland is high, although the strategies which will help to outspread the market of this wine in Poland have to be developed. Results show a need for expanding promotional activities to make the wine recognisable and widely available among Poles, and for adjusting on the price of Franciacorta DOCG price in Poland to make it more affordable for customers.