Pressure on Italy wine exports continues

Italy's vino producers proceed to conflict successful export markets, with income down again successful the archetypal 4 months of the year.

Citing information from authorities bureau ISTAT, commercialized relation Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) said income fell 6.8% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth to €2.34bn ($2.66bn) up to the extremity of April. Volumes slid 3.7% to 641 cardinal litres.

"These results corroborate the difficulties of the vino marketplace and its trade, which is contracting crossed each producing countries," UIV president Lamberto Frescobaldi said. "An accrued beingness successful emerging and export markets, on with reduced production, are the 2 directions that Italian vino indispensable pursue."

The latest information underlines however the commencement of 2026 has offered Italy's vino exporters small respite aft a twelvemonth of declining sales. In 2025, export income fell 3.7% to €7.78bn connected the backmost of a 1.9% alteration successful volumes, deed successful the main by US tariffs.

According to the UIV's latest investigation of the export data, income to the US did emergence successful April, increasing 1.6%, though income implicit the archetypal 4 months arsenic a full were down much than 15%.

Sales to the adjacent 2 largest markets for Italian vino – Germany and the UK – some fell much than 6%.

Rounding retired the apical 5 markets, income to Canada "remained stable", UIV said, but income to Switzerland declined much than 12%.

The relation did constituent to immoderate agleam spots, with income to Brazil up 17.8% and China 9.7%.

Frescobaldi added: "The existent concern requires america to recognise that we are going done a signifier successful which it is not lone indispensable to further beforehand our vino but besides to recognise that ample quantities released onto the marketplace are not helping to heighten its value. We indispensable strive for a equilibrium betwixt proviso and request that volition prolong the worth of Italian wine, protecting businesses' incomes and the competitiveness of the sector."

In June, UIV, Italy's main commercialized assemblage for vino producers, approved a caller bundle of measures to little production.

It said the "most urgent" proposals covered the impermanent suspension of caller planting permits and a simplification successful accumulation yields, including for PDO and PGI wines. The bundle of measures besides included making updates to accumulation regulations.

In 2025, accumulation volumes remained "essentially stable" astatine astir 44.4 cardinal hectolitres (mhl), yet cellar inventories roseate 6% to 61 cardinal hectolitres, reaching 68 cardinal including musts, the UIV said.

According to information published successful May by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Italy was the world's largest wine-producing federation successful 2025.