Edoardo Bonatti
10 settembre 2018
Italy is set to be the first wine producer in the world, overtaking France in this ranking. In fact, the Italian wine industry recovered after a difficult 2017, with a marked 21% increase. To find a similar result it is necessary to go back to 1999: this year the harvest yielded 55.8 million hectoliters. The trend concerns all the Italian regions, with growth peaks of 30-35%, especially in the centre regions.
Assoenologi estimates see Apulia becoming the most productive region. After some years, it surpasses, with 11.9 million hectoliters, Veneto, accounting for “just” 10.3 million. Emilia Romagna and Sicily follow them at a distance, with 7.8 and 5.8 million hectolitres respectively. In 2018, these four regions together will produce about 36 million hectolitres or about 65% of all Italian wine. In Europe, in addition to France taking second place with 46 million hectoliters, Spain has also recorded a sharp increase (20%) but remains far from the summit. According to OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) data of 2017, the other world wine producers are very distant: the US produced 23 million hectolitres, Australia 13, and Argentina 12.
In addition to the growth in production volumes, there is also a renewed commitment to promoting Italian wines in the global market. In June, the Ministry of Agriculture has in fact freed EU funding (around 102 million euros a year) destined towards the promotion of wine that a series of court appeals has long held ransom. From the words of the president of Assoenologi, Riccardo Cotarella, it also emerges satisfaction for the commitment of the Agriculture Minister Centinaio in restarting the Wine Committee of the Ministry, a decisive forum to improve the competitiveness of the Italian wine industry.
Investorvisa.it offers great opportunities in Italian winemaking industry for non-EU entrepreneurs intending to invest in it. Tuscany, which this year will record a 25% increase in wine production, is home to a property with adjoining vineyards; on Elba Island, entrepreneurs will be able to buy the entire stock capital of an estate with its own wine production capabilities.
Sources: Assoenologi, Sole 24 Ore
