Italy is preparing for what looks to be a strong 2025 harvest, with projections showing 47.4 million hectoliters expected to be added to the 39.8 million hectoliters already in cellars at the end of July.
According to estimates from Assoenologi, Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), and ISMEA, this year’s production is set to rise by 8% over 2024, bringing volumes back in line with the recent five-year average after two lighter vintages.
The report, presented in Rome to the Ministry of Agriculture, highlights not only a rebound in production but also an excellent health status of the grapes, thanks to precise vineyard management and favorable climatic conditions. The result is a harvest that promises quality across almost all regions, with particular peaks of excellence.
Italy Retains Its Global Leadership
Italy remains the world’s largest wine producer, with production well ahead of France (37.4 million hectoliters, revised downward) and Spain (36.8 million hectoliters). However, this leadership comes at a time of structural decline in global wine demand, raising questions about how the sector will balance quantity with shifting consumption patterns.
Regional Production Outlook
The increase in production is uneven across Italy, with Southern regions leading the growth (+19%), while Central Italy shows slight declines. Northern regions also report modest gains, thanks to good water reserves and careful disease management following a rainy spring.
Regional Estimates for 2025 Harvest (compared to 2024):
- Piedmont: 2.8 million hl (+5%)
- Valle d’Aosta: 12,000 hl (+8%)
- Lombardy: 1.1 million hl (+15%)
- Trentino-Alto Adige: 1.2 million hl (+9%)
- Veneto: 11.9 million hl (+2%)
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 1.8 million hl (+10%)
- Liguria: 41,000 hl (0%)
- Emilia-Romagna: 7.1 million hl (0%)
- Tuscany: 2.3 million hl (-13%)
- Umbria: 430,000 hl (+10%)
- Marche: 834,000 hl (+18%)
- Lazio: 764,000 hl (+5%)
- Abruzzo: 2.8 million hl (+25%)
- Molise: 248,000 hl (+25%)
- Campania: 696,000 hl (+13%)
- Puglia: 9 million hl (+17%)
- Basilicata: 83,000 hl (+40%)
- Calabria: 109,000 hl (+15%)
- Sicily: 3.3 million hl (+20%)
- Sardinia: 403,000 hl (0%)
Regional Highlights
- Veneto leads the nation once again, accounting for nearly 12 million hectoliters and about a quarter of Italy’s entire harvest.
- Puglia and Emilia-Romagna follow with 19% and 15% of national production, bringing the top three regions to a combined 59% share.
- Sicily and Abruzzo complete the top five, with both regions posting double-digit gains.
- Tuscany sees a 13% drop after a bumper 2024 harvest, a decline considered physiological rather than problematic.
- Southern Italy drives overall growth, with Basilicata (+40%) and Abruzzo/Molise (+25%) showing the largest rebounds.
Quality Outlook
From North to South, the signs point to a vintage of high quality and balance. Northern Italy is likely to deliver fresh, long-lived wines thanks to good phenolic maturity and favorable diurnal temperature swings. Central Italy should see balanced and clean-cut profiles, while the South is poised to release structured, powerful reds with excellent aromatic development.
Despite the encouraging harvest, the sector faces ongoing challenges from sluggish domestic consumption and international demand shifts. While Italian wine remains a global leader in production, the key question will be how well it adapts to evolving consumer trends in the coming years.
Source: WineNews