Italian Wine Production Shrinks Amid Decline, Veneto Shows Stable Outlook for 2026

The Valoritalia 2026 Annual Report presented in Rome shows the Italian wine sector contracting by 2.1% in 2025 and by a provisional 5.4% in the first five months of 2026. While DOC and DOCG denominations recorded modest growth of about 1%, IGT wines fell 11% and red wines dropped over 13%. Prosecco DOC remained the leading bottled denomination. Sustainability is gaining importance, with 76% of consumers willing to pay more for certified sustainable wines. Valoritalia highlighted its new digital platform TESSA, which integrates certification data for real‑time monitoring.

In the Veneto region, the 52nd Trittico Vitivinicolo Veneto event reported that 2025 production stayed strong, with vineyard area over 104,000 hectares and a 6.8% increase in grape tonnage, yielding 11.4 million hectoliters of wine – a 7% rise over 2024. Despite extreme weather, including localized frosts, hail and wind, vines showed good fertility and earlier budbreak. The region continues to monitor flavescence dorata, noting the vector insect present in 92% of vineyards, and maintains mandatory containment measures. Discussions also covered genetic editing and PIWI hybrid varieties as future disease‑resistant options.