Italian wine exports continue to show a positive trend in the first months of 2024, with an increase of 9.5% compared to the same period of 2023, reaching a value of 1.14 billion euros and a volume of 297.6 million of liters (8.2%).

Performance of the Italian Wine Market

In 2024, the Italian wine market has experienced significant changes. Exports have been crucial to the Italian economy, with traditional markets such as the United States, Switzerland, Canada and Russia seeing significant increases. Italian wineries have adapted their marketing and distribution strategies, investing in targeted campaigns and local collaborations, while maintaining a strong commitment to the domestic market.

Exports on the rise

January saw a 14% increase in Italian wine exports compared to the previous month, with a value of 539 million euros. The American market showed an above-average performance, especially for still wines. Exports to Switzerland, Canada and Russia also increased, with sparkling wines, particularly Prosecco, recording a 17% increase in the month.

Consumer Trends

In the first quarter of 2024, sales in large-scale distribution showed a slight improvement compared to the end of 2023. Although 0.75 liter bottles recorded a decrease of 2.2%, sparkling wines saw a growth of 3.8 %, driven by Prosecco. White wines and sparkling wines are gaining ground on red wines, while rosé wine consumption is increasing, although it still represents a small market share.

Prospects for the Future

The outlook for the rest of 2024 indicates a moderate recovery, with a gradual improvement in sales. Wineries’ strategies could include controlled price increases and aggressive promotions. Communication and innovation will be fundamental to attract new generations of consumers, who are increasingly attentive to green attributes and low alcohol content.

Contribution from the Regions

The central-northern regions, in particular Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, led the growth in exports in the first three months of 2024. Veneto recorded 663 million euros in exports, with a growth of 5.7% compared to to 2023. Tuscany (5.1%) and Emilia-Romagna (10.8%) also showed positive performances. However, other regions such as Piedmont, Lombardy, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Sicily recorded declines in exports.

Federalimentare declarations

Paolo Mascarino, president of Federalimentare, highlighted that Italian wine continues to drive Made in Italy around the world. The agri-food sector recorded an increase of 2% in Italy and 12% in exports in the first half of 2024. However, geopolitical tensions and changes in consumption represent challenges for the future.

The Italian wine market shows signs of recovery, but uncertainties remain linked to changes in consumption and geopolitical tensions. Exports continue to grow, supported by marketing and innovation strategies, but it is necessary to carefully monitor the evolution of the domestic and international market.

The wines of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Colli Berici and Vicenza will be the protagonists of the white night which will take place on Friday 12 July in Piazza Matteotti in Lonigo.

On Friday 12 July in Lonigo the excellence of the wines of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Colli Berici e Vicenza meets music in an unforgettable night: Goblets of Stars . The event, which will be held in Piazza Matteotti from 7.00 pm to midnight , is organized by the Municipality of Lonigo in collaboration with the Consortium and the Pro Loco of Lonigo and is an integral part of the Fridays in July , the white nights that enliven the center of town with a lively and engaging atmosphere throughout the summer month. The evening will be further enriched by the swing music of the group Bonny and the Tasty Boys, who will perform in the summer arena of the Teatro Comunale adjacent to the square.

“ Calici di Stelle represents an opportunity to appreciate and explore the best local wine expressions – declares Giovanni Ponchia , director of the Consortium –. Collaborating on this event allows us to share with the public our passion for viticulture and quality wine production, while together with the event we aim to promote wine culture and enhance the food and wine heritage of the Berici Hills”.

13 companies will participate in the evening and will offer a wide choice of local wines to taste. Among the most representative tastings of the Berici Hills, the references based on tai rosso and carménère stand out, emblematic vines of the territory which tell of traditions, culture and winemaking history in the geographical area circumscribed by the denomination. Alongside the excellences proposed by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Colli Berici and Vicenza, wine lovers will be able to sip glasses of Gambellara Doc and Recioto di Gambellara Docg , fine wine interpretations made from Garganega grapes.

With an entrance ticket of 10 euros, participants will receive a bag, a glass and a booklet for 5 tastings. For those who wish to enrich their food and wine experience, it will also be possible to discover the authentic flavors of the area with a tasting of typical local products, curated with passion and creativity by the chefs of I Giovani Leoni , at a cost of 5 euros.

erre d’Oltrepò is preparing for the 2024 harvest with a call to action from members and the territory. In 11 months the company has undertaken a fundamental transformation to go from a social winery to an industrial wine hub. This was possible thanks to the group’s first five-year industrial plan, focused on numbers rather than feelings. Today, Cantina di Broni, Cantina di Casteggio and La Versa are moving towards becoming a restructured holding, with the aim of fully valorising the territory through method, transparency and skills. Credit goes to the new board of directors led by CEO Umberto Callegari, who brought the “know-how” of the large multinationals in which he gained his professional experience to the hills of the Oltrepò. The company has gone from an almost “default” situation, with numerous unresolved problems and reputation and brand issues never addressed, to a future-oriented company that has rewritten its own destiny. Furthermore, thanks to the key role in the renewal of the Oltrepò Pavese Wine Protection Consortium, now led by the president and winemaker Francesca Seralvo, a new path has been traced based on competence, credibility, supply chain and virtuous leadership.”Until less than a year ago, Terre of Oltrepò was oppressed by unresolved issues: the ban on unloading due to negligence dating back to 2015. No certification to compete in Italy and in the world, a banking credibility in doubt also due to the constant access to credit to pay members in the recent past against the lack of planning and suitable positioning on the various channels. Industrial accounting was also missing. In 11 months Callegari and the Board of Directors drew up a new roadmap: two important certifications were obtained with maximum scores, the group returned as a protagonist. at important organized distribution brands and commercially there has been a rebirth with the Horeca turnover tripling (relating to hotel, restaurant, catering and wine bar sales). On the export front, important supply chain contracts have been launched towards Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal without selling below cost or implementing “empty cellar” strategies. Terre d’Oltrepò, in a year in which the cost of many raw materials tripled, has reclaimed the value chain. Callegari has also restructured costs, laying the foundations for industrial efficiency. Trust has been re-created around the company. New managerial skills have also arrived with an advisory board (audit system) of international standing with the recent entry of Giovanni Andrea Toselli, Gianfranco Casati and Paolo Colombo. Despite a contracting market at a national and foreign level in 2023, especially on the red wines and Bonarda front, Callegari who has not yet faced a single harvest at the helm of the company (the first will be that of 2024) through meticulous work has also managed to ensure an initial substantial increase in the valuations of grapes, in particular Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first contracts were also signed for the “sur lat” sale of sparkling wine bases and 700 thousand bottles of La Versa Classic Method were released, thus also increasing the warehouse value. On the winery’s debt front, a review was achieved which gave the group a stable and renegotiated situation with partners with more substantial terms. Furthermore, the first blockchain certification and the first sustainability report were produced. On the sustainability front, investments have been made in purification and filtration which will allow 95% of the water to be reused at the Broni and Casteggio sites. At a commercial level, a contract was signed with the international Pizza Express chain and the brand positioned itself in the MotoGP universe solely on the lever of relationships and through the value of the wine.

CEO Umberto Callegari starts from a premise: “The company situation we inherited was seriously compromised both at an industrial and financial level, further aggravated by an insufficient contribution. However, we have managed to regain credibility and improve key parameters of business and industrial management. We strengthened liquidity and improved the debt situation, obtaining new financing at more favorable interest rates and with a longer time horizon.” Callegari explains: “Despite the global crisis of red wines, which represent over 40% of production in the Oltrepò, we have maintained good ratings for the grapes without resorting to bank credit. We have started an important internationalization process, signing significant contracts in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Germany and the Nordic countries, where we were not present before. Furthermore, we have improved performance in the HoReCa and GDO channels. We are aware – continues the CEO of Terre d’Oltrepò – that the first 18 months will be crucial for this relaunch process. Our industrial plan will cover a

period of 5 years and will require constant commitment from everyone.

We are at the beginning of a journey that will require dedication and teamwork to bring prosperity back to an area with great potential, which has so far been too penalized by disastrous past management”. Callegari concludes: “Opinions don’t matter, data and the market matter. Our goal is to help Oltrepò evolve to become the virtuous system it always should have been. With commitment and dedication, we are ready to take on this challenge and guarantee a prosperous future for our company and the territory.”

A path that territorial politics also follows with participation. Giovanni Palli, president of the provincial administration of Pavia, observes: “The relaunch of the Oltrepò Pavese in its entirety has been a priority political mission for us since I took office. The key points are infrastructure, tourism, wine, agri-food, spa and everything that gives identity to our hills, including the hospitality and catering sectors which are ambassadors of the territory. We must not be the Tuscany that costs less than Tuscany. We must be able to modernize ourselves, make ourselves attractive, animate the territory and generate sustainable development to compete on equal terms. These are not paths that can be completed with a magic wand, vision, strategy and time are needed, especially after the opportunities that were not fully exploited in the past when everything was simpler. In my role as mayor of Varzi, President of the Mountain Community and President of the Provincial Administration, I have measured how fundamental it is, in respect of the specific roles and respective autonomies, that institutions and the business system contribute to this objective on parallel tracks. We need to create a community on the one hand and a business network on the other, converging to measure concrete results in discontinuity with the past. The territory needs leadership and method. The industrial plan of Terre d’Oltrepò expresses contents that go precisely in this direction and it is up to the sector to implement them in the interest of many small municipalities that link their history to wine. There is a future to be written.”