The Italian wine sector is undergoing a transformation that requires a shift in production and management. This was the message delivered by Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian Wine Union, speaking in Milan during the presentation of the survey "The Wine Sector in Italy 2026," conducted by Mediobanca's Research Department. The study portrays a slowing sector after years of steady growth.
According to Frescobaldi, the figures emerging from the report represent a "warning" for the entire Italian wine industry, which today must confront a very different context than the recent past, marked by a structural decline in consumption, more unstable international markets, and geopolitical tensions that are impacting export performance and company profitability.
The analysis highlights a deterioration in the sector's key economic indicators. In 2025, the major Italian wine companies reported a 2,8% reduction in turnover compared to the previous year, with a more pronounced contraction in foreign markets (-3,4%) than in domestic markets (-2,2%). The decline in profitability was even more severe: EBITDA fell by 4,2%, EBIT by 9,5%, and net income by 7,5%.
The sharp erosion of margins is precisely what concerns the UIV president, who believes the sector must respond by focusing on more managerial and rational business management. Frescobaldi emphasized that the decline in profits, which is greater than the reduction in turnover, demonstrates a cost structure that is still too rigid and inflexible compared to the current market environment.
For this reason, in addition to streamlining company processes, UIV believes it is necessary to also intervene on the production front with a systemic approach aimed at preventing overproduction. The goal is to reduce excess supply, which, combined with high inventory levels, risks further reducing the value of Italian products, including quality ones.
The association is particularly concerned with the need to limit production by reducing yields, a measure deemed essential to restoring market balance and protecting the profitability of wineries.
Signs of tension are also coming from the bulk market. According to the UIV Observatory, the main PDO and PGI products monitored—approximately 60% of the total—ended April with an average of €1,30 per liter, down 7% from April 2025. Prices have been declining since the beginning of the year and are currently at their lowest levels since 2023, with the overall value of the monitored sample nearly 10%.
The Mediobanca survey was conducted on a sample of 255 leading Italian wine companies with revenues exceeding €20 million in 2024 and aggregate revenues of €12 billion, approximately half of which were generated abroad. This scenario confirms the centrality of exports for Italian wine but, at the same time, highlights the growing need to adapt industrial and production strategies to increasingly weak and selective global demand.
