2025 Harvest report: Italy, a vintage of abundance and quality
Italy 2025: A Vintage of Abundance Amid Saturated Markets
A record harvest puts Italy back on top
Italy’s 2025 harvest is set to be abundant, with output forecast at 47.4 million hectoliters—an increase of about 8%compared to 2024, in line with the five-year average. This rebound restores the country’s global leadership in wine production, ahead of France (37.4 Mhl) and Spain (36.8 Mhl).
The surge reflects favorable weather conditions: a wet winter that replenished water reserves, a mild and balanced spring, and a hot but less extreme summer than in 2024. The result: healthy grapes, full phenolic ripeness, and a quality potential described as “very good to excellent” across most regions.Regional disparities with the South driving growth
Beneath the national success, regional variations remain stark:
- South & islands (Sicily, Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Sardinia): the engine of growth, with yields up an average of +19% thanks to improved water availability. Puglia posted +17%, Sicily recorded a generous crop, while Campania’s native grapes such as Aglianico and Fiano showed outstanding quality, supported by high-altitude vineyards and marked day-night temperature shifts.
- Central Italy (Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Marche): a slight contraction of -3% overall. Tuscany fell sharply (-13%) after a particularly abundant 2024, while Umbria (+10%), Lazio (+5%) and Marche (+18%) partly offset the decline. Harvests were more selective, but the quality of Sangiovese and other noble varieties remains strong.
- Northern Italy (Piedmont, Veneto, Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna): moderate growth of +3% to +8%.
- Veneto, Italy’s leading wine region with nearly 12 Mhl (a quarter of the national total), consolidated its role thanks to the stability of Prosecco.
- In Piedmont, volumes remained contained but quality is deemed exceptional for Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto, with Barolo and Barbaresco 2025 expected to be powerful yet elegant.
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+10%), Trentino-Alto Adige (+9%) and Lombardy (+15%) reported notable increases.
- Emilia-Romagna remained broadly stable, with growth in Romagna offset by declines in Emilia.
Promising quality and the vital role of oenologists
Promising quality and the vital role of oenologistsAccording to Riccardo Cotarella (Assoenologi), the overall quality of grapes is “very good, in some cases excellent.” Despite excessive rainfall in the north and drought in the south, careful vineyard management and the expertise of oenologists ensured healthy grapes and a promising balance between structure and freshness.
A market under strain
Behind the encouraging figures lies a pressing question: how to create value from abundance in a saturated market.
- Stocks already in cellars, estimated at around 37 Mhl, add to the new harvest and heighten fears of oversupply.
- As Lamberto Frescobaldi (UIV) warns, “even good wine, if there is too much of it, loses its value.” Industry voices are calling for legislative reforms to make production more flexible in response to market dynamics.
- Exports dipped slightly in volume (-4% in the first five months of 2025), though values held steady at €3.2 billion. The US market remains strategic, but faces challenges from 15% tariffs and stockpiling effects.
