Just before the launch of the harvest, Italian industry associations Assoenologi, Ismea, and Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) have summarized Italy's current situation. As reported by Meininger's, Italy is facing high stocks and an ongoing spread of downy mildew (peronospora). To make matters worse, powdery mildew (oidium) is also on the rise. Prior to the official harvest forecast, which the trio Assoenologi, Ismea, and UIV will publish on September 12, 2023, reduced harvest volumes are already expected due to these diseases. The associations have already announced that the total harvest will be below the average 50m hectoliters.
Lower yields won't solve the issue
The Italian wine industry faces acute issues and a persistent structural problem of overproduction, which fungal diseases will hardly resolve. Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of UIV, strongly urges politicians to take decisive action. "A disease cannot fix a weakness in the system. If we do—and I emphasize, 'if'—have a harvest of less than the usual 50m hl this year, it will be due to a disease that affects both good and less good vineyards in the same way."
The president goes even further, asserting that "The problem of overproduction should be tackled more decisively by the sector's policies. In our opinion, 50m hl are now an anachronism for a leading wine-producing country. Its actions should certainly be oriented towards growth objectives, but not in terms of volume, rather in terms of upward positioning. To counterbalance a situation that will probably give us the highest cellar stocks of the last 10 years by the end of July, we need a stronger limitation of supply. It must be based on appropriate prices for certified/bottled wine, stricter rules for reclassifications and downgrades, as well as a breakdown of cultivation areas based on their specific suitability," says Frescobaldi.
No solution in sight
The UIV President further says that the country cannot afford to produce generic wines, while many wines with geographical indication (GI/PDO) aren't bottled. Finally, he then targets the sales promotion structure: "The complexity of the system requires radical decisions, also in the area of sales promotion, namely by strengthening measures to assess the actual effectiveness of activities carried out abroad," says Frescobaldi. VC
