Wine, Argea resists tariffs and invests in a dealcolates plant

Revenues held steady despite the strong presence in the USA for Argea wines, which is relaunching with investments in the 'no-lo' segment (wines without alcohol or with low alcohol content, as well as 'ready-to-drink' premixes) and more generally in research and development on products that meet changing tastes.

"We closed 2025 with462 million euro turnover, only three less than last year, a zero-point change". Anticipating the 2025 results to Il Sole 24 ore is the CEO of Argea, Massimo Romani. "This is a result of stability and continuity obtained in a very complicated year for the entire world of wine and more generally for agrifood, especially because of the ups and downs we have experienced on tariffs and considering that Argea exports 93% of its bottles, and a quarter of its foreign revenues come from the United States. In the first months of the year there was an increase in purchases to anticipate the tariffs. Then, for this reason too, as well as the tariffs themselves, the second half of the year went slowly,' Romani continues, 'and there was also the effect of the devaluation of the dollar. Moreover, the supply chain in the US is long and the first real increases to consumers arrived between December and January. On the other hand, however, we recorded less contamination between the various markets than might have been expected. In general marginality suffered, as we had to carry half of the increases'. 2026? "I see a still difficult first part of the year, also considering the further uncertainty between waiting for new rules on tariffs and war scenarios," says Romani.

However, the wine crisis cannot be reduced to a cyclical issue, as it has been suffering from a steady decline in consumption for some time now, especially among young people. Romani certainly does not underestimate this phenomenon, but he does place it first and foremost in an international context in which Made in Italy remains the protagonist and in which alcohol consumption will not disappear from one day to the next. There will certainly be more competition for market share.

'First of all, we have to consider,' explains the CEO, 'that in recent years Italy's wine exports have achieved extraordinary results. There are denominations such as Prosecco and Pinot Grigio (central to Argea's offer, ed) that have been able to respond to new trends. Generally speaking, Italian producers are good at trying to make the necessary changes to cope with changes in the markets. Young people, for example, are looking for wines that are less structured and more suited to informal drinking occasions, and less to a long dinner sitting in a restaurant. This certainly does not mean abandoning reds, but making innovation in the cellar, on sustainability, on labels, on the way of communicating'.

It is in these areas that Argea announces it intends to invest 35 million over the next three years, in addition to the approximately 60 million allocated since its inception five years ago, much of it spent on modernising wineries. Among the investments on track this year are also three million dedicated to building a new dealcoholisation plant in Italia (only possible a few months ago, previously dealcoholisation was done abroad).