De-calculated wines, production on stand-by. Tax regulations will only come into effect from 2026
Despite the two Masaf decrees, the picture is still uncertain. Rules on the tax treatment of processing alcohol are missing
3' min read
Key points
3' min read
Difficult take-off for the production of dealcoholised wines in Italy. Last December, Minister Lollobrigida passed an initial decree authorising production in Italy (Italian producers had to go abroad, particularly to Germany and Spain) but without unravelling some technical knots on whose solutions the investments of Italian wineries depend.
The new decree
Now, with the new Masaf decree signed by Minister Lollobrigida on 14 May, some of those clarifications have arrived, however, the tax issue remains on the table, which is only expected to find its own arrangement as of 1 January 2026. In this way, many producers risk losing more than six months because until 1 January they cannot produce dealcolates. Even worse: only distilleries, since they already hold the tax licence as alcohol producers, can produce them. In this way, and for six months, there is a risk of creating a market imbalance in the dealcoholised wine sector between different categories of producers.
The appeal of the Italian Wine Union
.This is the thrust of the appeal launched by the Italian Wine Union to Minister Lollobrigida and the government, an appeal also followed by the request for a transitional tax rule that would allow everyone to start production immediately for this new, promising market segment.
The problems reported
.But let's go in order: two problems were denounced at the beginning of the year then with the May 2025 decree. The first issue concerns the production of dealcoholised sparkling wines (it is estimated that the supply of dealcoholised wines at the moment is more than 90% bubbles). The first decree, in fact, prevented their production in the same establishments where conventional wine is made. With Minister Lollobrigida's new decree, the production of dealcoloured sparkling wines will also be permitted in mixed establishments, provided that this is communicated in advance to the Inspectorate for Quality Control and Fraud Repression (ICQRF).
The other important knot resolved by the decree a few weeks ago is the overcoming of the obligation to separate establishments. De-colouration operations, in fact, will be able to be carried out in existing wine-making plants, without the need to set up plants or premises exclusively dedicated to the production of low and no-alcohol wines. These are all elements, considered of great importance by the production world but, unfortunately, not yet sufficient to unlock investment.
