Energy

Viticulture, an ENEA guide to improve sustainability and productivity

Precise technical-economic indicators are provided for each solution: investment required, expected energy savings, payback time

by Davide Madeddu

22 April 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Less energy consumption and better productivity: these are the two strong points of the Guide to improve the efficiency of Italian wine-growing companies promoted by ENEA researchers. In 129 pages, the guide subdivides the interventions by degree of technological maturity, ranging from consolidated transversal technologies to systems for optimising the production process and emerging technologies. Precise technical-economic indicators are provided for each solution: investment required, expected energy savings, payback time.

"In a global market increasingly focused on sustainability, the adoption of responsible energy practices is a key competitive positioning factor," commented Ilaria Bertini, director of ENEA's Energy Efficiency Department. This guide shows how collaboration between the world of research and the production system is a key element in transforming technological innovation into a concrete and measurable advantage for companies'.

The guide was developed as part of thethree-year 2025-2027 Electricity System Research Programme, to support companies in reducing energy consumption, conceived as an operational 'roadmap' for integrating technological innovations and management optimisations throughout the entire production process.

Also thanks to the illustration of a few cases. Like that of a wine company in Central Italy. The project, the investment is 38 thousand euro, involves recovering heat from the compressors. In one year there is a saving of 16,500 Sm3 of gas and 6.6 thousand euro per year, with a payback time of 6 years. In addition, 32 tonnes of CO2 are avoided.

Then there is the case of the average company located in the north of Italia that produces 500,000 bottles of wine per year. The intervention concerns the optimisation of the cold generation system. With an investment of EUR 18,500,000, there are electricity savings of 32,000 kWh and economic savings of EUR 7,500 per year with a payback period of 2.5 years.

"Italia boasts a high number of wine-producing companies, although the precise data may vary between sources," reads the guide's scenario, "With about 241 thousand wine-producing companies, there are about 30 thousand winemaking companies, the majority of which are small and medium-sized. The area planted with vines in Italy amounts to about 681 thousand hectares, with an average size of 2.83 hectares per company, confirming a fragmented production fabric but one characterised by a high degree of diversification of supply,' he says.

One fact led to the creation of the guide: thehigh energy costs affecting wineries. The analysis of the actual consumption of Italian wineries, conducted in collaboration with oenologist Mario Ragusa of the Regional Institute of Wine and Olive Oil of the Sicilian Region, "showssignificant room for improvement". Around 90 per cent of the energy used in the winery is electrical, while refrigeration and thermal control systems account for around 50 per cent of overall consumption. "Many of the efficiency measures examined," the guide stresses, "have low payback times, making the investment economically sustainable.

"The consumption of the wine sector in Italy is significant, with estimates indicating an energy requirement of more than 500 million kWh per year and," the guide goes on to say, "a consequent impact on costs that especially affects small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for around 80% of the sector.