Wine: Italian wineries are stepping up the pace of generational change. Supply chain expanded by 40 million
Thea Report: businesses led by young people have seen turnover rise by 8.8 per cent and investment by 15 per cent. The added value of the extended supply chain exceeds 40 billion
Key points
The Italian wine sector is accelerating the generational transition and improving its performance precisely thanks to the significant influx of young people. This is the key finding to emerge from the strategic report “Visione Vino 2026 – Deep Roots, Far-Reaching Vision”, which The European House Ambrosetti will present on 16 October in Voghera (Pavia) during the closing forum of the Visione Vino community.
Better performance for businesses led by young people
According to data from The European House Ambrosetti, by 2025 30.4 per cent of family-owned businesses in the sector will have already addressed and resolved the generational handover , whilst for 39.2 per cent the process is still ongoing. Above all, however, businesses that have brought in the younger generation report revenues 8.8 per cent above the average and a greater propensity to invest (18 per cent compared with the average).
In the wine sector, the average age is 45, compared with 60 in agriculture
“65 per cent of the wine sector’s assets are owned by families,” explains Benedetta Brioschi, partner and head of Food & Retail at Thea Group. This figure rises to 81.5 per cent when cooperatives are also included. Compared with the agricultural sector as a whole, wine entrepreneurs are increasingly younger: the average age is 45, compared with an average of 60 in agriculture. Generational renewal – continues Brioschi – can become a great opportunity to strengthen wine businesses, but it must be accompanied by a scaling-up of the entire supply chain. A system composed almost entirely of small businesses risks having fewer resources to invest, innovate and maintain a continuous presence on international markets. To succeed abroad, we need to work as a unified system, simultaneously increasing the competitiveness and recognition of Italian wine’.
Turnover of 16.5 billion, gross value added up to 40.7
Later today, during the event organised by The European House Ambrosetti, an estimate of the value of the wider wine supply chain will also be announced. This estimate has been compiled by the Visione Vino Community, taking into account not only agriculture and processing, but also services, brokerage, distribution and the catering sector. In 2025, the wine sector in the strict sense generated a turnover of 16.5 billion euros, to which must be added 20.3 billion generated by related activities, bringing the turnover of the extended supply chain to 36.8 billion euros. The direct value added generated amounts to 15.1 billion, but when indirect and induced effects on upstream and downstream sectors are also taken into account , the total contribution rises to 40.7 billion euros, equivalent to 2.1 per cent of Italia’s GDP. The sector comprises 241,000 agricultural holdings, over 1,500 industrial enterprises and 681,000 hectares of vineyards.
The issues of falling consumption and prices
It is, therefore, a strong and dynamic sector, but one that also faces a number of challenges. First and foremost the slowdown in global consumption, which is flooding Italian wineries with unsold stock. As of June, wine stocks reached 46.5 million hectolitres (+6.7 per cent year-on-year), equivalent to 6.2 billion bottles. This has led to a slowdown (-10 per cent) in the average price of Italian wine.
