Wine

Masi Agricola aims to outperform the market in 2026

Despite a complicated context of falling consumption and a polarisation towards the upper brackets. For CEO Federico Girotto, the strategies for the future lie in an evolution of the offer and a new language to attract the younger generations

by Martina Soligo

27 April 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Masi Agricola looks to 2026 with the objective of outperforming the sector, albeit in a scenario that remains uncertain and difficult to predict. "Fortunately we have a premium brand established in more than 140 countries and this gives us an extra gear that allows us to aim at over-performing the market trend," explained the group's CEO Federico Girotto in an interview with Radiocor, pointing to the solidity of the brand, strong territorial anchorage and an evolved corporate structure as the main drivers of growth. The group, however, maintains a prudent approach in a context marked by weak consumption, a still high cost of money and a cautious attitude throughout the supply chain.

Within this framework, the company 'precisely because of a forecasting difficulty' in 2025 has equipped itself with a financial platform, thanks to a pooled financing facility signed with a number of credit institutions that 'have shown that they believe in the wine sector and in companies that interpret it as we do,' the CEO continues.

Behind it remains a complex 2025, 'not up to the performance we are used to', Girotto explains, but with relative resilience compared to the sector, both in terms of revenue and profitability. The group ended the year with revenues down 3.7% to 64.4 million and a loss of 1.4 million.

"Overall, we had an unsatisfactory 2025, but in a comparison with the marketwe held up, despite the exchange rate effect," says the CEO, pointing out that the critical issues mainly concerned the distribution chain and some key geographies such as the United States. The US market, in particular, was affected by both currency volatility and structural difficulties in distribution. "Thepain has come more from distribution than from the exchange rate," notes the manager, pointing out how consolidation in the US over the last ten years has left room for turnaround operations among the main players in the 2024-2025 period, with repercussions on the wines' penetration capacity. Added to this is the issue of tariffs, destined to weigh progressively "on the pockets of American consumers and not only".

On the demand side, the most obvious change concerns the drop in volumes accompanied by an increasing polarisation towards the high end. 'People are consuming less but more premium,' sums up Girotto. A dynamic that is intertwined with a reduced spending capacity and a reallocation of consumption towards other categories, including those with low or no alcohol content. In wine, the trend mainly penalises more structured and tannic reds, while more versatile types are gaining ground. "We are seeing some categories of reds suffer, while Pinot Noir, for example, is growing, a very elegant and approachable wine," adds Girotto, who reminds us: "It is no coincidence that at Vinitaly we launched our new Pinot Noir del Re from the Oltrepò Pavese estate we acquired three years ago.

In this context, Masi has initiated a evolution of the offer by focusing on products with a lower alcohol content, without resorting to dealcohol: "Our Fresco di Masi, red and white, are two wines below 10 degrees, designed from the outset for lighter consumption.

At the same time, the need emerges to renew the language of wine to intercept the new generations: "We must be facilitators, leaving the consumer with more self-determination," says the CEO. At the strategic level, the group continues to invest in brand reinforcement and an omnichannel distribution model, maintaining the Ho.re.ca channel as the backbone for premium positioning. "The strategies derive from our guiding star, which is the brand," says the ceo, indicating as a priority a consistent product portfolio but increasingly articulated and complementary, as well as the development of experiences linked to the territory through the "Masi Wine Experience" wine tourism and hospitality project.

On the industrial front, the answer also lies in innovation and sustainability, in a framework aggravated by the effects of climate change. The company is working on more resilient agronomic and viticultural practices, including a return to the pergola to protect the bunches of grapes and the adoption of precision farming techniques. "It is not just an issue of temperature, but of increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather events," Girotto emphasises.

In a complex context, encouraging signs came from the recentVinitaly, which closed with better than expected results. "The balance was positive beyond expectations, despite the trend in the sector," concluded Girotto. The event recorded a high influx of operators and enthusiasts, with higher quality interactions than in the past and strong interest in ultra-premium products, confirming it as a strategic platform for the promotion of Italia wine.