UIV Assembly: falling sales, consumption and tariffs on the podium of winegrowers' fears

Falling turnover, tariffs enforcement and consumption shortages are the big unknowns for wine companies, a historically virtuous sector with a strong family dimension, with 65% of equity, which in recent years has shown an Ebit margin of 6.2% in consolidated 2023.

This is what emerges from the Report 2025 on the wine sector in Italy published by the Area studi Mediobanca, presented at the UIV Assembly. While 94.9% of companies indicate as their first concern turnover in the sector, 72% indicate a reduction in consumption, which comes just ahead of tariffs with 66%. 
The main lever for reacting to the trade impasse is opening up to new markets (77%), but also new investments in human capital (56%) and thedevelopment of no-low alcohol (50%).

The sector, according to Mediobanca, shows a lower profitability compared to neighbouring sectors, highlighted in the "relative return on capital gap that for wine stands at 5.4%, compared to 8% for food and 9.9% for beverages". Tuscan companies have the highest Ebit margin (16.4%), the best Roi to the Abruzzi (7%), with Piedmont in second place (6.4%).
Great exporters are the producers from Piedmont (63% of turnover), Tuscany (59.5%) and Abruzzo (58.7%).

"In a complex scenario, the sector is called upon to raise awareness. The Italian Wine Union," said President Lamberto Frescobaldi, reconfirmed at the helmof the association that has over 800 members and 85% of Italian exports, "is calling on the sector to come together and launch a plan to revise the Consolidated Wine Law, in keeping with the current market situation. The aim is to implement the law and its implementing decrees by 2026, 10 years after its entry into force'. The idea is to synthesise the demands of the sector, totighten the production belt and ensure the sustainability of the entire supply chain. "Given the drop in consumption at a global level," added Frescobaldi, "we can no longer afford to flood Italy with 50 million hectolitre vintages, which represent the average production of the last 25 years.

For the secretary general of the UIV, Paolo Castelletti, 'tariffs are a problem even with tariffs at 10%, with companies estimating a 10-12% loss on overseas turnover. We cannot talk about "diversification of outlets" and then attempt choices like the Mercosur, how can we export to complex markets like Brazil or India with tariffs at 27% and 150% respectively?".