Italian Wineries Report Revenue Declines in 2025 After Record Export Year

The Italian wine sector faced a challenging year in 2025, with more than half of wineries managing to break even after a record-setting 2024, especially in exports, which reached €8.1 billion. According to a recent WineNews survey involving 25 leading Italian wine companies with a combined turnover exceeding €2.5 billion—representing over 17% of the industry’s total production value—over 40% of wineries reported a decline in revenue, though most losses were limited to a few percentage points.

The survey included a diverse group of producers, from small prestigious estates to large structured groups and cooperatives focused on quality and brand building. In terms of financial results for 2025, 53% of companies closed the year at break-even, while most others saw declines ranging from -1% to -5%. Only a few reported positive results, and those gains were modest.

Looking ahead to 2026, which has just begun, the outlook remains uncertain due to factors such as tariffs in key markets like the United States, health trends affecting consumption, climate change, rising costs, and regulatory challenges. Despite these pressures, 70% of surveyed companies expect either stability or some recovery in sales this year. The remaining 30% anticipate further declines, though these are expected to be mild.

Within Italy, 58% of wineries reported stable sales in 2025. However, more companies experienced declines (26%) than growth (16%), with most changes between 1% and 3%. The export market showed greater variation: 42% reported stable exports, 37% saw decreases (ranging from -3% to -15%), and only 21% achieved export growth (mostly between +1% and +3%).

Industry data supports these findings. Circana’s figures for national large-scale retail show a -0.5% drop in value and -3.1% in volume for wine sales. Istat data for the first eleven months of 2025 indicate a -3.6% decrease in export value and -2% in volume compared to 2024.

Despite these challenges, most companies plan to maintain their investments in marketing and communication for 2026. Only a minority are considering budget cuts in these areas, with reductions ranging from -5% to -20%. Instead, many are shifting resources toward supporting sales efforts: while 63% will keep their commercial support budgets steady, 37% plan to increase them by an average of +5%, with some aiming for up to +10%.

The survey also explored attitudes toward no- and low-alcohol wines. Currently, only 26% of respondents are investing or planning to invest in this segment; the remaining 74% have no plans to do so.

The Italian wine sector’s current difficulties follow several years of strong growth—sometimes even double-digit increases—which many industry leaders acknowledge could not continue indefinitely. The record-breaking performance in 2024 came after a positive 2023 that still benefited from post-pandemic enthusiasm.

As the industry faces new headwinds in both domestic and international markets, Italian wine producers remain realistic but determined. They recognize the complexity of the current environment but continue to rely on their history and global reputation as they navigate an uncertain future.