Italy’s wine stocks stay elevated in April

Italy’s wine stocks remained high in April, with inventories in wineries up 5.6% from a year earlier, according to the latest update from “Cantina Italia,” the monthly report compiled by the agriculture ministry’s Icqrf inspection agency.

As of April 30, Italian wineries held 52.5 million hectoliters of wine, about 2.8 million hectoliters more than at the same point in 2025, when stocks were already elevated. The report also showed 4.7 million hectoliters of grape must, up 35.8% from a year earlier, and 96,874 hectoliters of new wine still fermenting, known as Vnaif, down 17%.

The figures suggest a market that is still carrying a heavy volume of product after a year in which inventories were already large. Compared with March 31, when stocks were up 5.7% year over year, the April data show little change, indicating stability at a high level rather than any meaningful drawdown.

Wine classified under protected designation of origin accounted for 54.4% of total holdings, with red wines making up 26.9% and white wines 25.9%. Protected geographical indication wines represented 26.3% of the total. Varietal wines accounted for just 1.6%, while other wines made up 17.7%.

The concentration of stocks among geographic indications remained pronounced. Twenty appellations out of 523 accounted for 58.1% of all holdings. The report said 56.1% of all wine was stored in northern Italy, and Veneto alone held 25.6% of the national total.

Prosecco Dop was the single largest item in storage, representing 11% of total holdings. It was followed by Igp Puglia at 4.6% and Igp Toscana at 4%, meaning those three designations together accounted for nearly one-fifth of all wine stocks in Italy.