Italy Opens National Wine Tourism Program With New Decree

Italy’s agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, has signed a decree to promote wine tourism, opening a new national measure aimed at linking Italian wine more closely with the places where it is produced.

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests as Italy moves to apply at the national level a reform of the European Union’s wine intervention under the Common Agricultural Policy, known as the “wine package.” The decree is designed to support initiatives that increase public awareness of vineyards and strengthen the reputation of Italian wine by tying wine quality to the appeal of local territories.

According to the ministry, the measure will finance local promotional activities organized in wine-producing areas. Eligible beneficiaries are protection consortia, producer organizations, and interprofessional organizations. The support covers actions meant to showcase wine regions directly on the ground, including events, meetings, visits, and other promotional activities.

Lollobrigida said the decree is intended to strengthen the reputation of Italian wine and support growth in local areas. He said backing wine tourism means promoting quality production, landscapes, culture, hospitality, and traditions across the country, while creating opportunities for development. He also said the measure builds on work carried out by Italy at the European level with the goal of improving the competitiveness of what he described as a strategic sector for Italian products.

Under the decree, applications for aid must be submitted by October 30 each year, following procedures to be defined by Agea, Italy’s agricultural payments agency, in agreement with the country’s regions. For the 2026-27 year, the deadline has been set later, on December 15, 2026.

The policy places consortia and producer groups at the center of the effort, giving them a formal route to seek public support for activities that bring consumers, tourists, and trade visitors into direct contact with wine-growing areas. In practice, that could mean more organized winery visits, regional events, educational meetings, and place-based promotion built around vineyards and local food and hospitality networks.

The measure matters beyond agricultural policy because wine tourism can affect how consumers experience and buy beverages. Stronger promotion of vineyard areas can help wineries attract visitors, improve direct sales, and reinforce brand recognition tied to place of origin. It may also create wider benefits for restaurants, hotels, and specialty retailers in wine regions, supporting demand and the overall image of Italy’s beverage industry where wine is a main draw.

The decree also reflects a broader strategy in which Italian institutions are trying to use EU-backed policy tools not only to support production but also to increase the commercial and cultural value of wine through tourism. By focusing on activities in the territories where wines are made, the government is treating wine as both an agricultural product and a tourism asset, with regional identity playing a central role in how it is marketed.

No funding total was detailed in the announcement released with the measure, but the framework makes clear that the government wants organized producer bodies to take the lead in presenting wine regions to the public. The next step for applicants will be to follow the operational rules that Agea and the regions will set for submitting requests under the new scheme.