Wine Tourism Brings Italian Wineries More Than 3 Billion Euros

UniCredit and Nomisma said on Tuesday that wine tourism generated more than 3 billion euros for Italian wineries in 2025, accounting on average for 21% of their revenue, in a sign that direct visits, tastings and sales at the cellar have become a central part of the business model for much of the country’s wine sector.

The findings came from the first report on wine tourism in Italy, presented in Verona at a workshop titled “Wine Tourism: Opportunities for Development for Businesses and Territories.” The study was produced by UniCredit and Nomisma Wine Monitor in partnership with Vinitaly and with the collaboration of the Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino. It was based on a sample of 300 wineries and 13 protection consortia across Italy.

The report portrays wine tourism as a growing source of resilience at a difficult moment for producers, who are facing weaker exports, softer domestic consumption and broader uncertainty tied to geopolitics and trade tensions. According to the same study, Italian wine exports fell 3.6% in value in 2025, while sales through large retail chains declined 3% in volume. Consumption outside the home remained weak as households cut spending, restaurant visits fell and domestic tourism slipped 3.5%.

Within that context, wineries are increasingly treating tourism not as an add-on but as a revenue stream that can help offset pressure elsewhere. The report said the trend is being driven especially by larger and more organized companies, which are better able to attract visitors looking for more immersive and personalized experiences than the traditional cellar tour, tasting and direct sale.

The typical visitor remains Italian, at 58%, and is most often a couple or family, which together account for 51% of visits. Non-expert consumers make up 58% of the audience. But the report said international demand is rising, suggesting that wine tourism is becoming more relevant not only as a local sales channel but also as a way to build brand recognition abroad.

Even so, the study pointed to several obstacles that continue to limit growth. Among them are inadequate local infrastructure, complex permitting rules, limited incentives and a shortage of specialized workers. Only a small share of wineries still do not offer wine tourism activities at all, but many producers said those barriers make it harder to move beyond basic hospitality services and develop higher-value offerings.

Remo Taricani, deputy head of Italy at UniCredit, said wine and tourism were pillars of the country’s competitiveness at a time marked by climate and geopolitical challenges. He said UniCredit had expanded its support for the sector through its agribusiness unit and its One4Wine offering. In 2025, he said, the bank extended more than 300 million euros in new credit to the supply chain, up more than 35% from the previous year.

Denis Pantini, who heads agrifood and Wine Monitor at Nomisma, said wine tourism should not be seen as a backup plan. He described it as a competitive strategy that can improve profitability by reducing intermediaries, turn visitors into brand ambassadors and help protect landscapes and rural communities by making wineries part of a broader tourism ecosystem.

The report was released alongside broader data on Italy’s wine regions showing how unevenly producers are navigating current market conditions. National production remained stable at 44.4 million hectoliters in 2025, up 0.7%, but regional results varied sharply. Trentino-Alto Adige rose 15.2%, Lombardy 11.7%, Puglia 9.7% and Veneto 6.1%, while Tuscany fell 18.4%, Emilia-Romagna 10.2%, Piedmont 7.4% and Sicily 5.8%.

The study also noted that Italy’s vineyard area is now 19% organic, with Basilicata, Marche and Tuscany above 45%, while Sardinia remains last at 6%. Export patterns continue to shift as well: Veneto leads in sparkling wine exports with 47%, followed by Friuli-Venezia Giulia at 38%, Piedmont at 34% and Lombardy at 29%. Over the past decade, sparkling wine exports have grown strongly in southern regions such as Sicily and Puglia.

For wineries trying to adapt to slower export markets and changing consumer habits, the message from UniCredit and Nomisma was clear: tourism is no longer peripheral to the business of wine in Italy; it is becoming one of its main engines of value creation.