2026-09-08
Wine producers in Puglia are pressing for emergency measures as large stocks from the last campaign remain in storage and the 2026 harvest moves ahead with expectations of good quality and higher output in a weak market.
Confagricoltura Puglia and Coldiretti Puglia, two of the region’s main farm organizations, have each presented plans in recent days calling for rapid intervention to manage excess wine, support company liquidity and tighten oversight of vineyards and production. Their requests come as cellars in Puglia still hold about 4.28 million hectoliters of wine from the previous campaign, according to the Italian agriculture inspectorate’s “Cantina Italia” report dated July 31, 2026.
National wine stocks stood at 42.6 million hectoliters on that date, up 6.9% from 2025, the report said. In Puglia, the large inventories are colliding with a new harvest that sector groups say is strong in quality and likely larger in volume. Coldiretti Puglia said 2026 production in the region is expected to rise by 10%.
The result is growing concern that supply will outpace demand and put more pressure on prices and cash flow for wineries and grape growers. That matters beyond vineyards because prolonged oversupply can force a broader rethink of the wine market framework, including crisis distillation, stricter anti-fraud checks and limits on expanding planted area, with possible effects on liquidity, production planning and pricing across the beverage sector.
Confagricoltura Puglia said it has taken its proposals directly to Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra, the undersecretary at Italy’s agriculture ministry. The group is asking for immediate liquidity support for struggling companies, targeted management of surpluses through measures such as crisis distillation for specific categories of wine, a reliable vineyard registry, stronger anti-fraud action and new efforts to promote Puglia wine in international markets.
Antonello Bruno, president of Confagricoltura Puglia, said the region cannot afford to move without a clear plan. He said the group’s proposal rests on three priorities: reliable data, management of surpluses and quality. In his view, no effective planning is possible without an updated graphic vineyard register that gives dependable figures on hectares, grape varieties and the regularity of plantings.
Confagricoltura Puglia wants the regional government to fund a revision of that registry with its own resources, arguing that delays in the national Sian information system have made it harder to distinguish compliant vineyards from irregular ones and to plan future production. The group pointed to similar steps already taken in Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont.
Its second set of demands focuses on inventories. Confagricoltura Puglia is calling for immediate crisis tools, including distillation and private storage, financed either through the EU agricultural reserve or through national and regional resources. It says those measures should not come at the expense of funds under the EU wine support program that are meant for promotion, investment and restructuring. The organization is also asking for renewed use of the “pegno rotativo,” a revolving pledge mechanism that allows wine stocks to be used as collateral for bank financing.
The third part of the Confagricoltura plan concerns quality and legality. The group wants the 300 quintals per hectare limit for common wines applied without exemptions and is asking for stronger controls against the illegal vinification of table grapes, including a dedicated task force with law enforcement. It argues that production above authorized limits and illegal conversion of table grapes into wine depress prices and damage the reputation of the region’s wine industry.
Confagricoltura Puglia also raised concerns about public messaging around wine consumption. It said communication should support moderate consumption in line with the Mediterranean diet and counter what it described as alarmist narratives that have changed how younger consumers view the product.
Coldiretti Puglia has put forward a broader “extraordinary plan” through the regional wine committee. Its proposal includes an urgent vineyard cadastre, incentives for voluntary vineyard removal where production is no longer economically sustainable, a halt to the annual 1% increase in vineyard area, crisis distillation, a revision of the EU wine common market organization, known as the OCM, and a large promotion and communication campaign.
Alfonso Cavallo, president of Coldiretti Puglia, said the region should not enter another harvest without a strategy for both inventories and the market. He said the response must start from the actual condition of cellars and vineyards and combine immediate tools with structural choices rather than repeat annual emergency management.
On vineyard policy, Coldiretti Puglia says updated and reliable data on planted area, grape varieties, production volumes, output potential and territorial characteristics are essential for any credible planning. It is also calling for incentives for farmers who choose to uproot vineyards that are no longer economically viable, arguing that supply and demand need to be brought back into balance.
At the same time, the organization says it would make little sense to encourage growers to remove vines while still allowing overall vineyard area to keep expanding through the current rule that permits a 1% yearly increase. Cavallo said that if policymakers now recognize a mismatch between production and market demand, they should also reconsider rules that continue to allow planting expansion. He argued that voluntary uprooting should not become a contradiction and that the 1% annual increase should be suspended for now.
Coldiretti Puglia also says that with more than 4.2 million hectoliters from the previous campaign still in storage, crisis distillation must be financed at a level that can materially reduce surpluses and help rebalance the market. The purpose, it said, is not only to remove product from the market but also to prevent excess supply from once again being absorbed by growers through unprofitable prices.
The group is also calling for changes to the OCM wine framework, saying it has remained largely unchanged for 24 years even as markets, consumer behavior, production costs, trade channels and communication methods have shifted. Pietro Piccioni, director of Coldiretti Puglia, said the sector needs a real revision of the system rather than minor maintenance so that companies have tools to compete in the market, not just manage recurring crises.
La Pietra, speaking for the government, said Italy continues to view the wine sector as important to the country’s economic growth. He pointed to existing support measures including promotion campaigns, a new intervention on plant disease management, investment for wine tourism, the denomination for dealcoholized wines and export labeling rules. He also cited a new law on sanctions in the agrifood sector that he said makes the legal framework more effective against fraud and Italian-sounding imitation products.
On the question of vineyard uprooting to contain supply, La Pietra signaled caution. He said that approach would affect local territories and does not have unanimous support among stakeholders. For that reason, he said he would still try to focus on quality, production management and market positioning rather than encourage vineyard removal as the main response.
The debate in Puglia reflects a broader problem facing the Italian wine industry: a harvest with favorable quality prospects is arriving while demand remains weak and inventories remain high. For producers, wineries and lenders tied to the sector, the next decisions on distillation, storage, planted area and export promotion may shape not only this year’s income but also how much wine reaches the market and at what price in the months ahead.