The promising sector of alcohol-free or low-alcohol wines in Italy just cannot get off the ground. In fact, the decisive inter-ministerial decree (Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Economy and Finance) dictating the relevant tax regulations and, in particular, the measures for the taxation of alcohol extracted from wine in the dealcoholisation process is missing for the green light for production in Italy.
“The measure,” denounced the Italian Wine Union in a letter to the Ministers of Agriculture, Lollobrigida, and of the Economy, Giorgetti, “has been stalled for more than two months at the State Accounting Office for the final stamping. Many Italian wineries have undertaken significant investments both in terms of infrastructure (through the purchase and installation of dealcoholisation equipment) and in terms of training and product positioning on the market’.
This is a worrying situation because, in addition to decreasing the production deadlock and nullifying business investments, it places Italy in a situation of competitive deficit compared to other European countries such as Spain, France and Germany (where many of the Italian dealcoholised wines on the market have been produced so far) where instead dealcoholisation operations have already been active for months.
“For some time now,” added the secretary general of the UIV, Paolo Castelletti, “we have been asking the government to allow us to operate on an equal competitive footing with other European producers, who have been benefiting for four years now from the advantage introduced by the EU Regulation published in December 2021. Our companies are ready, many of them have already made investments, but today deal-making in Italy is still forbidden, which is why we are asking for an urgent follow-up to the approval of the Fiscal Decree Law’ (Decree-Law No. 84 of 17 June 2025, containing Urgent Provisions on Fiscal Matters)’.
According to the Observatory of the Italian Wine Union, the Nolo (no and low alcohol) sector is one of the few to grow in a world context of great difficulty for wine.
And while in Italy the NoLo (no or low alcohol) wine sector remains in limbo, the international market is making decisive steps forward, given that according to estimates reported by the Italian Wine Union it is worth 2.4 billion dollars and is destined to reach 3.3 billion dollars by 2028.
A market niche (and perhaps less and less a niche) for which they estimate – they explain again at the UIV – a compound annual growth rate (Cagr 2028/24) of 8% in value and 7% in volume.
Dining and Cooking