‘Understandings that offer different perspectives,’ explains Federvini President Giacomo Ponti, ‘In the Mercosur countries, we have more favourable terrain. There are citizens of Italian origin, Italian chefs and a general appreciation for our products. There is already a flow of exports to South America, but so far it has been penalised by high tariffs. I believe that compared to the number of inhabitants and our real potential we are still lagging behind. Investments will certainly be needed, but I believe the path will be smoother’.
Completely different is the case of India ‘which has a consumption of spirits, whisky and gin,’ Ponti continues, ‘but where our exports are very limited. Italian companies will have to invest and focus on the growth of the Indian middle class. We need to work on education and create forms of pairing between Italian wines and local cuisine’. Another issue is that of Australia which, let us remember, is a wine producing country. ‘We are satisfied with the agreement made by Brussels with Camberra from a commercial point of view,’ says Ponti, ‘less so from the point of view of protection, because the Australians are granted the possibility of using the names Grappa and Prosecco for ten years. However, I am convinced that there is potential for Italia wine in Australia too, also thanks to the strong presence of Italian immigrants, particularly in cities like Melbourne’.
Europe ‘safe haven’
Therefore, while waiting for international agreements to be implemented, the idea of relaunching the bet on Community markets is gaining strength. According to an analysis by the UIV-Vinitaly Observatory, the European Union confirms itself as a ‘safe harbour’ for Italia wine with a progress in 2025 (+0.7%) able to mitigate the downturns on non-EU markets. However, European markets are not just a counterbalance, but much more. According to the Observatory’s analysis, the increase in the value of Italia wine in the block of 26 countries in the period (2019-2025) was in fact almost double (+31%) compared to non-EU demand. An area that is therefore far from saturated and increasingly less German-centric.
Supporting Made in Italy sales in Europe are sparkling wines, which posted a 72% growth in the same period (for a turnover of 822 million), thanks to triple-digit increases in thirteen out of 26 countries.
France (+121%), in this ranking, has overtaken Germany and is now the main European customer for tricolour bubbles, Prosecco in primis. A true ‘sparkling miracle’ in the land of Champagne. In the 2019-2025 period, sales in Belgium and the Netherlands (around +60 per cent) and Austria (+41 per cent) also went very well. Finally, excellent performances in the Eastern quadrant: +74% sales in Poland, +113% in the Czech Republic.
Dining and Cooking