Tuesday, 24 February, 2026
Meiningers
Instead of the expected 47.4m hl, production officially amounts to 44.383m hl and is thus barely above the level of 2024 (44.1m hl). The industry association Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) reports that Italy reported the definitive harvest volume to the European Commission on February 13, 2026.
The UIV attributes the smaller harvest primarily to yield reductions in the most important Italian designations of origin and less to adverse weather conditions. However, according to the UIV, the production quotas implemented in these growing areas to keep the supply chain in balance were not sufficient given current stock levels.
High stock levels
"After two harvests of slightly more than 44m hl, 61m hl of wine are currently stored in Italian cellars, 6% more than at the same time last year. This figure rises to almost 68m hl (+7.5%) if must is included. This means that we can no longer afford not only harvests in the range of the 10-year average of 47.5m hl, but even the volumes of the last two years, which were previously considered low," explains UIV President Lamberto Frescobaldi.
It is time to review the current production structure centrally. Frescobaldi again calls for reforms of the wine law "that ensure a flexible system that can open up or shrink depending on market dynamics."
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