IT’S HARD TO SAY EXACTLY HOW MANY JOBS AND HOW MUCH TURNOVER WINE AND ITS LINKED ACTIVITIES CREATE, BUT IT’S A PHENOMENON WORTH TENS OF BILLIONS OF EUROS.

It is hard, if not impossible, to say precisely how many jobs and how much income wine and its linked activities generates in Italy. It is the number one product, economically, in the Italian agro-food sector (it reached a record 4.7 million euros in 2012 and is the number one item exported in the sector). Some data say 1.2 million people are employed in the fields, wineries and distribution for an all over value of wine in production, around 10 billion euros.

According to other data, there are at least 340.000 structures just for production (wine farms, wineries and also vinegar factories and distilleries) that directly employ 800.000 workers, generating more than 50 million euros in the “wider chain”. It is difficult to calculate a valid value multiplier, but according to some economists, in prevalent wine production territories, where it is the top economic driver, it is safe to say that for every euro “of wine” 7 euros are generated.
These are all data, or estimates to be taken lightly as it is not easy to verify them precisely, but they do give an idea of the size and importance of wine as an economic and employment phenomenon (but also, social, cultural and environmental) in Italy.

Take into consideration some of the professions in which wine is the protagonist or an important player: sommeliers, caterers and waiters, of course, but also printers and designers for labels and packaging; glass factories for bottles; caps and capsules; nurseries; chemical lab analyses; the industry for the production of machinery and materials for the vineyard; construction (including masons and architects); legal offices; distributors and salesmen. And also the activities generated by events and fairs: exhibition stands, hostesses, interpreters and translators.

And, also the media: journalists, video operators and technicians, directors and actors for commercials. Not forgetting, of course, auction houses, as well as the logistics, from warehouses to carriers, and so on.

It’s a huge world. And if the many economic observers (from the Italian Statistics Institute, Istat to the institute of agro-food services, Ismea and others), supply not only numbers, but also readings and analyses, it would be less difficult for the chain, to legally lobby in the institutions and give the largest producer of wine, which is Italy, the most effective tools to help get out of the crisis. Even more so on the beverage industry market, which is considered one of the few growing in the world: the latest news is that the rating agency Moody's changed the outlook on the sector from "stable" to "positive", with a forecast of + 6% in profits for producers between 2013 and early 2014.