Export volume to biodiversity: Italian wine is worth 14.5 billion euros and boasts numerous records

Italian wine holds the world record for export volumes as well as production records, export and biodiversity records. Italian wine affirms its unparalleled heritage, which offers consumers all over the world tradition, culture, history, and a consumption model that fits the Mediterranean Diet. Italian wine is the standard bearer of Made in Italy around the world and the driving force of the agricultural sector that generates production, and consequently, wealth and employment. Coldiretti, the association of Italian farmers, has said these are the reasons the sector needs to be defended, so as not to lose even a single, small part of this immense wealth that extends over the entire Country, from North to South, including the Islands.
Beauty and economic value. The Italian wine sector, Coldiretti stated, represents one of the pillars of the National agri-food economy, reaching an overall turnover of 14.5 billion euros. This heritage is managed by 241,000 wine-growing companies, distributed over a surface area of 681.000 hectares, where Veneto, Sicily and Puglia lead the way in terms of extension. Seventy-eight percent of the surface area - which corresponds to approximately 532.000 hectares - is destined for GI wines (65% PDO and 14% PGI). Furthermore, wine is the leading item in Italian agri-food exports, as value reached 8.1 billion euros in 2024, up +6% compared to 2023. Exports reached nearly 22 million hectoliters (+3%). The United States, at 1.94 billion euros (+10%), confirmed it is the primary market, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. Sparkling wines are the main driving force behind sales, as they represent 29% of the total exported value. Italy holds first place in the world in terms of exported volumes, and second place in terms of value, behind only France. In 2024, according to Centro Studi Divulga (Divulga study center) estimates, Italian wine production reached 44 million hectoliters, marking +15% compared to the previous year, although remaining below the average of the past few years.
Wine consumption per capita in Italy stands at around 37 liters per year, and the sector also has a significant impact on employment, as 1.3 million people are directly and indirectly involved in the supply chain, from the fields to the wineries to commercial distribution. Italy also boasts an unparalleled wine biodiversity - 635 grape varieties registered in the National register, which is double that of France. Seventy percent of Italian bottles of wine are in the DOCG, DOC and TGI categories, while 529 wines have been acknowledged Geographical Indication, and the remaining 30% are table wines.
Italy’s heritage must also be supported through digitalizing our vineyards by supporting the various companies that have already started digitalization processes. New technologies will optimize the use of resources, such as water, thanks to weather stations connected to satellites, as well as improving the efficiency of procedures, thanks to the use of precision farming equipment. TEA (assisted evolution technologies) represents another important step towards more sustainable viticulture, as they allow selecting plant varieties more resilient to climate change as well as a lower environmental impact.