Inflation grows and wine prices (and consumption) not. The alarm by Uiv-Unione Italiana Vini

At a time when shopping carts and any service are becoming more expensive, wine is bucking the trend. But this is neither good news for businesses across the supply chain nor an incentive for consumers. At least, that is the view of Uiv-Unione Italiana Vini, which says that “Italian wine is caught in a squeeze between falling consumer prices and rising production costs. In September 2026, the Istat consumer wine price index fell by -2.3% year-on-year and -0.3% compared with the previous month, while sales volumes failed to grow. This trend runs sharply counter to overall inflation (+4.2% year-on-year) and is particularly critical for businesses, which at the same time must absorb higher costs across some of their main expense items”.
According to Uiv, the main pressure comes from electricity and gas costs, with direct impacts on winery operations and indirect effects on glass production, alongside increases in transport and logistics, oenological products, packaging, and raw materials. “The result is a widening gap between upstream inflation and downstream deflation, reducing companies’ ability to pass higher costs on through price lists and compressing margins. At the same time, the decline in both prices and sales indicates that lower shelf prices have not, at least so far, generated a recovery in demand”.
“For this reason - comments Uiv president Lamberto Frescobaldi - we are counting on further measures from the Italian Government, and even more so from the European Union, as requested by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in her recent letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, aimed at tackling the exceptional rise in inflation. Our businesses need structural action on energy costs, stronger public guarantees to facilitate access to credit, and tax measures which encourage investment in energy efficiency and the reduction of production costs”.