Russia-Ukraine conflict: Confagricoltura, “sparkling wine exports at risk, Asti first of all”

The whole world, for many reasons, is watching the dramatic escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as it is unfolding. The first concern is, of course, fear for the loss of human lives. However, looking on the realistic side, as in any conflict, there are many interests at stake, including those of the Made in Italy agro-food sector. Russia, above all, and Ukraine are important destination markets for the Italian agro-food sector since it is the primary supplier of wheat. And, towards some of the highly exposed territories in Russia there is even greater concern. For instance, the Asti district, as one of the main markets for its sparkling wines is the Kremlin. “We are extremely concerned. The Ukrainian crisis, and the winds of war blowing harder and faster, plus the ever closer prospects of trade sanctions against Russia are of great concern to Piedmont farmers”, said Enrico Allasia, president of Confagricoltura Piemonte, emphasizing the agitation in the agricultural world, which includes also the increase in energy costs, the price of cereals for feeding livestock, and mainly the fear of a fall in wine exports, representing an extremely risky scenario for the Region. In 2020, based on data processed by Confagricoltura, Italy exported wines to Russia for a total value of 297 million euros, of which 179.8 million euros of bottled product. “Russia is one of the main markets for Italian sparkling wines”, said Ercole Zuccaro, director of Confagricoltura Piemonte, “and, among Piedmont products, for Asti sparkling wine”. The export of Italian sparkling wine to Russia represents 116 million euros in value. Russia imports more than 12 million bottles of Asti spumante, which translates into approximately a quarter of the market for DOCG bubbles obtained from the 9.000 hectares of vineyards cultivated in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo. “We are confident in the work of diplomacy”, stated Enrico Allasia, “to prevent human tragedy, which is the aspect that worries us most, and also to avoid putting our production system into a crisis”.