Sentiment is positive for Italian wine in 2019. Sales are on the rise in Italy and around the world

The sentiment for Italian wine is positive, and it is in line with market data (in the first 5 months of 2019 wine shipments registered 2.6 billion euros, an increase of + 5.5%, according to the Italian statistics institute, ISTAT data, analyzed by WineNews). Sales are growing, though moderately, both abroad and in Italy, for a sector that considers the markets where investments will keep on growing are the domestic market, the USA and Europe in general, more so than Asia. Further, it believes that the main reasons for concern for the future are its own political unknowns and the insufficient solidarity among the players in the sector, even more so than the economic crisis, Brexit or the war on duties.
This is the picture, then, in a nutshell, the WineNews survey revealed of the Italian Wine Consortium (Italia del Vino Consorzio) wine companies, an aggregation of companies that brings together 21 of the most important names in Italian wine: Castello Banfi, Bisol 1542, Cà Maiol, Cantina Mesa, Cantine Lunae, Casa Vinicola Sartori, Di Majo Norante, Drei Donà, Duca di Salaparuta, Ferrari Fratelli Lunelli, Gruppo Italiano Vini (Giv), Librandi, Marchesi di Barolo, Medici Ermete & Figli, Ronchi di Manzano, Santa Margherita Wine Group, Terre de La Custodia in Terredora di Paolo, Torrevento in Zonin1821 and Zaccagnini. Together these wineries produce over 180 million bottles of wine, possess 11.000 hectares of vines, and yield more than 1.2 billion euros in total turnover as well as 10% of the entire Italian export.
The majority of the sample affirmed sentiment is positive, in terms of sales, compared to some that indicated substantial stability in this generous first half of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. However, most companies declared there is growth, generally between + 5% and +10%, and, in very rare cases, peaks of even + 20%. The same dynamics are recorded for exports. Some participants said they are stable, while the majority stated there is growth, in most cases at a rate of around +10%. Even the Italian domestic market seems to follow the same trend, although the level of growth is more limited, generally around 5% (but many declare there are increases of +10-+12%).
Further, apart from the growth of many new markets in the Italian wine world, and the anticipation of China's boom, the vast majority of companies asserted they concentrate their efforts both in Italy and in the USA, which are not by chance the two single most important markets for wine production, followed by Europe, even though there is a minor component that continues to focus on Asia.
In this generally positive context, however, there are also elements of concern. The companies of the sample surveyed stated first of all the unknowns of Italian politics, and then the insufficient unity of the Italian wine system, compared to their competitors around the world. The uncertainties of Italian and world economy follow, combined with the difficulties in communicating the complex articulation of the Italian wine world.
Many companies highlighted that one of the elements to pay more attention to is the general increase in management costs, while a few instead are concerned about the issues that are top news every day, such as Brexit or the war on duties between the USA, China and Europe, or also aspects like the decline in consumption, the global crisis getting worse, and so on.