Wine tourism can and must be a strategic lever for the Italian wine market. This is confirmed by a report presented by Unicredit and Nomisma Wine Monitor on the wine tourism market, during the Vinitaly workshop. "Wine tourism: a development opportunity for businesses and regions", on a sample of 300 wineries and 13 Protection Consortia distributed throughout the country.
In 2025, wine tourism generated 3 billion in value
The research confirms the strategic role of wine tourism for the Italian wine sector. In 2025, the sector generated over €3 billion in value for wineries. contributing an average of 21% of the wineries' turnoverThe overall trend remains firmly oriented toward growth: both visitor flows and turnover show positive dynamics, driven in particular by more structured companies, able to tap into visitor segments willing to invest in more complex, immersive, and personalized experiences, compared to the consolidated offering of winery visits, tastings, and direct sales.
The audience is mostly Italian but the number of foreigners is growing
The audience is predominantly Italian (58%), primarily couples and families (51%) and non-expert consumers (58%), however, international presence is growing. Although only a small percentage of wineries still offer wine tourism activities, insufficient local infrastructure, complex permit requirements, a lack of incentives, and a shortage of specialized personnel continue to represent significant barriers to the sector's further improvement. In 2025, Italian wine exports decreased by 3,6% in value due to geopolitical tensions, protectionism, US tariffs and the devaluation of the dollar.
Here are the main figures released by Unicredit and Nomisma
In Italy, sales in large-scale retail trade fell by 3% in volume, especially for still and sparkling wines (-4%), while
sparkling wines are growing (+2,7%). Out-of-home consumption remains weak for savings orientation,
fewer visits to restaurants and a drop in domestic tourism (-3,5%).
The decline in exports affected all major global producers: France (-4,4%), Spain (-5,1%), Chile (-10,2%), and Australia (-14,6%). The United States (-36%) was penalized by retaliatory tariffs. Italian production remains stable at 44,4 million hectoliters (+0,7%) on 681 hectares. Trentino-Alto Adige (+15,2%), Lombardy (+11,7%), Puglia (+9,7%), and Veneto (+6,1%) are growing, while Tuscany (-18,4%), Emilia-Romagna (-10,2%), Piedmont (-7,4%), and Sicily (-5,8%) are decreasing significantly.
Piedmont maintains a high share of production of DOP wines (85%), behind only Valle d'Aosta (86%)
and Trentino-Alto Adige (88%). Emilia-Romagna (19%), Molise (8%) and Puglia (5%) are at the bottom, where the percentage remains high.
the presence of generic wines (46% and over 61%). Over the last ten years almost all Regions have reduced the weight of red wines in regional production, with sharp declines in Lombardy (59% → 39%), Sardinia (55% → 43%), and Umbria (44% → 34%). In Veneto (25% → 16%), the cultivation of Glera and Pinot Grigio increased sharply.
With growing consumption of sparkling wines and still white wines, some regions are heavily biased towards red wine production (Abruzzo 66%, Calabria 67%, Basilicata 80%, Tuscany 84%), while Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige have a prevalence of white and sparkling wines. 19% of Italian vineyards are organic, with Basilicata, Marche, and Tuscany above 45%, while Sardinia is last with only 6% of its vineyard area cultivated organically.
Emilia-Romagna (25%), Puglia (20%), and Sicily (15%) are the largest exporters of bulk wine. Veneto (47%), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (38%), Piedmont (34%), and Lombardy (29%) lead the sparkling wine exports. Although less well-suited, several regions are seizing new market opportunities: in the last decade the export of sparkling wines has grown especially in the South (Sicily +227%, Puglia +477%) and Tuscany (+162%). The value of wine exports from Veneto dropped by more than 1%, due primarily to reductions in PDO red wines.
while Friuli-Venezia Giulia grows by 8%.
Piedmont fell by 2,2% due to a decline in Asti (-7%), Sicily grew (+1,6%) thanks to PDO white wines (+2,4%), and Tuscany lost 2% due to a sharp decline in PDO red wines (-9,7%). In 2025, US imports of Italian wines fell by 13% in value, while volumes remained stable (-0,2%). Sharp drops for Asti sparkling wine (-13,5%) and Sicilian reds (-13,1%), lower figures for Prosecco and Tuscan reds (-3,5%), with growth for Sicilian whites (+12,4%) and especially for Tuscan ones (+62,2%).
