"Wine elevates the soul and thoughts, and anxieties move away from the heart of man", wrote Pindar in 500 BC
Maybe that's why we produce so much, sell so much and drink even more. Not by chance the The wine sector in Italy is in excellent health, making the other sectors envious which, despite Italy's timid recovery, continue to navigate the difficulties of an economy that is struggling to restart.
ITALIAN WINE: A RECORD-SETTING 2018
The numbers are excellent: compared to 2017, the turnover of Italian wineries grew by 7,5%, driven by exports (+5,3%), but above all by domestic sales (+9,9%). An important result, especially if compared with that of manufacturing (-7,2%) and the food industry (-4,6%).
The positive trend of the sector also has repercussions on employment levels - given that again in 2018, the number of workers employed in the wine sector rose by 3,7% - and on investments, which increased by as much as 25,9% compared to the last year. Above all, the “non-sparkling wines (+30,4%) stand out, closely followed by the sparkling wines (+10,8%). These are the most important data contained in the report "Italian wineries toast to a record 2018" by the Mediobanca Study Area.
But if 2018 was a year to remember, 2019 could be no different. “82,6% of those interviewed – reads the Mediobanca report – expect not to suffer a drop in sales; 10,5% believe in a double-digit increase in turnover and 17,4% expect a decline in revenues”.
WINE: THE RANKING OF ITALIAN COMPANIES BY TURNOVER
Wanting to draw up a ranking of Italian companies active in the wine sector in terms of turnover, there aren't too many surprises. In first place we find Cantine Riunite-GIV, with a turnover that in 2018 grew by 3,1% compared to 2017 to 615 million euros. On the second step of the podium he is placed caviro, with revenues of 330 million, an increase of 8,6%. The top 3 is closed by the first Italian non-cooperative group: Antinori, with a turnover of 230 million euros (+4,5%). They follow:
4- Fratelli Martini: 220 million, +14,7%;
5- Zonin: 202 million, +2,9%;
6- Botter: 195 million, +8,3%;
7- Cavit: 190 million +4,4%;
8- Mezzacorona: 188 million, +1,9%;
9- Enoitalia: 182 million, +7,6%;
10- Santa Margherita: 177 million, +4,6%.
Interesting theranking by share of turnover achieved abroad. Botter generates 95,4% of its revenues across borders. Followed by Farnese (94%), Ruffino (93%), Fratelli Martini (90%), Zonin (85,6%), Mondodelvino (82,5%) and La Marca Vini e Spumanti (81,8%). “In general – explains Mediobanca – there are only eleven groups that have an export share of less than 50%”.
THE WINE REGIONS
The z-score (an index that measures the goodness of the financial statements) based on 2017 data, shows that the Venetian Mionetto and Botter offer the best performances, ahead of the Tuscan Ruffino. Followed by Vinicola Serena, Frescobaldi, Cantine Ermes and Farnese.
From the point of view of geographical distribution, in the first 10 positions there are five companies from the Veneto region, two from Tuscany, one from Sicily, one from Abruzzo and one from Piedmont. Surprisingly, however, it is the Veneto companies that dominate in terms of income with a ROI of 8,6%, compared to a national average of 6,6%, and a ROE of 12,1% against 7,2% . Companies from Veneto and Trentino are also above the national average, while the Tuscan ones (roi and roe at 7,3%) are financially more solid (financial debts at 37% of equity against 69,4%), more efficient ( labor cost per unit of product at 46,8% against 58%) and more suited to exports (63,6% against 52,4%).
