"Reduce yields per hectare instead of asking for money to uproot." Frescobaldi criticizes the protection Consortia

Having an abundance of wine is of little use if it doesn't sell, which is why reducing production yields is necessary to avoid the collapse of the Italian wine system. Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian Wine Union, doesn't mince words. The concepts expressed by the Tuscan entrepreneur have been reiterated in various public appearances in recent months, but now they sound like warnings, especially as the harvest has begun. According to the pre-harvest survey by Gambero Rosso's weekly Tre Bicchieri, Italy is expected to see an increase in volumes, likely reaching standard levels (around 45 million hectolitres) compared to the poor 2023 harvest, which, with 38 million hectolitres, was the lowest in at least 70 years.

Excessive stock and a declining Market

The Uiv president's reflection starts with the wine stocks, which in June amounted to 46 million hectolitres—an entire harvest. This burden is compounded by a struggling market, with declining consumption and changing purchasing habits: "Fewer and fewer red wines, while whites and sparkling wines are holding steady," Frescobaldi notes in a conversation with Il Sole 24 Ore, looking at the example of France, where vineyard uprooting is underway in Bordeaux and land values have plummeted. "If we want to avoid a similar fall, we must take action, and producers need to start considering this."

The criticism of protection consortia

Frescobaldi also doesn't hold back his criticism of the protection consortia: "Very few have chosen to reduce production yields. I don't understand why winemakers haven't used this regulatory lever to manage supply and instead are asking for aid to scrap vineyards," observes the Uiv president, reiterating his association's opposition to using promotional funds for emergency measures like vineyard uprooting, which Uiv believes is part of a disguised European plan. "We don't want," emphasizes the president of the wine industrialists, "the destruction of vineyards to be financed with resources needed for business competitiveness."

Rediscovering the vocational qualities of territories

So, how do we get out of this situation? According to Frescobaldi, one way is to rediscover the uniqueness of Italy's various wine-growing areas. "We've all become accustomed to doing a bit of everything: whites, reds, sparkling wines, dessert wines. Instead, let's try to rediscover the vocational qualities of our territories: whites from Friuli, reds from Tuscany and Piedmont, sweet wines from Sicily. Let's relaunch our distinctiveness," he concludes.