Among the most noticeable trends is undoubtedly the growing focus on environmental sustainability. A need that reflects the need of more and more consumers to have on their table a healthy product made following environmentally responsible logics.
This is joined, especially among young people, by a growing demand for fresher, fruitier wines, for a more immediate and easy-drinking product without long aging in wood. Often, this demand is also combined with the search for wines with a lower alcohol content.
The regions that are driving our industry see Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto at the forefront. From these wine-growing areas come the most iconic and appreciated wines of our country, from Chianti Classico and Brunello, through Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco, to the bubbles of Veneto’s Prosecco. The list of the most popular grape varieties also reflects this itinerary, with Sangiovese for Tuscan reds, along with Nebbiolo and Barbera for Piedmont. Veneto grape varieties complete the picture: Corvina and Rondinella for reds, Garganega for whites, and Glera for Prosecco.
France continues to be one of the reference markets for Italian wines, which continue to mark their growth beyond the Alps. In recent decades, French consumers have shown great curiosity about the grape varieties of other countries, exploring the Italian wine proposal with great interest and renewed awareness. Appreciated for their great versatility at the table, our wines are camping out on the menus of the most important restaurants, following the fortunes of Italian dining on French soil.
French sommeliers and wine experts are looking at our wines with considerable interest. For reds, the spotlight is on Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico and the Supertuscans. Elegance and evolution over time are their most appreciated qualities. Among whites, however, stand out…, particularly sought after for their freshness and aromatic complexity. For bubbles, Prosecco continues to be a must-have, followed by Franciacorta and Trento DOC.
Italy, too, is forced to face the new challenges of climate change, which has brought hotter than standard summers and more capricious rainfall patterns. Nevertheless, the Italian wine world has responded by being present and trying to counter with new strategies, devoted to efficient management of water resources, adoption of environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, and investing in research and innovation to develop and apply new technologies in the vineyard and in harvest management.
In addition to the usual appellations, already mentioned, the Italian wine world is experiencing the success of new stages, including the Etna area in Sicily and the rediscovery of Primitivo from Puglia.
Finally, I hope for greater synergy with the wine tourism sector, which has experienced exponential growth in recent years. Therefore, I believe that it could be a winning move to host this sector in the setting of Vinitaly, within a dedicated pavilion, so that Italy’s main wine fair can provide a meeting point between our realities, with the aim of spreading and communicating more and more the wide range of our country’s wine offerings.