1. Changes in progress: from the Gastronomika Festival to the “Cambio vino”
- May 26, Gastronomika Festival : Pietro Monti (FIVI), Michele Antonio Fino (Unisg Pollenzo), Giuseppe Carrus (Gambero Rosso) and Ettore Ravizza (Legendary Drinks) took center stage in the “Cambio vino” debate. The rapidity of changes — climatic, demographic and market — that are crossing the world of wine in real time was analyzed, underlining the importance of grasping “live” signals rather than limiting oneself to a historical view.
2. The Asian market as a launch pad
- Expo 2025 Osaka (8–14 June) : the round table “Market trends and opportunities for Italian wine in Asia”, promoted by ICE and MAECI, was held in the Auditorium of the Italian Pavilion.
- Massimiliano Giansanti (Confagricoltura) indicated China, South Korea and Japan as a “triangle” that absorbs almost €300 million of Italian wine, highlighting growth margins towards India, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.
- Francesco Lollobrigida and Matteo Zoppas (ICE) highlighted how agri-food exports have gone from €28 billion in 2015 to over €70 billion today, thanks to quality and territorial identity.
3. Japan: the first Asian market for Italian wine
- In 2024, Japan imported €184 million of wine (0.5% compared to 2023), out of an Asian total of €434 million.
- Luigi Scordamaglia (Filiera Italia) highlighted the cultural connection between Italy and Japan, based on attention to detail and quality of ingredients.
- Between 2015 and 2024, Italian agri-food exports to Japan grew by 35.3%, while the world total for the sector rose by 95.9%.
- The institutions are aiming for the €100 billion agri-food export target: Italian wine — no longer confined to the Italian HoReCa channel — is also finding space in Japanese restaurants and wine shops.
- Growth niches : No/Low Alcohol (Marzia Varvaglione, Ceev), digital storytelling and breaking down bureaucratic barriers (Francesca Migliarucci, Federvini; Mihoko Kizu, Jet).
- Pairings : Pinot Noir with sashimi, Cartizze and Prosecco with sushi and kaiseki, highlighting the evolution of wine communication through collaborations between producers and importers.
- Parmigiano Reggiano : debut on June 6 in Ginza with “The Way of Parmigiano Reggiano”, strengthening the PDO in Japan (6.1% volume in 2024).
4. China: The Return of the Whites and the Digital Wave
- In 2024, wine imports in China rose to 11,477.4 million Yuan (~1.4 billion €), 39.6% in value and 13.7% in volume, driven mainly by the return of Australian wine (37% in value, 28% in volume).
- ProWine International Business Report China 2025 (HGU): Growing interest in white and sparkling wines; 55% of wine merchants and 44% of producers are betting on dry whites, while 69% of winemakers are betting on low-alcohol wines by 2027.
- Digital confirms itself as the main driver: livestreaming on Douyin and RED, KOLs and ambassadors will drive sales, overtaking traditional channels (on-trade, wine shops, e-commerce).
5. Far East: wine exports on the rise
- Ice, preliminary data 2025 : Italian wine exports 2024 at €8.1 billion (5.5% compared to 2023); in January-February 2025 exports reached €1.2 billion (3.6%).
- East Asia accounts for 434 M€ for wine alone and 5.6 B€ for overall agri-food. Veronafiere and UIV (Frescobaldi) see the Far East as a strategic outlet to strengthen Made in Italy.
6. Exports in the first quarter of 2025 slow down
- In the first three months of 2025, the value of wine exports rose slightly to €1.85 billion (0.9%), but volumes fell to €492 billion (-2.7%) compared to €506 billion in 2024.
- United States : March stable at €177.6 million but -3.5% in volume; quarter at €513 million (12%).
- Canada : March at €31.1 million (-1.5% vol), quarter at €94.5 million (9%).
- Europe : Germany (0.23% March-value), UK (3.3% March-value but -1.57% volume), France (9% March-volume, 0.6% value). Switzerland down both in volume (-6%) and value (-4.3%).
- Emerging markets : Brazil 5% vol, India 43% vol, Vietnam 40% vol, Indonesia 188% vol.
- Types : sparkling wines slightly down in volume (-0.5% Mar-25) but 0.58% in value; Prosecco Dop 5% value, 6% quarterly volume; bottled wine 0.55% value but -5% volume; bag-in-box -7.9% value, -9.6% volume.
- Regions : Bottled PDO Tuscany and Piedmont down in volume but Piedmont 10% value; Veneto stable; Sicily 3% value, -3.8% volume.
Conclusions
The world of Italian wine is experiencing a phase of great excitement, between international events, new commercial landings and changes in consumption. While Asia - in particular Japan and China - confirms itself as a priority frontier, the slowdown in volumes in the first European quarter requires refined attention to strategies of penetration, market diversification and valorization of denominations. Innovation, digitalization and country system remain the watchwords to continue exporting Italian "goodness" throughout the world.
