While many in Italy think of “cutting” production, “Prosecco” is planning growth

The metaphor of a wine-producing Italy operating at “two speeds” now seems insufficient to describe the gap which separates much of the country wine sector, struggling to find every possible way to curb production, from the world of Prosecco, where the discussion revolves around how to keep growing. We are now looking at two truly “different” countries, as clearly emerged during the meeting held in recent days and organized by Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Treviso at the Enoteca Veneta in Conegliano. The event, ambitiously titled “The Prosecco System: what horizons?”, brought together around one table (as Coldiretti had already done at the end of 2025, also featuring a contribution from WineNews director Alessandro Regoli, ed) the three distinct yet synergistic souls of Prosecco: Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, the Prosecco DOC Consortium, and the Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Consortium. The gap between the sparkling wine heartland of northeastern Italy and the rest of the country wine industry continues to widen day by day, marked not only by figures but, above all, by differing strategic visions for the future, beginning with the management of the upcoming harvest.
While a substantial part of Italy vineyard areas is grappling with doubts over yield reductions, vineyard removals, and crisis distillation, the atmosphere in Conegliano-Valdobbiadene was entirely different. The market analysis presented by Tiziana Sarnari (Ismea) and the update on political and regulatory developments under discussion between Rome and Brussels by Domenico Mastrogiovanni (head of the Wine Sector, Cia-Agricoltori Italiani) set the stage for a debate in which the word harvest once again became synonymous with grape quality, supply chain value, and commercial prospects. This was emphasized before a packed audience of grape growers, producers, and leading figures from local businesses by Salvatore Feletti, president of Cia Treviso, and Cristiano Fini, president of Cia Nazionale.
Here, the management of production potential outlined by the presidents of the three protection consortia, Giancarlo Guidolin (Prosecco DOC), Franco Adami (Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG), and Michele Noal (Asolo Prosecco DOCG), is not about “drastic reductions”, but rather about “intelligent supply regulation”: a governance tool designed to safeguard product value rather than an emergency measure imposed by crisis.
“Hardly a day goes by in the media, not only in trade publications, without talk of yield cuts, stockpiling, reserves, downgrading, planting freezes, authorization blocks, and urgent appeals to consortia to activate every possible lever to contain production, even reopening the debate on crisis distillation – began journalist and wine expert Giulio Somma, who moderated the conference – yet, today you are discussing horizons, opening a long-term perspective in a sector that increasingly seems consumed by the management of day-to-day challenges”. Recalling how the “Prosecco System” has become a benchmark for the industry – not only nationally – Somma stressed that “finally, at least in this territory, the harvest is reclaiming its place and its language. For centuries, the most important moment of the winegrowing year has been a celebration of community, togetherness, and rural sociability, marking the culmination of a year of hard work in the vineyards. At the same time, it has always symbolized the quality of the wine which will emerge from the new vintage. Even today, the harvest is, or should once again become, the most important communication and promotional opportunity of the Italian wine year, where quantitative estimates should support commercial negotiations rather than depress them, and where assessments of grape quality, free from concerns about the economic sustainability of the system, should encourage or re-encourage consumers in their wine choices”.
However, to ensure a solid future for the success of the “Prosecco System”, it is essential to work on a fairer redistribution of value and wealth throughout the supply chain. On this point, Salvatore Feletti, president of Cia Treviso, focused attention on the economic sustainability of farming enterprises, the most vulnerable link in the chain.
His remarks centered on the need to transform the “value” perceived by consumers into real profitability for those who cultivate the land, beginning with a clear understanding of the actual costs of vineyard management. “Understanding which cost factors can affect profitability is essential. These denominations are creating considerable value, yet that value doesn’t always translate into vineyard profitability. Looking to the future, profitability, the economic component, is the foundation on which we can guarantee a future for both our product and our businesses, because it is what can make our children say: ‘I will stay on the farm. I have a future here”. Feletti therefore formally proposed to Ismea the creation of a dedicated economic observatory that would go beyond market averages, providing a detailed analysis of production costs and profit margins in order to offer a solid basis for the policy decisions of consortia and trade organizations.
Welcoming the proposal put forward by president of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Treviso Tiziana Sarnari (Ismea) presented a range of data outlining the statistical framework behind the success of the Prosecco System. Although Italy retains its world leadership in production (44 million hectoliters in 2025) and export volumes, the global scenario is one of contraction. Worldwide wine consumption has fallen by 8% over the past decade, with a decline of 2.8% in the last year alone.
“The sector is undergoing profound transformation, driven by evolving consumer tastes and increasing attention to sustainability”, explained Sarnari. Consumption trends are shaping production patterns, and denominations of origin continue to strengthen their economic weight. More than 56% of national production is now certified as PDO or PGI, with a value exceeding 11 billion euros, representing over half of the entire Italian Geographical Indication system. Shifts in consumer preferences favor white wines, sparkling wines, and DOC/IGT productions, which are growing in volume as well, while the share of red wines continues to decline, falling from 45% to 36% over the last decade. Not surprisingly, white wines now account for approximately 62% of national production, compared to 53% ten years ago, while sparkling wines, with an estimated production of 7.7 million hectoliters, representing 49% of global sparkling wine export volumes and 28% of export value, confirm Italy role as the world leader in the sector.
Within this context, Northeastern Italy stands out as a giant: despite accounting for only 22% of the country’s vineyard area, it produces 34% of total output and generates 54% of the value of Geographical Indications bottled in Italy, as well as 48% of national exports by both volume and value. An emblematic indicator of the strength of this territory is the position of the Veneto region which, if it were a country, would rank fifth globally in terms of wine production, surpassing entire nations such as Australia. Sarnari (Ismea) also highlighted the remarkable expansion of Glera, whose planted area has grown by more than 300% over the past twenty years, driving the production of Italian sparkling wines. In this context, the Prosecco System, encompassing the three denominations (5.886 million hectoliters and 1.181 billion euros in value in 2024, with further growth in 2025 as volume reaches 5.965 million hectoliters), represents the main engine of growth, confirming the strategic role of the Veneto and Friuli regions in the competitiveness of Italian wine. Alone, it accounts for 29.7% of bulk wine production and 22.9% of bottled wine production.
The success of these denominations demonstrates how the market rewards products that are deeply rooted in territorial identity and capable of combining quality, recognizability, and added value. The discussion then shifted from the market to wine policy and regulation, with Domenico Mastrogiovanni, head of the Wine Sector at Cia Nazionale, issuing what amounted to an evolutionary challenge to the three consortia. With the entry into force of the new European regulation on Geographical Indications and, in particular, the new decree on wine consortia currently under discussion between the supply chain and the Ministry, attention, and therefore the primary focus of consortium policies, is shifting dramatically from the product itself to the reputation of the territory. Mastrogiovanni warned that the current fragmentation in the management of Prosecco (“one wine, one territory, three consortia”, he underlined) could become a weakness in an increasingly critical marketplace: “there can’t be three different strategies, but only one, if we are to implement unified environmental, social, and economic policies”. The challenge is to move beyond a compartmentalized approach and adopt a common language, especially in communication with consumers and younger generations. Data analysis clearly shows, continued Mastrogiovanni, that the future of the sector will not depend on increasing volumes but on the ability to generate value, because in an increasingly mature and competitive market, the strength of Italian wine will lie in quality, territorial identity, and the ability to offer an experience that goes beyond the product itself. Innovation, sustainability, the enhancement of Geographical Indications, the development of wine tourism, and expansion into new international markets therefore represent the main growth drivers and should find in the consortia a point of managerial and strategic reference. “According to a territorial policy that must not merely be shared, but truly unified”, he reiterated.
The first to respond to Mastrogiovanni challenge was Franco Adami, president of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Protection Consortium. Challenging the definition of “one product and one territory”, he stressed that Prosecco global success is built on transparency and authenticity, qualities which generate consumer trust by effectively communicating the distinct identities and intangible values of each denomination. “The only enemy of Prosecco is Prosecco itself, because no two are the same. What is the danger? The danger is that we may not know how to manage success. To manage success, you must also know how to say no from time to time. We must not pursue growth alone”. A central aspect of his speech was the management of production potential and the redistribution of income throughout the supply chain. In particular, he presented as an innovative measure the differentiated production claim for the so-called “heroic vineyards” (rive eroiche), defined by slopes exceeding 30%, aimed at economically safeguarding historic and scenic vineyards that cannot sustain the costs associated with mechanized viticulture.
Michele Noal, president of the Consortium Vini Asolo Montello, responded to Mastrogiovanni by emphasizing the work already carried out in the spirit of collaboration among the consortia, citing the shared sustainability office (Sqnpi certification) as an example of operational efficiency: “I am among those who believe that the three consortia have far more things to bring together than things that divide them”. He went on to stress that future development must be built on the integration of product and territory through wine tourism, transforming wine into an “ambassador” capable of inspiring emotion and conveying local culture: “when consumers open a bottle of Asolo, it should remind them of the emotions they experienced while visiting our territory and its beauty”. Regarding market conditions, Noal reported a positive turnaround beginning in April, which prompted the Consortium to request the release of the harvest reserve in order to approach international markets with greater confidence.
Giancarlo Guidolin, president of the Prosecco DOC Consortium, focused his remarks on the regulatory role of consortia in balancing supply and demand in order to ensure price stability: “the role of the consortia is fundamental; their task is to monitor and place the right quantity of wine on the market in relation to its value, playing a decisive role for producers both in preserving the value of production and, naturally, in distributing value throughout the supply chain”. He also recalled the historical roots of Prosecco, underlining the importance of continuous dialogue among the different denominations for the common good. Despite the impressive figures recorded by the DOC denomination, which achieved a bottling record in 2025 with 667 million bottles (+1.1% compared with 2024), Guidolin advocated strategic caution for the upcoming harvest, placing emphasis on the quality of the raw material and on the fair distribution of value throughout the production chain, from grape growers to bottlers.
The “political” responses offered by the presidents of the three consortia to Mastrogiovanni remarks brought back into focus the complexity of jointly managing the three Prosecco denominations. Under the pressure of the new European regulatory framework, a different balance will inevitably have to be found. The awareness that this issue can no longer be postponed emerged clearly from comments gathered in the room after the debate, to the point that the possibility was raised of organizing a new conference specifically dedicated to providing a more comprehensive and strategic response to the issues highlighted by the Cia wine sector representative.
Finally, the harvest measures. From a technical and stock-management perspective, representatives of the three denominations outlined the extraordinary measures currently being considered by the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in agreement with professional industry organizations. For Prosecco DOC, the Consortium has requested authorization to implement administrative storage within the customary range of 15-18 tonnes per hectare, together with an extraordinary authorization allowing 2,000 hectares meeting specific requirements to produce a potential 300,000 hectoliters of wine suitable for the designation. The release of the 2025 stored stock is scheduled for September. For Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, the Protection Consortium has proposed an incentive scheme for vineyards with slopes exceeding 30%, consisting of a full DOCG yield of 135 quintals per hectare, with surplus production allocated to DOC status under free-market and storage quotas. For Asolo and Montello DOCG, an additional 180 hectares will be authorized for Prosecco production, and the release of the 2025 harvest reserve is expected shortly. In summary, all these measures are designed to achieve a planned increase in available product, running counter to what is occurring across much of the rest of Italy’s wine regions, and confirming the trends discussed earlier.
Cristiano Fini, national president of Cia – Agricoltori Italiani, praised the pragmatism of the Treviso area while warning against complacency. Fini identified Mercosur and India as the new strategic frontiers for exports, markets that nevertheless require what he described as a meticulous and proactive approach. A crucial part of his speech focused on the domestic market and the role of the restaurant sector. Fini criticized excessive markups which discourage consumers, especially younger generations: “we can’t continue to see wine prices in restaurants at five, six, or seven times the cellar-gate price. A bottle that costs five euros at the winery ends up costing thirty or forty euros in a restaurant. And then we wonder why young people are no longer drinking wine?” His concluding message was a call for unity: “working together as a system has been the key factor behind our success in recent years, and it must continue to be so in the years ahead. Problems should not be swept under the carpet; they must be addressed proactively. Unity gives us the opportunity to overcome difficulties”.