A shared vision and action plan to support and promote Italian wine, a cultural heritage and pillar of the national economy, safeguarding the sector from the ideological attacks of neo-prohibitionism emanating from certain European and supranational circles. The plan also included a review of current events, including trade relations with the United States following the ongoing harvest tariffs in some areas of the country. This was the focus of the meeting held on August 4th at Palazzo Chigi between representatives of the Italian wine industry—Allianza Cooperative Agroalimentari, Assoenologi, CIA-Agricoltori Italiani, Confagricoltura, Copagri, Federdoc, Federvini, and Unione Italiana Vini—and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and Undersecretary of State for Health, Marcello Gemmato, representing the Government. The meeting marks the beginning of a new strategic process for developing an institutional communications campaign, national strategy aimed at protecting wine and the entire wine sector, pillars of the national economy and identity, strengthening its authentic value both domestically and globally.
The Industry and Government’s Response: Institutional Campaign Emphasizing the Uniqueness of Italian Wine
The meeting at Palazzo Chigi reiterated the urgent need for a unified, structured, and effective national response to counter the alarmist and prohibitionist trends seen internationally. This is also in light of the upcoming update to the United Nations Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases, expected by the end of September.
The members of the Wine Industry Committee, representing the Italian winemaking sector, emphasized the urgent need to support communication that refocuses on the cultural and social values of wine: a product that is an expression of history, tradition, and an inextricable bond with the region and local communities. This initiative must clearly promote the culture of responsible drinking, inspired by the principles of moderation and conviviality typical of the Mediterranean diet, and must convey a clear and authoritative message, grounded in a transparent and objective approach, informed by the latest scientific evidence.
Federvini: Reaffirming the Cultural and Socioeconomic Value of Italian Wine
Federvini welcomes the launch of a joint strategic process between the Government and the main representatives of the Italian wine industry to develop an institutional communication campaign for wine. The meeting, the federation reports, marks a significant step for the entire sector, at a time when it is necessary to redefine the public narrative surrounding wine with clarity and rigor.
In an international context plagued by simplistic approaches and prohibitionist pressures, Federvini emphasizes the urgent need for an initiative that restores wine to its authentic status as a cultural asset, a symbol of Italian identity, an expression of the region, its communities, and a millennia-old culture of “conscious drinking.” Structured, coherent, and scientifically grounded communication could effectively counter the growing delegitimization of a heritage that belongs not only to the economy, but to Italian history and society.
“Italian wine is not a consumer product: it is a cultural code, a living archive of our landscape, our work, and our times,” emphasized Professor Piero Mastroberardino, Cavaliere del Lavoro (Knight of Labor), Vice President of Federvini and coordinator of the Wine Supply Chain Committee. “In a context increasingly prone to reductio ad unum, where wine risks being classified ideologically and without context, collective and responsible action is needed to reaffirm its plurality of meanings. Launching an institutional campaign is a necessary step: not only to defend the sector, but to restore the country’s mature and distinctive perspective on its heritage. We sincerely thank President Meloni, Ministers Lollobrigida—who coordinated the work—and Urso and Undersecretary Gemmato for their attentiveness and shared vision. It’s time to deploy expertise, rigor, and a spirit of responsibility.”
FIVI Winemakers at Palazzo Chigi: “Italian wine has a future to build, not just a past to defend.”
FIVI President Rita Babini, during the meeting at Palazzo Chigi with the presidents of other wine industry organizations, emphasized the importance of structural interventions that guide the sector toward innovative communication and promotion strategies and toward a reform of the production model, adapting to current and future market conditions.
“Facilitating sales to private individuals, fully developing free trade between European Union countries; promoting and supporting businesses to diversify markets, simplifying access to measures for small and medium-sized businesses, which are currently effectively excluded; and new intra-EU promotional measures. These are just some of the measures we propose to implement, confident that they will be embraced by the entire supply chain,” Babini explained.
“We appreciate and support the Government’s efforts to defend viticulture and wine as our country’s economic, social, and cultural heritage, including through the promotion of a possible institutional campaign. Thanks to this effort, wine industry players will be better positioned to navigate changing market contexts, faced with new consumption patterns and different generational expectations. Wine has a future to build, not just a past to defend, and winemakers are ready to do their part.”
Confcooperative: “A qualitative leap for the country with a view to total system cohesion”
“It was a positive meeting that saw the full participation of the associations in dialogue with a large government team, composed of the Prime Minister, two ministers, and an undersecretary. A significant qualitative leap for our country, which has succeeded in addressing issues affecting a strategic supply chain like wine with a view to total system cohesion,” said Raffaele Drei, president of Confcooperative Fedagripesca, at the end of the meeting held at Palazzo Chigi with the main organizations in the wine sector.
President Drei also expressed his full appreciation for the unanimously promoted institutional campaign to protect the wine sector and responsible wine consumption, which was discussed at the meeting.
“Wine,” Drei explained, “cannot and must no longer be assimilated and identified simply with alcohol: we are talking, first and foremost, about a food that has always been an integral part of the Mediterranean diet and, as such, holds a historical, economic, and cultural value.”
Wine, Drei explained, “is actually responsible for less than half of the average Italian per capita alcohol consumption. Our hope is that the education campaign on the proper use of alcohol will be conducted in full synergy with the scientific community, which is more balanced in its assessment of the issue. In this regard, the promotion of the Mediterranean diet, which the Ministry of Agriculture is strongly supporting, is also welcome.”
Regarding the difficult situation for the sector created by tariffs, President Drei elaborated in the introduction with some scenario analyses, highlighting profoundly different commercial situations among the various types of wine and different regions, ranging from dramatic crises to ordinary situations. Among the possible solutions is the need to “continue to insist on and invest in promotional levers, with the support of systemic tools (ICE, SIMEST, SACE), and to accelerate the signing of free trade agreements that help exporting companies differentiate their target markets.”
Regarding the medium term, Fedagripesca Confcooperative has called for measures to limit stockpiling and simplify measures, particularly in the implementation of promotional campaigns.
The federation of agricultural cooperatives, Confcooperative, which represents 3,000 companies with a turnover of over €35 billion, has finally expressed its intention to ask the government for compensatory measures to support the competitiveness of businesses, including through regulatory streamlining or the postponement of regulations that will make life more difficult for thousands of agricultural businesses starting in 2026.
Vinitaly confirms its commitment to supporting wine companies
“Vinitaly has always been a tool at the service of businesses and institutions, and today more than ever, it wants to strengthen its efforts to support the country’s winemaking system. Together, we can address the many current challenges, not least the tariffs in the United States, a strategic market we must defend.” This was stated by Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo, speaking at the industry technical roundtable convened at Palazzo Chigi to address, among other issues, the impact of the new 15% customs tariffs on Italian wine, effective August 7th.
“I thank Prime Minister Meloni, Ministers Lollobrigida and Urso, and Undersecretary Gemmato for their great attention to this discussion, to which Vinitaly was also invited,” said Bricolo. “Our participation demonstrates that promoting wine abroad requires a collaborative vision, uniting businesses, consortia, associations, and institutions. In this scenario, critical mass, strategic vision, and coordination are needed to address the impact of tariffs without squandering resources or opportunities. Vinitaly is ready to do its part, alongside businesses and national policies, to defend a market—the American one—which, with a value of €1.9 billion in 2024, alone accounts for nearly a quarter of all Italian wine exports.”
Vinitaly’s mission has always been to promote the business and culture of Italian wine abroad, in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Chambers of Commerce, and the diplomatic system.
“The urgent need to protect one of the main symbols of Made in Italy requires coordinated responses, and the contributions made by everyone present at the wine roundtable, requested by Minister Lollobrigida, who deserves credit for organizing it so quickly, demonstrate a desire to move forward together in this direction,” Bricolo concluded.
“From the need to strengthen promotion in mature and emerging markets to defending the cultural value of wine against prejudice and misinformation: in this context, Vinitaly represents the common platform for giving our wine a voice and strength around the world.”
