200,000 Hectares of Vineyards Lost in Italy

A severe loss for the Italian territory, which has seen 200,000 hectares of land dedicated to vine cultivation decimated, placing Italy as the third European power just behind France and Spain.

In just 13 years, as many as 200,000 hectares of vineyards have disappeared from Italian territory – a grim assessment of Italy's agronomic sector. According to a report by "Corriere Vinicolo," in 2000 alone Italy counted as many as 800,000 hectares of surface area dedicated to vine cultivation, along with a considerable increase in wine production. The decline has been truly dramatic: from 2000 to 2013, Italy lost 200,000 hectares of vineyards, dropping from 800,000 to just 640,000 hectares. These figures emerged from the "Vino in cifre" report conducted across the entire Italian – and broader European – territory, figures that place Italy in only third position, just behind France and Spain.

The one positive note is that not all Italian regions have reduced the surface area reserved for vine cultivation: Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the territories of Trento and Bolzano are recording positive trends. On the other hand, the troubling data comes from Sicilia with a loss of 33,000 hectares, followed by Puglia with 22,000 fewer hectares and Lazio with 21,000 fewer hectares.

Production is certainly the first area to suffer from the reduction in hectares dedicated to vine cultivation. As recently as 2013, Italy held the top position in wine production, but Spain is now making strides in wine output. According to Attilio Scienza, professor at the University of Milan, "A great viticultural potential is being lost." The professor notes that the segment facing the greatest difficulty is precisely that of vini da tavola, which have been increasingly unable to assert themselves on the market. An additional warning sign for Italian producers is the lack of interest among young people in entering the world of wine – bringing into play not only professional skills but above all business management capabilities.