News
September 2014
ITALY - "Harvest 2014, the poorer since 1950" And the price of wine is likely to increase.
The warning was launched by Coldiretti* association, which provides a 15% decline. Blame the bad weather and the summer "crazy." The losers not only businesses but also consumers: "The impact on sales and price lists will be inevitable."
Rain in the summer and cold in the spring, the seasons that are no longer what it once was. And the Italian wine is ready to face one of the most difficult years of the last half-century: the 2014 harvest is likely to be the lowest in the 1950's between the collapse of production and soaring costs for companies, the prices for consumers could increase in the coming months.
The warning was launched by Coldiretti association, which provides a 15% decline on a national scale: from 49.6 million hectoliters in 2013, is expected to drop to 41 million. If these data are confirmed, Italy will also lose the European record, which will pass into the hands of arch-rivals of France, for which the ministry transalpine expected to produce about 47 million hectoliters. A blow at the level of image for the made in Italy.
To suffer most will be the regions of the South, even with a cut of 30% in Sicily. But also to the north (in Piedmont, for example), the prospects are not rosy. Only the center (Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Lazio part of) should fare. To determine the crisis are always the weather conditions, although for different reasons: the large rainfall in August has recorded especially in the northern regions, while in the South to do damage was a spring stiffer than expected, after a mild winter that had early flowering vines. In either case, production was completely disorientated.
To this must be added the damage hail and flooding, "events in front of which there is little to do." There was an overall decline in production, and particularly marked for wines from white grapes. For manufacturers, therefore, announces a difficult season: Companies are accustomed to working on plans for several years, a year in agriculture retort is a possibility to keep in your account. But the impact on sales will be inevitable.
According to Coldiretti, an increase in rates will almost physiologic, although it could be absorbed in the production chain (between bottlers and distributors), with no impact on the pockets of consumers. The difficulties are objective and is likely a revision of the lists. Still too early to say how much: they will try to make a precise estimate as soon as possible, will depend on the variety of wines and these last few weeks of harvest. We do not want to spread alarmist numbers. "The risk, in fact, is that the tariff increase will result in a contraction of consumption: "Over the last 50 years we are down to 70 liters of wine per capita per year to 36-37 liters. And the media continues to fall 1% per year, "says Domenico Bosco, head of wine Coldiretti. With rising prices, the trend could be even more negative. "Also because the context does not help. The crisis affects everyone. "And the wine - an economic engine that generates in Italy nine billion in annual revenue and employs more than one million people - is no exception.
A wine production at the national level estimated at around 41 million hectoliters, -15% compared to 48.2 million for 2013 released by ISTAT (last year there has been a particularly abundant production, up 8% on average of the five previous years). A substantial reduction of between 8% -17% of Piedmont and the Veneto is highlighted throughout the North. The most problematic situation in the South, with Sicily (-27%) and Puglia (-25%) that drastically reduce the volume of last year. And 'the Centre, however, to represent the island of happiness on the face amount: Tuscany (+ 3%), Umbria (+ 10%) and Marche (+ 7%) are the only regions with a positive sign.
*Coldiretti : -National Confederation of Farmers - is the largest association of representation and assistance of Italian agriculture