Wine is driving force for Italian economy

Wine is a driving force for the Italian economy, figures released during the 48th Vinitaly, the annual exhibition dedicated to wine and spirits running on 6-9 April in the northern city of Verona, have shown.

Overall, the wine sector generates annual turnover of 12 billion euros (16 billion U.S. dollars) through about 450,000 wine-making and agricultural companies in Italy, according to Vinitaly's estimates.

With more than 4,100 exhibitors over a net area of 100,000 square meters, Vinitaly is regarded as a landmark for business and cultural promotion on global markets.

Organizers said that wine has become the spearhead for Italian food exports. Data of national statistics institute Istat processed by Vinitaly showed that in 2013 for the first time sales broke through the 5 billion euros (6.8 billion U.S. dollars) barrier, posting 7.3 percent growth over 2012.

Denis Pantini, Area Director for Agriculture and Food Industry of Bologna-based think tank Nomisma, said 2013 was "a confirmation that wine export is a driving force for Italy. Exports registered record-high levels, while the domestic wine consumption was continuing to fall back."

Some 10 years ago, Italy was exporting abroad around 15 million hectoliters of wine on an annual production of 45 million hectoliters, while currently the ratio was almost one to one on an annual production of 47 million hectoliters, Pantini explained to Xinhua.

He noted that the leaders in terms of destination countries for Italian wine were the United States, Germany and Britain.

Among the new end markets, Pantini said, China was seen as an "enormously attractive destination" due to its growth potentials over the next years. However, he stressed, Italy's wine producers needed to outline better strategies to fill the gap with other export-driven countries.

This edition of Vinitaly also hosted for the first time a section of companies specializing exclusively in certified organic wines. Organizers said this production niche was growing exponentially in Italy, currently representing about 7 percent of vineyard area in the country, or about 57,000 hectares.

The organic wines sector, which was especially appreciated in northern European countries, was among the new tendencies that could further fuel Italy's wine industry abroad, Pantini noted.

As for domestic market, he added, understanding the habits of young consumers was the right strategy to invert the consumer downturn. "For example, researches have shown that new generations like to drink wine in very different ways and situations compared to older ones, for example as aperitif or during gatherings," he said.

A study released by Italy's largest agricultural organization Coldiretti on the occasion of Vinitaly has shown that the wine sector was employing 1.2 million people, up by 50 percent over the past 10 years, in a country that counts more than 3.3 million citizens without jobs.

According to Coldiretti, an increasing number of students in Italy were choosing to attend schools related to the wine sector, and more than 80 percent of the newly graduated were able to easily find an occupation.