The Consorzio del Nizza DOCG was officially recognised last week (22 June) by the Italian government’s ministry of agriculture, food sovereignty and forestry.
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It’s the biggest challenge winemakers have faced in generations – how to respond to the fact that many consumers, especially younger ones, increasingly don’t like your products. The problem is acute in Italy where many of the country’s 20 wine regions have built their reputation on red wine, often full-bodied, tannin-rich and oaked, which people now seem to like least. However, some winemakers feel they have the answer – think pink and think light reds.
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The time I spent in Australia and the level of hospitality out there inspired me. I fell in love with Italian food on the job – I worked for Vittoria Group in Edinburgh for a long time. Working alongside good chefs and sommeliers, I fell in love with Italian food and wine. There are 20 different autonomous regions in Italy and I think we’ve got wines from every region. You’re spanning 1,000 miles and a totally different range of climate, terroir, history and culture of winemaking. The most interesting thing for me about Italian wine is that native grapes are prized. It makes it fun as a sommelier, you can always offer a point of difference to people. We knew we would sell lots of Amarone, Barolo and Chianti, but Lambrusco actually is one thing that’s been really fun and interesting. There are loads of Italian wines that have suffered a bad reputational hangover from the ’90s, but if you get really nice Lambrusco, it’s such a good aperitivo. As a team we love Sicilian wines too and what we are passionate about tends to reflect in what we sell. Edinburgh’s getting to that stage where great restaurants are opening across the city, not just in the centre. That’s a really healthy thing that we should celebrate. The dining scene has become a lot more relaxed. More places like Sotto are opening, where we try to take the stuffiness and the intimidation out of things.
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In the same week that Italy’s parliament signed off on funding for the notorious Strait of Messina bridge to connect Sicily to the mainland, the island played host to the 22nd edition of Sicilia En Primeur, connecting the world with Sicily’s contemporary wine scene in a different way. Over 1,000 wines from 56 wineries were present for the event, held in Palermo in May with the headline Taste the Island, Live the Story.
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After many years of enjoying meteoric global success, Prosecco now finds itself in a double bind. Slowing sales in key mature markets, increased competition from rival categories, and sustained pricing pressures have sparked a debate about the need to diversify its identity to secure long-term relevance. Yet for every stakeholder who advocates a broadening of positioning through mixology and new drinking occasions, there are others who insist the category’s future lies in terroir expression, gastronomic suitability and drier styles. It’s an existential argument over the most fundamental question facing the category today: what exactly does Prosecco want to become?
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Italy remains a powerhouse in terms of wine production, again topping the world’s volume output as a country for 2025, up from 2024’s near 44 million hectolitres to a heady 47 million hectolitres last year. Sparkling, led by the ongoing and seemingly unstoppable success of prosecco, continues to dominate, with the likes of still Pinot Grigio also feeding into export positivity.
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Italian wines have always remained popular in the UK, with Italy regularly topping lists of wine imports by volume. As many of these importers note, this is reflected in the continued performance of the category across several key areas – particularly when it comes to more upmarket wines. Clearly, the enduring trend of premiumisation plays a role here, and especially in the on-trade, where curious consumers are looking to explore the diversity that Italy has on offer. Particularly, indigenous grapes are enjoying their time in the sun, from the re-emergence of Timorasso and Dolcetto to the more obscure (Maceratino, for example).
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UK-based wine distributor North South Wines has announced the acquisition of the When in Rome wine brand, marking a significant addition to its range of sustainable and alternative wine brands.
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Bonhams, the global network of auction houses, will be holding a London auction of wine from iconic Italian restaurant Locanda Locatelli.
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Italy’s wine sector is expected to produce 47.4m hls of wine this year. The figure, compiled by Assoenologi, ISMEA and the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), represents an +8% rise compared to 2024’s harvest.
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The reverence held by the people of Calabria for their region’s agricultural produce is plain to see as soon as you step foot in the southern Italian region. Dining tables are adorned with spicy peperoncino, the hot chilli peppers grown in the region. These same peppers are used for the region’s well-known sausage spread, ‘nduja, a Calabrian product now found in most British supermarkets.
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The 2025 Pinot Grigio harvest has begun in Italy's largest DOC, Delle Venezie, and is being hailed as promising for quality, with increased yields.
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When Bettino Ricasoli discovered in the 1840s that Sangiovese could form the basis of ageworthy Chianti, it might have surprised him to learn that the real breakthrough for Tuscan wine internationally would come thanks to a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
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Projections from Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) show that the Italian wine sector could lose over €317mn over the next 12 months due to the 15% tariff on EU exports to the US.
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My recent trip to the rolling hills of the famous appellation shows that though Montalcino’s history can be an instructive ally, it does not limit wine producers from adapting to the challenges of the present and innovating for the future.
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At the second edition of Vinitaly and the City in Sibari, Calabria, Calabrese producers took centre stage, demonstrating the viticultural dynamism of a region better known for its gastronomic output.
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The UK’s thirst for Italian wine has proven to be an enduring affair, with the category demonstrating a healthy resilience in a tough market. Among the world’s top seven wine countries, Italy is the only one in growth in terms of hectares under vine, with the country now the largest producer of wine ahead of France and Spain, according to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine & Wine), with exports worth €8.1bn last year – an increase of 5.6% on 2023.
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Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), Italy’s leading wine trade body, has warned urgent action must be taken to protect the industry. The calls come amid fears of overproduction as the nation continues to expand its land area under vine.
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Opening in the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery is the latest eponymous offering from Giorgio and Plaxy Locatelli, in partnership with catering supremo Searcy’s. The menu from chef Giorgio Locatelli will draw inspiration from the hallowed paintings that call the National Gallery home. So if Caravaggio-inspired Italian food, from braised veal ravioli to Tiramisu, piques your interested, then a trip to the new 80-seater restaurant opening on 10 May could be in order. The opening of the venue coincides with the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing after a two-and-a-half year transformation, undertaken to mark the bicentenary of the famous gallery. The wine list, devised by Martin Didden, head of Champagne and wine for Searcy’s and wine director Virgilio Gennaro, will include vintages from Broglia, the oldest vineyard in Gavi as well as Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta.
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Authentic pasta made from traditional recipes used in Italian households is the idea behind Officina 00 Covent Garden – the newest collaboration between best friends and business partners Elia Sebregondi and Enzo Mirto. The pair already have several Officinas dotted around Fitzrovia and Old Street, all of which bring a polished edge to classic Italian fare, while also giving the impression of serving up dishes straight from grandma’s table (hearty and moreish being the key words). The cocktail list is just as good as the food menu, incorporating the likes of Italian Margarita, Pink Americano and 00 Spritz, all brought together by a selection of slick Italian vinos.
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