In Italy almost 19% of the vineyards is grown organically. In 2020, four out of 100 bottles of wine produced in Italy were organic. The Ministry of Agriculture has promoted a report on the organic wine chain, carried out by ISMEA (Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market) in collaboration with MAI (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute) of Bari. Worldwide, considering the 7 million hectares of total viticultural surface surveyed, a share equal to 6.7% is cultivated with organic farming production methods, for a total extension close to 500 thousand hectares, more than double compared to ten years ago. In Italy, in 2019, organic vineyards covered 107,143 hectares (+ 109% over the decade), with the world and European highest incidence on total vineyard area in Europe, precisely 19%.
Italian organic winegrowers are over 18 thousand; adding all other stakeholders of the supply chain, the total number of organic wine sector’s professionals is close to 25 thousand units. On the front of consumption, Italian organic wine is most appreciated abroad, with Germany and France leading the consuming countries. Italy holds an increasing role in exports.
Maria Chiara Zaganelli, general manager of ISMEA, declared: “The analysis of main economic indicators brings out the liveliness of organic sector and its potential in helping to speed up the ecological transition process of Italian agri-food system”.
