Italy’s Wine Industry Gets a Boost with New Regulations on Dealcoholized Wines
The Italian government has signed an interministerial decree implementing fiscal regulations regarding dealcoholized wines, as announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida. This move is expected to provide a clear regulatory framework for the production of dealcoholized wines, offering new opportunities for companies in the sector. The decree outlines the fiscal framework, including the excise tax regime, and introduces distinctions between large and small producers.
«With this decree, we give the wine sector a clear regulatory framework to produce alcohol-free wines and offer new opportunities to companies in the sector», declares Minister Lollobrigida. The decree allows entities operating tax warehouses of intermediate alcoholic products and wine to carry out dealcoholization processes in compliance with specific conditions and quantitative limits. It also introduces distinct definitions for operators based on annual volumes produced, above or below the threshold of 1,000 hectoliters.
The Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida
Key Provisions of the Decree
The decree regulates the issuing of the authorization title for the production and conservation of dealcoholized wine, defines administrative obligations, and product circulation rules. It also limits ancillary activities, which must remain functional exclusively for the production of the dealcoholized product. The provision distinguishes dealcoholized wine (≤ 0.5% vol) from partially dealcoholized wine and allows techniques such as vacuum evaporation, membranes, and distillation.
The decree prohibits total dealcoholization for PDO and PGI wines, protecting the denominations, and requires clear labeling indicating “dealcoholized” or “partially dealcoholized” and the treatment methods. It establishes the tax regime and excise duties on recovered alcohol and finished products, with distinctions based on production volumes (thresholds of 1,000 hectoliters/year).
Market Trends and Opportunities
According to the Uiv Observatory, the global market for dealcoholized wines is valued at $2.4 billion and is expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 8% in value and 7% in volume. Wines, in particular, are driving the sector, with alcohol-free products showing significant growth. In Italy, the share of alcohol-free wine is 6% in the United States, 11% in Germany, and 24% in the UK.
Paolo Castelletti, Uiv general secretary
Industry Reaction and Support
Paolo Castelletti, general secretary of the Italian Wine Union (Uiv), welcomes the decree, stating that it represents “good news at the end of a particularly complex year for the sector”. Castelletti emphasizes that the new regulatory framework will allow Italian companies to operate in conditions of competitive parity compared to other European producers. Luca Rigotti, president of the Wine Sector of Confcooperative Fedagripesca, also applauds the decree, considering it a “fundamental step” towards competitive equality.
Luca Rigotti, president of Confcooperative
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