Italian Wine and the 2009 Crisis

Market research by Axiter-Confocommercio/Unicab for Vinitaly indicates the Italian wine cellars withstood the test of the “great crisis” in 2009 and even organized themselves to continue growth in 2010.

Exports and investments were both up again. Weak points include mark-ups along the value chain, poor managerial culture and the under-sizing of cellars.

Italian wine withstood the test of the “great crisis” in 2009. And this was achieved thanks to further growth in exports and impetus in investments that involved acquisitions of land, technological and property streamlining of cellars and, especially, sales networks in Italy and abroad.

This is the result of market research conducted on behalf of Vinitaly by Axiter-Confcommercio together with the Unicab Institute: a market investigation involving a panel of more than 360 Italian cellars – the largest leaders as well as cooperative and other realities, small and medium companies covering all the Italian denominations.

Despite a general climate characterized by pessimism, Italian wine cellars proved capable of holding firm and even a desire to exploit the times to “tidy up” their affairs by investing in sales networks, acquisitions of new land and brands, as well as technological modernization.