Italian wine exports remain negative, falling by 6.2%
Piedmont overtakes Tuscany as the country's second largest exporting region
Monday, September 14, 2026
Italian wine exports reached €3.6 billion between January and June 2026, a 6.2% decrease compared to the same period in 2025, according to the latest data from Istat. The overall balance remains negative, but the decline moderated compared to the first quarter of the year, when the drop was 8.2%.
The trend was not uniform across the country. Veneto remained the leading exporting region, with €1.3 billion, although this represented an 8.4% year-on-year decrease. The region boasts some of Italy's most important wines in foreign markets, including Prosecco, Valpolicella, Soave, and Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, which helps explain its significance within the country's wine landscape.
Piedmont followed, consolidating its progress in 2026. Its exports totaled €566.9 million in the first half of the year, a 2.4% increase year-on-year. With this figure, the region surpasses Tuscany and widens the gap with one of the territories that held the top position in the 2025 annual ranking. Piedmont is the origin of wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti, Alta Langa, Gavi, and Asti, all of which are regularly exported by Italy.
Tuscany rounded out the top three with €543.6 million, 7.4% less than in the first half of 2025. This region is home to some of Italy's most internationally renowned wine appellations, such as Chianti Classico, Bolgheri, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti, Maremma, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The comparison with Piedmont reflects one of the clearest changes of the first half of the year: while one region advanced, the other declined.
The top three regions, Veneto, Piedmont, and Tuscany, accounted for €2.4 billion in exports. This sum represents almost 67% of all Italian wine shipments to international markets in the first half of the year. This figure illustrates the extent to which exports remain highly concentrated in just a few regions.
Fourth place went to Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, with €265.6 million and a 12.2% decrease. It is one of the regions most specialized in white and sparkling wines, including Trentodoc. Emilia-Romagna came in fifth, with €205.3 million and a 5.6% increase, one of the most significant rises among the major exporting regions. Its offerings include wines such as Lambrusco and Sangiovese di Romagna.
Lombardy ranked sixth with €152.5 million, a 7.1% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. Apulia followed with €121.6 million, a 6% improvement. The difference between the two was minimal in absolute terms, but sufficient to maintain Lombardy's position, bolstered by wines such as Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia also closed the first half of the year on an upward trend. The region reached €121.4 million, 2.5% more than the previous year. Its export profile relies heavily on the white wines of Collio and Friuliano. Abruzzo finished ninth, with €108.5 million and a decrease of 9.5%, while Sicily closed out the top ten with €78.5 million, a 5.9% drop.
The ranking shows an uneven distribution of results. While Veneto, Tuscany, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy, Abruzzo, and Sicily registered declines, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Apulia, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia advanced compared to the first half of 2025. This difference between regions helps to explain why, despite the national decline, some areas gained ground within the total exports.
Veneto's weight remains far greater than the rest. This region alone accounts for around a third of Italy's total export value in the first half of 2026. Piedmont and Tuscany, although lagging behind, together form the group that sustains the majority of foreign sales. The fact that Piedmont has overtaken Tuscany represents a significant shift in the internal distribution of the business.
Istat's data thus reflects a first half of 2026 marked by a general decline in value, but also by a partial correction of the deterioration seen at the beginning of the year and by very different performances among regions. In this scenario, Veneto's leading position remained unchanged, Piedmont gained ground, and Tuscany lost ground, while several second-tier regions managed to close the semester with gains.