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Italy's overflowing cellars – COVID or chronic?

Cantina Sociale San Donà in Veneto

With the pandemic having blocked the global market and shut down the hospitality industry for almost two months, Italy's wines risk remaining unsold. See here for news of a similar situation in France.

Last April, Assoenologi, the Italian association of oenologists, rang the alarm bell, warning that the COVID-19 pandemic was causing a crisis in Italy's wine stockholdings. Just halfway through lockdown, it predicted that the estimated 30% of Italy's total production that would normally go to restaurants, bars and enotecas would remain in cellars unsold. In addition to the economic threat this poses for, especially, small and medium-sized wine...