Styrian winemakers focus on quality: A look into the future of wine!

Styrian winemakers focus on quality: A look into the future of wine!

The wine industry is at a turning point: In Styria and Chianti, winemakers are battling rising production costs and falling consumption. Styrian winegrowers cultivate a total of 5,096 hectares, which accounts for around eleven percent of the total Austrian vineyard area. In a remarkable step, a planting ban was imposed in order not to further burden the already saturated markets. The chairman of Wein Steiermark, Stefan Potzinger, announced that this measure had met with a positive response from winemakers and that the EU is examining whether a similar stop could follow for other large wine countries such as France. “With the increasing demand for high-quality wines, Styrian wine could become a sought-after specialty on the international market,” explains Potzinger. Sauvignon Blanc in particular is becoming the main variety here, and even though the 2024 harvest was small, it is still of high quality.

Chianti Consortium reacts to market developments

The situation is similar in Chianti: the consortium there has reduced yields per hectare by ten percent in order to counteract overproduction and declining sales. After a 14 percent decline in sales last year, there is an urgent need for action. Giovanni Busi, President of the Chianti Consortium, emphasizes the challenges: “We have not had a normal year since 2017. The alarm bells are already ringing,” said Busi. While prices are rising slightly, production costs have risen dramatically, causing serious difficulties for winemakers. The consortium sees this reduction in hectare yields as a necessary step in order to stop increasing stocks and is thus responding to the industry's pressing problems. In Chianti as well as in Styria, the search for high-quality wines is a central issue.

These developments are not only evident in regional markets, but are part of a broader trend in the wine industry that is emerging worldwide. Quality is becoming increasingly important, while volume declines and challenges for producers are commonplace ORF Styria and Wine+ report.