ROME, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Italian government has given the green light for the country's wine producers to produce low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines while retaining the word "wine" on the label.
The decree, approved on Monday by the ministry of agriculture, marks the end of a two-year process to legalize production in this rapidly expanding sector. Previously, Italian regulations required fermented grape juice to contain at least 8.5 percent alcohol to be labeled as "wine."
However, unlike other leading wine-producing countries, low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines in Italy will not qualify for "Wine of Protected Denomination of Origin" (PDO) status. This restriction applies to Italy's most iconic wine categories, such as Chianti, Barolo, Brunello, Amarone, and Prosecco. PDO guidelines specify the defining characteristics of these wines, including minimum alcohol content.
The first low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines are expected to enter the Italian market in 2025.
The move is expected to further expand Italy's already robust wine industry. Italy produced 43.9 million hectoliters of traditional wine last year.
According to data from Factmr, the global market for low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines is expected to grow by more than 10 percent annually over the next decade, rising from 2.57 billion U.S. dollars this year to 6.94 billion U.S. dollars by 2034.
