https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The storied Asti region of northern Italy saw a lush harvest this year, but many winegrowers are leaving some grapes on the vine, choosing to produce less as US and Russian demand drops. https://www.thelocal.it/20250920/bumper-harvest-falls-flat-for-italys-asti-vineyards Sat, 20 Sep 2025 12:32:34 +0200 bumper-harvest-falls-flat-for-italys-asti-vineyards Italian supermarkets offer a wide range of wines, but not all are as good as you might hope. Here’s how to pick the best affordable bottles. https://www.thelocal.it/20220819/revealed-how-to-choose-the-best-wine-in-italian-supermarkets Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:12:09 +0200 revealed-how-to-choose-the-best-wine-in-italian-supermarkets Italy was set to hold on to its lead over France as biggest producer in 2025, amid concerns about the impact of US tariffs on sales. https://www.thelocal.it/20250911/italy-to-remain-worlds-biggest-wine-producer-as-bumper-harvest-expected Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:07:49 +0200 italy-to-remain-worlds-biggest-wine-producer-as-bumper-harvest-expected Italy's agricultural lobby group Coldiretti said on Thursday that wine exports to the US were being blocked over fears of crushing 200-percent tariffs, with Italian producers estimated to be losing up to €6 million a day. https://www.thelocal.it/20250327/italian-winemakers-warn-of-costly-stalemate-in-us-exports-due-to-tariff-fears Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:11:26 +0100 italian-winemakers-warn-of-costly-stalemate-in-us-exports-due-to-tariff-fears Italian winemakers have suspended shipments of Prosecco sparkling wine to the US following President Donald Trump’s threats to hit Europe's alcohol sector with punishing 200-percent tariffs. https://www.thelocal.it/20250326/italian-prosecco-producers-halt-us-exports-over-fears-of-new-alcohol-tariffs Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:40:39 +0100 italian-prosecco-producers-halt-us-exports-over-fears-of-new-alcohol-tariffs Italy is due to regain its spot as the world's largest wine producer in 2024 as France's vineyards are hit by unfavourable weather, according to figures from each country's agricultural authorities. https://www.thelocal.it/20240918/italy-seen-overtaking-france-as-worlds-largest-wine-producer Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:24:22 +0200 italy-seen-overtaking-france-as-worlds-largest-wine-producer An Italian winery has announced it will stop selling bottles emblazoned with the faces of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after decades of defending them as a ‘joke’. https://www.thelocal.it/20220823/tired-of-the-controversy-why-italys-hitler-wines-are-being-discontinued Tue, 23 Aug 2022 18:43:14 +0200 tired-of-the-controversy-why-italys-hitler-wines-are-being-discontinued Italy is for a second time fighting to block Croatia’s attempts to get EU recognition for its dessert wine, describing the move as "an attack on Made in Italy". https://www.thelocal.it/20210708/prosecco-wars-italy-protests-croatias-bid-for-special-status-for-its-prosek-wine Thu, 08 Jul 2021 13:31:42 +0200 prosecco-wars-italy-protests-croatias-bid-for-special-status-for-its-prosek-wine Verona residents are missing the city's Vinitaly wine fair, cancelled for a second year due to the coronavirus crisis. Writer Richard Hough asks whether such events will remain important in Italy - and tries a digital tasting instead. https://www.thelocal.it/20210409/verona-without-vinitaly-will-the-famed-italian-wine-fair-ever-be-the-same-again Fri, 09 Apr 2021 20:12:09 +0200 verona-without-vinitaly-will-the-famed-italian-wine-fair-ever-be-the-same-again Police in Florence have seized some 4,000 bottles of counterfeit Tuscan wine destined for buyers abroad. https://www.thelocal.it/20201020/italian-police-bust-gang-selling-fake-super-tuscan-wines Tue, 20 Oct 2020 11:01:55 +0200 italian-police-bust-gang-selling-fake-super-tuscan-wines The coronavirus crisis has hit Italy's wineries hard. But one winemaker says "lockdown was a blessing in disguise" for his label. https://www.thelocal.it/20200920/lockdown-a-blessing-in-disguise-for-italian-wine-label Sun, 20 Sep 2020 10:34:45 +0200 lockdown-a-blessing-in-disguise-for-italian-wine-label Italy's winemakers have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. As harvest season begins, how are they faring? Piedmont-based wine expert Evan Byrne spoke to producers about the financial aid available and their experiences so far. https://www.thelocal.it/20200911/how-are-italys-wine-producers-coping-with-the-coronavirus-crisis-financial-aid Fri, 11 Sep 2020 18:56:22 +0200 how-are-italys-wine-producers-coping-with-the-coronavirus-crisis-financial-aid As 16th-century Florentines dropped like flies to the plague, survivors drowned their fears in wine, passed to them through small windows which are enjoying a renaissance during the coronavirus era. https://www.thelocal.it/20200814/how-italy-is-reviving-its-historic-wine-windows-for-the-covid-era Fri, 14 Aug 2020 12:35:38 +0200 how-italy-is-reviving-its-historic-wine-windows-for-the-covid-era With Italian wine producers facing an impending crisis, Piedmont-based wine expert Evan Byrne explains how local family-run wineries are now relying more on direct orders from the public. https://www.thelocal.it/20200527/how-the-coronavirus-crisis-has-hit-piedmonts-wine-industry-and-how-you-can-help Wed, 27 May 2020 17:46:19 +0200 how-the-coronavirus-crisis-has-hit-piedmonts-wine-industry-and-how-you-can-help Cheaper Italian wines are set to be turned into disinfectant, now a more valuable commodity. But the best bottles are gathering dust in cellars up and down the country as sales plunge. https://www.thelocal.it/20200429/why-italys-best-winemakers-are-being-hit-hardest-by-the-coronavirus-shutdown Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:54:53 +0200 why-italys-best-winemakers-are-being-hit-hardest-by-the-coronavirus-shutdown Italian health officials reminded the public on Thursday that consuming alcoholic drinks will not increase immunity to Covid-19. https://www.thelocal.it/20200423/drinking-alcohol-wont-boost-coronavirus-immunity-italians-warned Thu, 23 Apr 2020 18:00:48 +0200 drinking-alcohol-wont-boost-coronavirus-immunity-italians-warned People living in a small village near Modena, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, got a surprise on Wednesday when they turned on their kitchen taps and got wine instead of water. https://www.thelocal.it/20200305/italian-village-residents-find-lambrusco-wine-coming-out-of-their-taps Thu, 05 Mar 2020 11:40:29 +0100 italian-village-residents-find-lambrusco-wine-coming-out-of-their-taps Italian wine production dropped by 12 percent in 2019, new figures show, with winemakers suffering the effects of extreme weather across the country. https://www.thelocal.it/20200123/italian-wine-production-drop-by-12-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:17:53 +0100 italian-wine-production-drop-by-12-percent-after-year-of-extreme-weather Brace yourselves, wine lovers. The price of Italian and other European wines in the US could double at the end of January. https://www.thelocal.it/20200103/why-italian-wines-may-soon-cost-twice-as-much-in-the-us Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:55:50 +0100 why-italian-wines-may-soon-cost-twice-as-much-in-the-us Italian authorities have seized hundreds of tubes of Pringles crisps from a supermarket in Veneto after the snack's claim to be “Prosecco-flavoured” sparked outrage in the region, famed for producing the extremely popular sparkling wine. https://www.thelocal.it/20191017/we-cant-tolerate-it-italian-authorities-seize-unauthorised-prosecco-flavoured-pringles Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:01:58 +0200 we-cant-tolerate-it-italian-authorities-seize-unauthorised-prosecco-flavoured-pringles