Lugana roars ahead in export markets

The white wine from the Lugana DOC, situated near Lake Garda in Italy, has taken off.

Lake Garda, Italy
Lake Garda, Italy

Italy’s Lugana DOC increased its sales by a whopping 27% in 2019, selling 22m bottles of wine – and it sees a bright future, as long as the US tariffs on wines from the EU don’t go ahead.

The tiny denomination, which sits on the border of Lombardy and Veneto, produces only white wines, which have long been popular with German tourists. More recently, however, the wine – made from the Trebbiano di Lugana variety – has hit the export markets.  

The US has proved to be the region’s best market, increasing 15% in volume, compared to 2018. Lugana DOC also achieved the highest average shelf price for Italian white wines, reaching €8 per bottle, along with an increase of 35.7% and 31% in value and volume respectively, when compared to the rest of the Italian white wine market. 

This increase has created the incentive to “increase investments and intensify promotional activities that will concern the main wine marketplaces in the States,” according to a statement released by the Laguna Consortium. 

This growth could be derailed if the Trump administration goes ahead Although the threat of tariffs by the US is still a possibility, the Laguna Consortium remains hopeful. 

"The temporary truce reached in these days between the USA and France gives us hope. There seems to be a tendency to take the right time to reach agreements that protect mutual interests,” said Andrea Bottarel, director of the Consortium. “Being cautious is appropriate, but it would also be counterproductive to stop the promotion now in a moment of effective growth.” 
 

 

 

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