Italy is a global wine power with a long, specialised and highly visible supply chain.

In 2024, Italy produced around 44.1 million hectolitres of wine, while the national wine supply chain generated approximately EUR 14 billion in turnover, represented around 10% of the Italian agri-food sector, and was built on more than 680,000 hectares of vineyards, 241,000 agricultural holdings and around 30,000 winemaking companies. [1, 2]

For the Grapes of Change Observatory, these figures matter because scale creates responsibility.

A sector that sells quality, origin, tradition and authenticity also depends on workplaces, supply-chain relationships and professional cultures where women must be safe, respected and able to progress.

The Italian case shows why country reporting cannot stop at market data.

Sector estimates suggest that approximately one-third of Italian wine businesses are women-led, and recent research initiatives are making women-led wine enterprises more visible. [14, 15] Yet the public evidence base still does not fully show how many women hold executive power, how gender pay and career progression work across the wine supply chain, how often harassment is reported, or how many companies have trusted reporting channels.

The annual focus of this report is therefore: from visibility to accountability.

Visibility means that women are present in farms, wineries, marketing, communication, hospitality, tourism, education, distribution and sector networks. Accountability means being able to show what is measured, what is implemented, who can act, and where workers can find support.

Central Observatory question for Italy

Where are women visible in the Italian wine sector, where are they protected and heard, and where do data and support systems still leave them invisible?

A large wine economy with a long prevention route

Italy should be read as a wine ecosystem rather than as a list of wineries. The country combines vineyards, farms, wineries, cooperatives, bottling and distribution, retail, HORECA, wine tourism, fairs, communication, education, consultancy, legal and agronomic services, certification systems and women-in-wine networks. The Grapes of Change methodology asks the Observatory to look along the wine supply chain, including production, distribution and promotion, catering and sommeliers, training and communication.

This matters for gender-based violence (GBV) prevention. A woman working during harvest, a young oenologist entering a male-dominated cellar team, a communication manager at a wine fair, a sommelier working late hours, a distributor visiting clients, and a consultant working across companies may all be part of the wine economy. They do not face the same risks, reporting barriers or support pathways.

Italy in brief

A sector of many actors, not one workplace

The size structure of Italian wine-related agriculture is central to the Observatory logic. The ISTAT 2020 data used in the Italian country file identify 219,626 specialised viticulture and wine-related agricultural businesses across economic-size classes. More than half are in the smallest class, and more than 85% are below EUR 100,000 of economic size. This does not mean that small units are less important; it means that prevention tools must be realistic for small and family-based actors as well as for larger firms. [5]

Women in Italian wine: visible, but not fully measurable

The Italian evidence base should be read with both interest and caution. Sector sources report that approximately one-third of Italian wine businesses are women-led. New research promoted by CREA and Associazione Nazionale Le Donne del Vino also signals growing attention to women-led wine enterprises and their organisational models. [14, 15] These are valuable signals, but they do not yet provide a complete public map of women in ownership, management, board positions, pay structures, seasonal work, reporting systems or company-level prevention policies.

The Observatory should therefore avoid two simplifications. The first would be to present the sector only as male-dominated and ignore women who are already leading, innovating and sustaining the industry. The second would be to treat visibility as proof that equality has been achieved. In Italy, the stronger question is how women move from presence to power, from participation to protection, and from individual resilience to organisational accountability.

Data transparency: what can be seen and what remains invisible

The report can describe the structure and economic weight of the sector with relatively strong sources. It can also identify public legal frameworks, support services and sector networks. It cannot yet provide a complete wine-sector-specific measure of GBV, harassment, gender pay gaps, reporting mechanisms or women in all leadership functions. This limitation is not a weakness of the report; it is part of the Observatory agenda.

Rights, duties and practical reach

Italy has a developed legal and institutional framework on equality, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and violence against women. For a wine-sector country profile, the crucial issue is how this framework becomes visible and usable in the daily reality of farms, wineries, family businesses, SMEs, cooperatives, restaurants, events, tourism and supply-chain services.

Equality, discrimination and harassment at work

The Equal Opportunities Code establishes the legal basis for equal treatment and equal opportunities between women and men. Official guidance from the Italian Ministry of Labour states that discrimination is prohibited in access to employment and work, vocational guidance and training, working conditions, career advancement, pay and dismissal. It also identifies workplace harassment and sexual harassment as conduct that violates dignity and creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. [7, 8] In the wine sector, this framework should be translated into practical workplace systems: clear policies, information at onboarding, training for managers and team leaders, confidential reporting options, protection against retaliation, and visible referral pathways to external services. Small companies may need simplified templates and external support from BSOs, associations or cooperatives.

Violence against women and domestic violence

Law 69/2019, commonly known as Codice Rosso, introduced changes to criminal and procedural law for the protection of victims of domestic and gender-based violence. Law 168/2023 introduced further provisions to combat violence against women and domestic violence. [9, 10] These laws are not wine-sector-specific, but they matter for the sector because workplaces can become places where risk is noticed, support is signposted, and victims are not isolated. The Observatory should help companies understand that prevention is not only a legal compliance issue. It is also a matter of culture, management and access to help.

Company-level instruments

Italy’s Gender Equality Certification System is available to companies of all sizes and is based on UNI/PdR 125:2022. The system is built around performance indicators connected to gender-equality policies in organisations. [11] For the wine sector, this is a useful accountability tool because it helps transform equality from a value statement into measurable organisational practice. Wine-sector sustainability standards can also become entry points. Equalitas, for example, frames wine sustainability through social, environmental and economic pillars. [17] This creates a bridge between sustainability, reputation and safe working environments: a sustainable wine sector should be able to show not only environmental performance, but also social responsibility in workplaces and supply-chain relationships.

Support and signposting

The Observatory is not an emergency service or an individual complaint mechanism. Its role is to make information visible and guide users towards appropriate support. In Italy, 1522 is the national anti-violence and anti-stalking public service promoted by the Department for Equal Opportunities; it is free, active 24 hours a day and provides specialised support. D.i.Re is a national network of anti-violence centres and shelters and is also relevant as a prevention and referral partner. [12, 13]

Five findings for the Italian Observatory profile

1. Strong sector data, weak GBV-specific data

Italy has strong evidence on production, exports, vineyard area, farms and wine companies. It does not yet have a public, consolidated evidence base on GBV, sexual harassment or reporting mechanisms specifically in the wine sector. National ISTAT data show that workplace sexual harassment is a relevant issue in Italy: among women aged 15–70 who work or have worked, 13.5% are estimated to have experienced sexual harassment at work over their lifetime. This is national context, not wine-sector-specific evidence. [6]

2. The workplace is broader than the winery

The Italian stakeholder consultation confirmed that the wine supply chain is long and branching. Prevention must therefore reach vineyards, cellars, offices, restaurants, wine bars, distribution, fairs, journalism, wine tourism, consultancy, legal and agronomic services. A winery-only approach would miss important settings where women work and where power relations appear. [18]

3. Shared language is needed before action can scale

Stakeholders stressed the need to distinguish incivility, rudeness, harassment, abuse and violence. This is not a minor communication issue. If people do not share language, they will not recognise early warning signs, understand boundaries, intervene as bystanders or know when formal support is needed. [18]

4. Women are visible, but accountability remains incomplete

Women are visible in Italian wine as entrepreneurs, professionals, communicators, sommeliers, workers, network members and leaders. Yet available public data still does not fully show women in executive functions, pay structures, permanent versus seasonal work, boards, ownership types, reporting mechanisms or company policies.

5. Reporting is weakened by fear, isolation and dependency

Stakeholder discussion highlighted fear of job loss, insecurity, male-dominated environments, lack of solidarity when women are few, and the difficulty of being heard. These factors can reduce reporting even where legal protections exist. Prevention must therefore include trust, non-retaliation, confidential pathways and visible support before incidents occur. [18]

The Observatory added value

Italy does not need another list of wine-sector statistics. It needs a way to connect those statistics with women’s work, power, safety, reporting capacity, support pathways and organisational change.

Italy data snapshot

Italy at glance

Economic-size structure

Data visibility matrix

Supply-chain prevention map

From evidence to action

Support services

Legal and institutional resources

Wine-sector data and networks

Closing message

The Italian wine sector already knows how to tell stories about origin, quality and identity. The next step is to make safety, dignity and equal opportunity part of the same story.

References are listed in the order in which they appear in the report. Project research outputs are used only as aggregated or anonymised evidence.

  1. OIV, State of the World Vine and Wine Sector in 2024 . International Organisation of Vine and Wine, 2025.
  2. ISMEA, L’Italia dei Vini DOP e IGP: Stato del Settore e Prospettive di Sviluppo . ISMEA, 2025.
  3. ISMEA Mercati, Vino – Analisi e studio filiera vinicola . ISMEA Mercati, updated April 2026.
  4. MASAF, Informazioni strutturali settore vitivinicolo . Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests.
  5. ISTAT, 7th General Census of Agriculture 2020 – main data . Italian National Institute of Statistics, 2024 release.
  6. ISTAT, Le molestie: vittime e contesto – Anno 2022-2023 . Italian National Institute of Statistics, 2024.
  7. Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali, Discrimination in the workplace . Official institutional guidance.
  8. Normattiva, Legislative Decree 11 April 2006, n. 198 – Equal Opportunities Code . Official legal source.
  9. Gazzetta Ufficiale, Law 19 July 2019, n. 69 . Official legal source.
  10. Gazzetta Ufficiale, Law 24 November 2023, n. 168 . Official legal source.
  11. Italian Gender Equality Certification System . Department for Equal Opportunities / UNI PdR 125:2022.
  12. 1522 – Anti-violence and Anti-stalking number . Department for Equal Opportunities.
  13. D.i.Re – Donne in Rete contro la violenza . National anti-violence network.
  14. I Grandi Vini, Donne e vino: una tendenza che sta cambiando . Sector/media source, 2023.
  15. CREA and Associazione Nazionale Le Donne del Vino, Donne e Vino research note . Research/institutional communication, 2026.
  16. Unione Italiana Vini, Vino in Cifre 2026 . Sector statistical annual, 2026.
  17. Equalitas, Sustainability standard for wine . Sector sustainability standard.
  18. Grapes of Change, Italian stakeholder focus group. Anonymised project synthesis, 17 November 2025.
Italy contour map