Tony Loeb

📈 Italian agri-food districts' exports grew by 7.7% to over €21 billion in the first nine months of 2024. The wine sector neared €5 billion (+4.4%), with mixed results across regions: Vini del Veronese (+9.6%), Vini dei colli fiorentini e senesi (+11%), Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (+8%), while Vini di Langhe, Roero e Monferrato declined (-1.6%). Pasta and sweets export reached €3.6 billion (+7.6%), with Dolci di Alba e Cuneo at nearly €1.5 billion (+18.6%). Agricultural exports surpassed €2.9 billion (+5.4%), led by Alto Adige apples (+20%). Preserved food exports increased by €112 million (+5%), and meat and charcuterie advanced by €59 million (+3.1%). Dairy saw a €95 million rise (+5.2%), and coffee exports grew by 9.5%. Olive oil exports surged by €522 million (+52.4%), while rice remained stable (-0.3%). The fishery sector from Polesine and Veneziano rose by 11.6%. Germany remains the top market (+6.9%), with increases in emerging economies by 6.8% and advanced economies by 9.8%. Notable growth in

🍷 Climate change is impacting viticulture, with extreme heat and drought threatening up to 70% of wine regions if global temperatures rise above 2°C pre-industrial levels. Assovini Sicilia and the University of Milan's InnoNDA project, started in April 2024, aims to diversify winemaking, decrease alcohol content, and preserve sensory quality, focusing on the Nero d'Avola variety. Collaborating with ISVEA labs and vineyards, the study explores vineyard and cellar techniques to lower alcohol without losing aroma or taste, employing new fermentation technologies, macerations, and terracotta amphorae. The research also delves into how climate change affects terroir, vine age, and agronomic practices on Nero d'Avola, Sicily's most widespread grape.