Dealcoholized wine: MEF-MASAF decree signed. Production now greenlit in Italy

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Italy Gives Green Light to De-alcoholised Wine: The Final Regulatory Piece Falls into Place

The year concludes with a significant boost in confidence for wineries eyeing the low-and-no alcohol market—and especially for those who have already invested in de-alcoholisation technology. A new interministerial decree from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF) has officially been signed, establishing the definitive excise duty regime for these products.

This act serves as the final cornerstone of a regulatory framework first outlined in the decree of 20 December 2024 (DM 672816). While last year’s measure focused on production standards and labelling requirements, this new decree finally clears the fiscal and administrative hurdles, giving Italian businesses the green light to begin full-scale operations.

A Word from the Ministry

Commenting on the signing, Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, stated:

“With this decree, we are providing the wine sector with a clear regulatory framework to produce de-alcoholised wines. MASAF stands firmly alongside our producers, as evidenced by our initiatives over the past year. Today, we define the excise duty regime. I am certain that our producers will achieve positions of excellence in this sector as well.”

The New Framework at a Glance

This intervention allows authorised tax warehouse keepers (specifically those handling intermediate alcoholic products and wine) to perform de-alcoholisation processes under specific conditions and within set quantitative limits.

Key highlights of the decree include:

Operational Scope: It limits any supplementary activities beyond the core production of de-alcoholised wine.

Producer Categorisation: It introduces specific definitions distinguishing producers based on annual volume (above or below 1,000 hectolitres).

Licensing & Compliance: It regulates the issuance of authorisations for production and storage.

Logistics: It outlines administrative requirements and rules for product circulation.

Transparency Note: The featured image for this article was generated using Artificial Intelligence tools.