Italy is expected to enjoy a good 2025 harvest and clinch the world's leading producer label once again, according to estimates presented Wednesday by Italy's agriculture ministry and its wine union.

Italian winegrowers are expected to produce 47 million hectolitres of wine and grape must, an increase of 8 percent compared to 2024, and a return to the average of previous years.

Italy has been the top producer over the past five years, including last year, except for 2023, when France took its place. 2023 was a difficult year for Italy in which production -- the lowest ever since the post-war period -- was hit by extreme weather and fungal diseases.

Production is expected to be particularly high in southern Italy, up 19 percent, Sicily and Puglia, where heavy spring rains replenished gro

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