Recently CREA – Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics published the annual report on the value of agricultural land in Italy, relating to 2022.
The analysis also collects data relating to vineyards and therefore allows us to see how much a hectare of vineyard costs in the main Italian wine-growing areas.
The opening graph of this article shows the maximum values of the top 10 Italian wine-growing territories by price per hectare.
First in the ranking is Barolo, where a hectare of vineyard costs 2 million euros. More than double the second place: the DOC area of Lake Caldaro in the province of Bolzano with 900,000 euros/ha.
Third place goes to Tuscany, with the 700,000 euros needed to buy a hectare of vineyard in Montalcino.
Follow Valdobbiadene DOCG vineyards at 600,000 euros/ha, which stand out as the most expensive vineyards in the Veneto (however, data relating to the Amarone area are not available).
Fifth, sixth and week positions are the prerogative of vineyards in Trentino – Alto Adige, with the DOC vineyards in the lower Val Venosta (Naturno BZ), the DOC ones in the Isarco Valley of Bressanone (Varna BZ) and the vineyards north of Trento. A confirmation of the positioning that this territory has built on the market.
In eighth place, out of the over 500,000 euros/ha club, Tuscany show up again with the Bolgheri DOC.
The TOP 10 is rounded off by the DOCG vineyards of the Asolo hills and those of the Brescia hills.
Certainly the value of the vineyards reflects the success and prestige recognized by the market for the wines of these territories, but it is also linked to the limited availability of land, especially the vineyards with the best soil and climate characteristics.
In fact, according to an estimate made by Il Corriere Vinicolo based on the price paid for the grapes, it takes 76 years to recoup the investment of 2 million in a hectare of Barolo and only 3 years to recover the 29,000 euros cost of a hectare of Vermentino from Gallura. As Madame de Rothschild once said: “Wine is an easy business, after the first 100 years”.
