Italy forecasts wine price rise

Italian wine prices are set to soar by up to a third after a poor year for vineyards, producers said today.

While the north of the country basked in a July heat wave, the south suffered an unusual rainy season.

Also a deadly fungus spread through vineyards in the south, cutting yields in wine-rich Sicily by 30%.

Producers are now forecasting their lowest yield in 50 years: 4.32 billion litres , down 13% from a year ago, along with price increases of up to 30%, said Giancarlo Prevarin, president of the Italian Winemakers Association.

There was little autumn picking this year. In some wine regions, growers began to harvest grapes during the first 10 days of August.

In Soave, renowned for its white wines, the harvest started a month early - Sept. 1 for the traditional wines made from a crush of Garganega grapes, and earlier for grapes to make bubbly Spumante.