Italy: The vineyard area can only be changed after six years of planting.

The Italian government has issued a new decree specifying that wineries or grape growers who have the right to license grape cultivation must be planted in the current region for a period of six years before they can change to another region to grow grapes. The purpose of this regulation is to avoid the speculation caused by the arbitrary transfer of vineyard planting licences among different regions. According to EU regulations, the total area of vineyards that Italy can add in 2019 is only 6,602 hectares, which is 1% of the total area of vineyards planted in Italy in July 2018. This figure can hardly meet the needs of those producing areas or regions which are more popular and successful in the market. For other regions and producing areas whose development is relatively lagging behind, the vineyard increment of 1% surpasses the needs of their development. At the same time, since 2016, the European Union has managed the grape planting license system. Individuals or wineries can apply for grape planting license in the European Union.