Italy has already begun its earliest wine harvest in 30 years and winemakers expect to see production to drop by some 10%, although the grapes will be of high quality, according to the Confederation of Italian Farmers (Cia).
The harvest was moved up by almost a month due to this past year's unusual weather, with the hottest winter and spring on record, followed by an intense heat wave in June.
Grape-picking began even earlier than in 2003, another year when heat brought on a very early harvest.
The harvest began in Sicily last month and is about to start soon in central and northern Italy.
According to Cia, production from this year's harvest is expected to fall to around 45 million hectares, compared to 50 million hectares last year.
The harvest began in July for the so-called early grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Primitive - while August, as opposed to September, will see most of this year's crop picked, including the Trebbiano,Sangiovese, Barbera and Merlot grapes.
The late maturing grapes, which are usually picked towards the middle of October, are now expected to be picked some time in September.
These include the Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Cabernet and Raboso varieties.
The Veneto region is expected to once again produce the most wine in Italy, followed closely by Puglia, Sicily and Emilia Romagna.
Overall quality of this year's wine should be good and in some cases excellent, with alcohol levels higher than last year, Cia observed.
