Although there is expected to be a 10% drop in wine production this year, some 60% of it will carry the designations guaranteeing quality and origin, the Coldiretti farmers' union said on Monday.
The union also said that Italy's earliest harvest in 30 years, brought on by the hottest year in two centuries, will produce a superior quality wine.
The quality and orgin of wines are recognised with the labels of guaranteed and controlled designation of origin (DOCG), controlled designation of origin (DOC) and typical geographic indication (IGT).
This year's 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.
According to the Confederation of Italian farmer (Cia), it was necessary to start the harvest early "in order to protect the quality of the grapes which have already reached maturity".
Grape-picking began even earlier than in 2003, another year when heat brought on a very early harvest.
Aside from the early harvest, "2007 will also be remembered as a year marked by strong attacks on vineyards by pests," observed the Italian Wine Union (Uiv) in explaining one of the reasons for the reduced production.
The harvest began in Sicily last month and is about to start 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.
