ROME (AP) — The Italian wine grape harvest season has started with Pinot and Chardonnay grapes in the northern Lombardy's Franciacorta region, with experts anticipating a better year after an especially weak 2017.
The Coldiretti agricultural lobby said Friday that it's expecting a 15 percent increase in wine production this season to 1.2 billion gallons, from over 1 billion gallons last year.
The higher production this year is due to a greater abundance of rain in key regions, while last year heat and drought combined for one of the lowest post-war yields.
Coldiretti forecast a 5.9 percent increase in wine exports this year. In 2017, export revenues reached $6.8 billion.
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