Italy's winemakers have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. As harvest season begins, how are they faring? Piedmont-based wine expert Evan Byrne spoke to producers about the financial aid available and their experiences so far. As far as financial assistance is concerned, different proposals were mentioned, but many producers were sketchy on the details because they were not applying, choosing instead to try riding it out. 

On July 27th a meeting was held in Castagnito, Piedmont, in which various proposals were discussed by representatives of the consorzi (winemakers' consortiums) present. These proposals included emergency distillation to try to stem over-supply of existing wine, compensation to growers to reduce yields (pick fewer grapes) for this year's harvest, and some help to purchase extra tanks for this year's harvest, as unbottled wine would be taking up space in wineries, resulting in a lack of tanks for this year’s vintage.