Every year in the European Union, approximately 350-400 million grafted vine cuttings are produced, with Italy holding the second position after France with around 130-150 million plants, of which 35-40 million are destined for export. 

The pricing of vine cuttings in Europe is based on entirely different elements compared to those considered in the United States for a substantial reason: in the USA, 95% of vine cuttings are produced on commission, while in the EU, the pricing is based solely and exclusively on sales forecasts since the grape grower decides on the variety/clone/rootstock combination to adopt even just a few days before planting. 

In the United States, the production cost is the basis of pricing, so depending on the variety, clone, and rootstock required, and the relative difficulty of production, the grafted vine cutting is offered at a price range of $3 to $3.80, while for patented resistant varieties subject to royalties, it can go up to $6.

In Europe, on the other hand, the elements that most influence the price of vine cuttings are:

• Demand and supply of each variety;
• Trends in the grape and wine market (if the harvest starts with falling prices, the prices of vine cuttings also decrease accordingly);
• Allocation of resources for vineyard restructuring under the CMO-WINE and any extensions thereof;
• Volume of individual sales;
• Rootstocks used (easy rootstocks like 3309, 101.14 SO4 lead the nursery to moderate the price compared to difficult ones like 140Ru, 41B, 110R);

As a result, the price range is very wide and often does not correspond to the actual production cost.

The price of grafted vine cuttings, before being influenced by the exponential cost increases due to the Covid-19 epidemic and the current geopolitical situation following the war in Ukraine, showed a variable range between €1.20 and €2.00 considering the less demanded varieties and the more appealing ones, falling within the normal market range in Italy. The same variety can then undergo the same variations from one year to another simply based on supply and demand. The current economic situation, characterized by an exponential and unpredictable increase in raw materials that will result in a 40-45% increase in production costs, will inevitably weigh on the entire viticultural nursery sector, leading to a general rise in prices that is still difficult to predict.

It is evident that in a period of negative economic conditions, often the selling price does not even cover the production cost.