October 11, 2024 -
In view of October 14, when Italy will be called to express an official position at European level - during the second meeting of the high-level wine group - on the future of viticulture, and in particular on the question of uprooting, Vinarius, the association of Italian wine shops, makes its position known .
“ The proposal to uproot vineyards in Europe, including Italy - explains Andrea Terraneo , president of Vinarius, who forwarded an Open Letter to Minister Lollobrigida - arises from the need to address numerous issues affecting the wine sector, such as climate change, economic sustainability, overproduction, reconversion for quality. This type of action, which would draw on vineyard restructuring and reconversion funds, is hotly debated because it risks penalizing small producers and compromising local winemaking traditions ”.
Like the Italian Wine Union, Vinarius also proclaims itself against uprooting .
“ Uprooting vineyards is not an effective solution, ” Terraneo emphasizes. “ First and foremost, vineyards represent a vital asset for rural communities. Uprooting would entail a risk of abandonment of the country’s inland areas, which are already facing demographic and economic challenges. Indiscriminate uprooting could worsen this situation , especially in hilly and mountainous areas where vineyards are essential for maintaining the local economy and where the highest quality wines recognized worldwide come from. A comparison regarding potential uprooting plans in some wine-growing areas of the country, similar to what happened in France, is a topic to be treated with great caution. The risk is that of chasing the market according to current trends and therefore being “overtaken” by other markets : instead of uprooting vines, the solution to the decline in red wine consumption – for example – would be to dealcoholize in order to offer dealcoholized products from Italian grapes to new markets where there is an interesting demand for products without alcohol but with Italian origin. This would allow us to preserve the existing vineyard or reduce its abandonment to a minimum, thus allowing the winemakers to remain as guardians and maintainers of the territory, also maintaining a return on the tourism supply chain which, together with wine and agri-food, is one of the pillars of our country ".
Terraneo concludes: “ the position of Vinarius as described above is exclusively in function of the interests of the winemakers and the protection of our unparalleled landscape ”.
