Moderated and conducted by journalist Linda Pisani, the meeting underlined the centrality of sustainability for the Trentino wine sector and for the entire regional territory and highlighted the path undertaken, the goals achieved and the future objectives of the Consortium.
Albino Zenatti , President of the Trentino Wine Protection Consortium, underlined the long path towards sustainability: “This second Sustainability Report represents the fruit of work that began in the 1990s . It is a new goal made up of many pieces, I wanted to thank Senator Pietro Patton, former President of our Consortium and the Board of Directors which over time has shown great foresight".
The technical presentation of the second Sustainability Report was curated by Stefano Rizzi of the technical office of the Consortium for the Protection of Trentino Wines and by Lara Bontempelli , Junior sustainability manager of Trentino Green Network. The data presented showed that the Consortium has 91 associated wineries and agricultural companies , with a total vineyard area of 10,299 hectares, of which 15% is above 500 metres. The average surface area per company is 1.6 hectares, with 13% of the companies certified organic and 80% certified SQNPI.
Italo Gilmozzi , Councilor for Territory and Public Works of the Municipality of Trento, emphasized the importance of "an increasingly frequent contact and exchange between public administration and the world of agriculture. It is important to network between institutions and businesses.”
The Councilor for agriculture, promotion of Trentino products, environment, hydrogeological defense and local authorities, Giulia Zanotelli , declared: "Sometimes we forget the importance of the hydrogeological defense of the territory and how agriculture is fundamental in this sense . Economic sustainability is fundamental, we must guarantee the presence of companies in the area together with generational turnover. We give value to these results."
The General Director of the Consortium, Graziano Molon , entertained those present with a musical interlude, playing a guitar made with the famous resonance wood of the Paneveggio forest and underlining the analogy between music and wine: “This instrument, made with a material before the territory, the famous soundwood of Paneveggio, through a wise path of knowledge and human ability, becomes an instrument that creates joy and conviviality, exactly like the wine which, starting from the vineyard and the grapes, becomes through the wise work of the man, a product that cheers and creates moments of joy and conviviality”.
The institutional greetings and the excellent musical performance of the Director Graziano Molon kicked off the comparison between the visions and experiences of some well-known experts on the topic of sustainability.
Rossella Sobrero , university professor and President of Koinètica, highlighted the importance of transparency in sustainability communication: “The future is about not telling lies, the theme of transparency is the rewarding one. The word 'path' is central, it is what the individual company struggles to describe. We need to be transparent, tell the truth and also talk about the objectives that have not been achieved. This creates credibility."
Lucrezia Lamastra , university professor and Coordinator of the SOStain scientific committee, shared with those present the good practices and governance model of the SOStain Sicilia Foundation, offering an in-depth look at the birth and objectives of this sustainability certification, based on 10 requirements.
Sustainable development is a risk if we do not anticipate it" highlighted Laura Ricci , Founder of Linfa Consulting and Trentino Green Network, "with this in mind I have identified 3 key words: 'impact', 'corporate culture' and 'change'. Sustainability today means measuring but also exciting. We are in a moment where it is necessary to combine strategic thinking with creative thinking , both must be part of the company culture".
Andrea Terraneo , President of Vinarius (Italian Wine Shop Association) analysed, through the data that emerged from a survey, the perception and demand for sustainable wines in Italian wine shops: “The most interesting data concerns the demand for sustainable wines in wine shops. This demand exists and it is a moderate but constantly growing trend . I fear passing fads and therefore I believe that this balanced growth is very positive."
Luca Rigotti , President of the Copa Cogeca Wine Group and President of the Fedagripesca Confcooperative Wine Sector, opened the round table entitled "Sustainable Trentino: open dialogue between wine companies and institutions" moderated by Fabio Piccoli , journalist and Director of Wine Meridian.
“The cooperative system involves a large part of production but Trentino's strength is having implemented these processes on a general level, even outside the cooperative dimension . It was an arduous journey and those who preceded us were far-sighted in foreseeing consumers' demand for sustainability. We are proud and convinced that we have taken the right path."
“Sustainability is fundamental in the strategies of the Cavit cooperative group, which includes eleven social wineries” observed Lorenzo Libera , President of Cavit and Cantina Sociale of Avio. “The Cavit system, like the rest of Trentino, has long managed to enhance the product of its members who guarantee their support in order to implement sustainability measures . Our winemakers are already sensitive also because they have been living this culture of sustainability for several years."
According to Lucia Letrari , Oenologist and Owner of Cantina Letrari, “Today these numbers confirm to me what I already knew, we began to embark on a sustainability path already in the 90s but we communicated it little , this second Sustainability Report is an important opportunity for communication and discussion".
“We must give credit to the winemakers, company owners and cooperatives” observed Pietro Patton , Senator and President of the La-Vis and Valle di Cembra winery, “it was not easy to create awareness in the system that sustainability is a great opportunity also with respect to the limits that they would like to impose on wine consumption. The professional growth of winemakers has been very extensive and has been sustained, without professional growth of winemakers there is no future. The second Sustainability Report of the Consortium represents a concrete testimony of this effort, it is important to continue in the dimension of entrepreneurial and training growth of farmers ".
Connecting remotely, Giuseppe Ciotti , Official of the General Directorate of Rural Development MASAF, intervened to make a clarification: "Sustainable practices are one thing, the concept of sustainability is another, which must be traced back to a very complex development model and which we can frame with this second Sustainability Report. The element that makes the difference is the involvement of local producers . Sustainability cannot be guaranteed by the individual company, but concerns the involvement of approximately 80% of the Consortium's vineyard area in the SQNPI certification. This is a guarantee to safeguard aspects that go beyond environmental protection, we have involved the social component which is an integral part of the economic fabric".
In conclusion, Fabio Piccoli stated: "As can be clearly deduced, a sustainable company cannot exist in a non-sustainable territory". Albino Zenatti closed the event by underlining three key concepts: "path", "quality" and "communication" , inviting people to spread awareness of the results achieved by Trentino even beyond territorial borders.
The Trentino Wine Protection Consortium continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable viticulture, a path that began decades ago and which today represents a model of excellence at a national and international level .
