What is sustainable wine?
The sustainable wine objective must be reached soon and is environmental, social and economic. It is complex and spans from biodiversity to the correct use of resources.
Domenico-Zonin
Read for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
<<Wine can become a new frontier for sustainability because the consumers ask us for this and our sense of responsibility towards the younger generations>> says Domenico Zonin President of the Unione Italiana Vini. But what is a sustainable vineyard like? The reply given by the legislators and more importantly by the scientific world are vague, and unfortunately as often happens, delayed. What emerges from the last SIMEI in Milan, where the subject of sustainability had an important role, is that the reduction of phytochemicals is essential but not sufficient. The objective of making all, or most of , the wine production sustainable requires also its being shared by the commercial network. In other words the increase in costs and the reduction in yield has an impact on prices of the wines , and there is a need for specialized stores such as the American BEVmax or Whole foods. A real paladin for wine making sustainability is Ettore Capri, Farming chemistry professor at the Università di Piacenza and guiding the VIVA Sustainable Wine <<the
Magis- tasted sustainable wines
consumers ask for sustainable products which testify respect, for example, regarding child labour, the workers health and of everyone else , of the local economy and of the traditions>> (Corriere Vinicolo 2013 n°46)
With such an interdisciplinary subject there are many many contributions but unfortunately they progress with no coordination: Julien Blanc with the Carbon4 and the calculation of the emissions, Joel Rochard pinpoints water and biodiversity, Lucrezia Lamastra criticizes the indicators in use in viticulture, VIVA starts off from air, water, Vineyard and territory to define le good practices with particular attention to farming chemicals..
Magis-first cerificated wine farms
In the meantime the first 14 estates receive the Magis certification where it is stated that every production process is carried out based on sustainability. A small but important beginning.
The appointment was in February 2014 with the “ Manifesto nazionale sulla sostenibilità ambientale del vino italiano” organized by UIV and Gambero Rosso.