Italy: “new green deal”, sustainability is already an asset for competitiveness in viticulture

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Castello di Verrazzano, Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Wine Region, Greve in Chianti.

Italo-Argentine Roberto Actis, specialist in international trade and winery management & marketing, explains the new paradigm that Italian viticulture is experiencing with the spread and set up of the “New Green Deal” sustainability concept. Exclusive for “ElMalbec”.

Roberto Actis (*)
Firenze – Toscana, Italy

When, in 2012, the European Union approved the use of the terminology “organic” wine labels, the majority of the producers did not see it as a competitive asset it would be worth investing in and -at the beginning- it has been speculated that a possible increase in sales of this new category would only be temporary.

You could easily hear talking about “The fashion of organic” among the wine operators at international fairs, as a common belief.

Since then, the consumption of organic wines has grown every year, but the most important data is the trend of many wineries that switch to “green” production with the sole interest of being more environmentally responsible and not attracting more consumers.

For example, some labels do not say that the wine is organic despite having the certification or other wineries decide not to get the official certification, although they meet all requirements.

These cases are clear signs that being organic generates a lifestyle beyond the commercial side, it can even become a passion as happens with wine but with altruistic values.

The speed of the changes that we are experiencing today as society does not allow us to reason or make large profitability forecasts about new production methods and it is there that winery owners, winemakers and commercials act instinctively following the green wave.

The new trend in the sector is Sustainability, leaving organic production as something positive for the environment but not radical.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE ORGANIC, YOU MUST BE SUSTAINABLE

So, quickly the pure organic mood left the floor to a wider concept: a more altruistic, inclusive, universal and even more commercially effective one.

Wine producers know that the new consumer markets of the last decades have opened their doors to wine because it is communicated as a healthy product and connected to the land and climate of the place of origin, it is almost impossible for a wine seller not to mention the natural benefits of the terroir.

Just as American consumers blew up wine sales in the early 1990s after a CBS television show explained the famous French Paradox (theory that red wine is responsible for the excellent heart health of the French despite their diet, rich in fat) it could happen again that the wine sector manages to communicate the intimate relationship that exists between wine and care for the environment, managing to conquer millions of new consumers who are not happy enough with just satisfying their consumption needs.

The renowned NEW GREEN DEAL launched by the European Union is already underway and wine producers will not be able to ignore this new reality if they want to -once again- communicate wine as a sustainable product, as new generations will require it.

When we’ll get out of this pandemic, the world will be greener and whoever produces will pass through this improvement as well. Many futuristic economists like Jeremy Rifkin see this season shift as a new Renaissance.

Jeremy assures that the fossil fuel civilization is ending, a fact supported by the switch of capital from the oil sector towards renewable energies world.

In addition, if Joe Biden respects his pre-candidacy promises, the New Green Deal would soon reach the entire American continent, driven by the US financial force.

Let’s see then in the land where the Renaissance was forged, Tuscany, simple stories of how sustainability in a winery can be differently experienced: so I talked to 3 Tuscan winemakers with very different company-style who live the-day-to-day sustainability vision, as it changes and adapt itself according to specific human insight.

Castello di Verrazzano, is a 230 hectare winery located in the heart of Tuscany. The medieval Castle was owned by the navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano who discovered the current New York Bay on April 18,1524.

Seeking sustainability in a castle built in the Middle Ages in a hilly area requires long-term investments.

The winery, very well-known for its hospitality, needs a lot of energy to be able to offer a comfortable temperature in winter, so the current owner Luigi Cappelini tells us about his step towards sustainability.

“Eight years ago we invested in technology that would allow us to use firewood from our forests on a large scale to supply thermal energy. The benefit is not only the reduction of traditional fuels and less energy expenditure, but we also have a clean forest reducing the risk of fires and we provide work at a time of year where work in wine production decreases. In addition, we have invested to disconnect from the water network using our own winery water. The electrical energy we buy from companies that sell certified green energy, but I hope in the coming years to be able to produce our electrical energy as well”.

Another case is the Villa Calcinaia winery, owned by Conte Sebastiano Capponi who tells us that his family has been producing wine since 1524, always respecting the beauty and harmony of Tuscany.

Actually this kind of quotes are easy to hear in the old world, so the winery wanted to go one step further by investing in geothermal energy.

With excavations that are around 100 meters deep, the water is obtained at an average temperature of approximately 15 degrees, which allows to reduce the temperature in summer and raise it in winter.

Without getting into technical details, the adventure was not easy due to the calcareous soil in the area, but it was the beginning of a path to sustainability. Sebastiano tells me that his biggest bet is the new Tesla solar tiles.

In Tuscany the use of solar panels on roofs as old as is not allowed to preserve architectural harmony and Tesla has come up with a solution to this. The Tesla Solar Shingles will allow to supply with independent solar energy without causing major changes to the renaissance beauty of your cellar.

Conte Sebastiano, assures that he never had the intention of using his energy strategy as a marketing tool and emphasizes that the environment is vital but we must not forget that man is the most important being on Earth and for that reason he must be responsible for the environment he lives in.

Within this humanistic approach the Salchetto winery stands out, deeply rooted on sustainability since its origins, it was the first winery in the world to certify its bottles by the Carbon Footprint.

Michele Manelli, owner of Salchetto is today a symbol of sustainability in the world of wine. His winery is a mix of creative solutions: from the use of sunlight through a mirror system to the well-known use of biomass or even the use of 350-gram light bottles for the 90% of its half a million bottles produced annually.

A self-sufficient pumping-over system stands out. During the fermentation process, pump-over energy is given with the same emission of carbon anhydride, in addition this method significantly reduces the need for sulphites due to the anti-matter action of Co2. Also Michele goes beyond the energy need, as self-sufficiency was successfully achieved long ago and he really takes care of the social impact of wineries.

It has created Equalitas, a certifying body of the sustainable balances of its adherent wineries, until now only Italian but from 2021 it could also be extended to Spain.

Michele leaves me an idea that should be the mother of ideas when analyzing investments to be greener: “the demand is not always driving the market”.

The opposite can also happen. He’s convinced that a “marriage” can and should lead consumers to buy, according to responsible criteria. And you cannot expect results without taking risks, he’s well aeare about this, being committed to “green” wine since 2005.

Many investors who get into the wine sector do it because they are passionate about the product and are slowly immersed in a new lifestyle that is difficult to give up, even if sometimes when the investor changes his passions the glass remains empty; it’s not the same with sustainability as it creates a new lifestyle that impacts positively on all of us and leaves a key footprint for future generations.

(*) Bachelor of international business
UDMM - Master in Winery Management & Marketing - UNIFI.

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