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Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of the Italian Wine Entrepreneurs Association Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), has further spoken out against the clearing of vineyard areas in Italy at the G7 Agriculture Summit in Sicily. According to UIV, this is not the right strategy to bring supply and demand back into balance.
Frescobaldi reminded that Italy had already spent nearly 300 million euros between 2009 and 2011 to clear 31,000 hectares of vineyards. At that time, high-quality areas were cleared, which were predominantly located in hilly regions. However, this did not reduce the production volume, as these vineyards were yielding less anyway.
Instead, UIV suggests drastically reducing yields in high-yielding vintages and increasingly relying on harvest reserves. This instrument has been used far too little so far, but could offset demand in poorer vintages. The goal is a stable wine production between 40 and 43 million hectoliters per year. On the other hand, promotion of sales abroad must be further advanced.
The Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida considers clearing to be sensible under certain conditions. However, farmers would have to switch to other crops. Riccardo Cotarella, President of the Enologists Association Assoenologi, also does not completely rule out clearing: "The indiscriminate uprooting of vines is wrong, but in certain growing areas it should be discussed." The real problem, according to Cotarella, is the excessive yields of up to 40,000 kilos per hectare, especially in the plains. These quantities harm quality, lower prices, and disadvantage winemaking in the hills.
(ru / Winenews)