The evolution of organic wine between innovation, regulation, market and environment
Tuesday, May 16 – National Hall
Cristina Micheloni, AIAB Friuli Venezia Giulia
Since 2012, that is, since the publication of the European regulation on organic wine making, organic wine has experienced a period of steady growth in demand, both from European and international markets. This has driven the increase in the European organic vineyard area, making it the largest increase in organic among the different types of cultivation, so much so that it exceeds 400,000ha of organic vineyards in Europe (of which about 115,000 each for Spain, Italy and France). Demand persists and becomes more differentiated and, in some cases, more selective. In the same decade, the relevant European regulations have not seen particular changes, neither in agricultural production nor in winemaking processing, however, climate change and attention to the environmental impact of viticulture have prompted winegrowers to implement several innovative measures. If in the organic vineyard the issue of soil management is increasingly a priority, in the winery the reduction in the use of additives and adjuvants has been joined by the issue of water and energy conservation, and the search for “authenticity,” a term declined in practice in very different ways, has become more consistent. The years ahead call for a further evolution of organic wine, with a regulatory step forward as well.

