The microcosm of natural wines is beginning to attract the general public. A Nomisma study attests to consumers’ need for information on the contents of wines on the market. And the big operators of ‘Big Wine‘ are also looking out the window. Such as the Pasqua winery, which not only commissioned the aforementioned research, but also announced the launch of a small production of ‘natural wine.
Natural wine, Nomisma research
The Search ‘
Natural Wine
and Green Lifestyles‘ – conducted by Nomisma’s ‘Wine Monitor‘ among one thousand wine consumers aged 18-73 – predictably confirms that very few (12 percent) have a more or less exact idea of what ‘natural wine’ is. 50% of those consulted have heard of it but do not know its characteristics, 21% have never heard of it but express curiosity.
71% of Italian consumers surveyed would like to have more information about natural wine. The survey-though conducted on a small sample through a mostly closed-ended questionnaire-offers some noteworthy insights:
– ‘Natural wine’ is associated with the terms ‘craftsmanship,’ ‘health,’ ‘quality,’ ‘authenticity,’ ‘sustainability,’ ‘simplicity,’ goodness. ‘All attributes that attest to how the production method, health benefits, organoleptic characteristics and the absence of artificial elements help define the perception of a product with a strongly organic vocation,’ the report highlights,
– 89% of respondents would like guarantees on the origin of wine, place more value (87%) and express more propensity to purchase (85%) the ‘natural’ product,
– a comparison with ‘conventional’ wine, natural wine is considered more difficult to produce (79%), more beneficial to health (69%) and environmentally friendly (66%), but also tastes better. 61% of respondents imagine better organoleptic qualities,
– 57% of consumers would purchase a priori the product that actually meets the promised ‘naturalness’ characteristics. Instead, 31% would like to taste it first and get more news ,
– i
Millennials
, women
and in general consumers with higher education and income (those who among other things turn out to adhere more to the Mediterranean diet
) appear to be those most concerned with the socio-environmental sustainability of consumption.
The mysteries of wine on the label
The demand for transparency
on the origin, production method and ingredients of wine highlighted by the research of ‘
Wine Monitor
‘ is a hot topic that not only institutions
, but also production and distribution chains still neglect. Not only in relation to natural wine, which to date lacks a uniform discipline beyond the specifications of a few organizations, but for alcoholic beverages in general, including beers, and wines in particular.
The labels of the wine are still mysterious. Unjustified exemption from ingredient list prevents wines and sparkling wines from being distinguished Made with ‘alien sugars‘, cane or beet. And it is impossible to know when a product has been made with chemically synthesized tartaric acid rather than that derived from grape lees. Without indulging in further reflection on allergens that are often still hidden and unknown sulfur dioxide and sulfite values.
The purchase choices of Bacchus nectars, according to the ‘Wine Monitor’ report, are currently based on the following aspects:
– designation of origin (indicated by 27 percent of consumers as the first factor in their choice),
– grape variety (20%),
– region and area
of origin
(18%),
– price (7%),
– organic certification (3 percent).
Organic wine, continued success
Organic wine
is the protagonist of continuous growth-at the national, European and global levels-consistent with the entire sector
Of organic agribusiness. (1) According to the Nomisma Bio Observatory, in the five-year period 2013-2018, regular organic wine consumers in Italy increased from 2 to 41 percent.
The conversion to organic is consequently very pronounced, in vineyards as in other crops. Thanks in part to growing public awareness of environmental pollution and the health hazards associated with pesticide use in agriculture. According to data from FIBL (‘The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture’), between 2009 and 2017 organic farming grew tremendously in Italy (+142%), even more than in the world (+112%) and Europe (+103%).
Organic vineyards in Italy are particularly large in Sicily (35 percent) and Apulia (+14 percent), totaling 103 thousand hectares planted with organic wine vines. This is followed by Tuscany (13 percent), Veneto (5 percent) and Marche (5 percent). Lombardy recorded the highest conversion index, over the five-year period 2012-2017 (+289.7% for converted areas, compared to a national average of +84.3%. Veneto is also above average, +100%).
‘Big Wine’
au naturel
Surprising, in some respects, is the announcement of an Easter signature natural wine. The small, often microscopic size of the farm is indeed a common characteristic of independent winemakers and those who have so far committed themselves to producing natural wines. The well-known Veronese winery vice versa, has a history dating back to 1925 and sales of 54.7 million euros, with 15 million bottles sold in 2018 in 61 countries. Thanks also to its own distribution subsidiaries, in the U.S. as well as in China.
A small marketing experiment or the start of a path toward sustainable agriculture and the production of wines to be made from grapes and their derivatives, with the least possible contribution of chemicals in the vineyards and fields? It is still early to say. The natural Pasqua wine, labeled ‘Brasa Coèrta,’ is a pilot project. Conceived with Milanese chef and restaurateur Diego Rossi and led by agronomist Lorenzo Corino, 1,800 bottles a year to start.
The vineyard from which Brasa Coèrta comes was planted in 1985 on clay-limestone soil of alluvial origin. The grape varieties grown are Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. As for the ‘natural’ method, the company reports, ‘The grapes are harvested by hand with careful selection and then remain for about ten days in the boxes before being pressed. After pressing, they are passed into wooden vats where natural yeasts carry out alcoholic fermentation. After this step is completed, the wine is placed in second- and third-passage French oak tonneaux for about 6 months, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. Finally it goes into steel for further refinement’.
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) The success story of Italian organic wine has been documented in previous articles, covering the years:
– 2016, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/vino-bio-un-2016-da-leoni-cresce-anche-lo-spumante-e-piace-il-bag-in-box, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/vino-italiano/vino-italiano-biologico-prosegue-la-crescita,
– 2015,
https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/vino-italiano-news/vino-biologico-italiano-export-2015
,
– 2014,
https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/il-vino-biologico-italiano-a-vinitalybio
,
https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/vino-bio-un-comparto-in-crescita
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
