“12.000 FAMILIES CANNOT COUNT ON ECONOMIC SECURITY.IN THE FUTURE” CLAIMS THE “PAID” AD IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER “LA STAMPA” TO EXPLAIN THE PLIGHT OF THE PIEDMONT WINE GROWERS AND ASK FOR HELP. THERE WILL BE A “WINE RALLY” IN ASTI ON SEPTEMBER 2ND

“12.000 families,” reads the newspaper, “can no longer count on an economically secure future”. This is the appeal (see photo) published in a paid ad in the most important newspaper in Piedmont, “La Stampa”, to explain the extremely critical situation of the Piedmont winemakers and seek aid. The Consortiums of Vignaioli Piedmont Hills, the Colli Tortonesi, Asti and Monferrato Wines and the Acqui Wines have chosen this sensational method to explain clearly that “because of the economic crisis Barbera and Dolcetto wines will disappear from the Piedmont hills and there are 12.000 families who no longer have a secure future”.
It is an extreme means to fight an extreme situation: drinking wine is treated like taking drugs and self-prohibition has become a collective psychosis in Italy. The various past mistakes have never been corrected. We have relied on an assisted economy rather than a real one, starting from the systematic refusal to put a serious plan in place to restore supply.

The “J”accuse” of twenty wineries in the Piedmont consortium is explicit: “our wineries and consortiums are doing their best but the aid we requested has not come through.” some of the top right-wing parliamentarians in Piedmont are on the stand of the accused of doing nothing or very little. The appeal asks for help because “some wineries will not be able to afford the 2010 harvest”.

Beginning with Roberto Cota of the Lega Nord (Northern League), new governor of Piedmont; the former governor Enzo Ghigo, now Senator of the PDL (Party of Freedom); Maria Teresa Armosino MP of PDL and also president of the Province of Asti; Fogliato Sebastian, Asti Parliamentary of the Lega Nord and on the House Agriculture Committee; and from Alessandria, Franco Stradella (PDL), chairman of the Committee on Legislation of the Chamber of Deputies and member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works: Enrico Pianetta (PDL), member of the House Commission for Foreign Affaire, Prosecutions and proceedings, and Senator Rossana Boldi, chairman of the permanent Committee (European Union Policies), a member of the Italian parliamentary delegation in the Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union. In short, people of considerable political weight, at least on paper, which according to wineries and associations, have done little or nothing to help the sector in crisis for some time. Their only support has been a lot of nice words”.
Wine cooperatives and consortiums have announced that they will continue to publish paid ads that explain their views and invite everyone to participate in the joint rally on September 2, Piazza Alfieri in Asti.

The call for help comes right after the dispute between winemakers of Moscato d’Asti and sparkling wine producers. The former preach limited crop yields, while the latter would like higher ones. The controversy is over the Moscato grape, which is one of the few in Piedmont that still guarantee growers a decent income.