The “Club of Ceos”, the leaders of top realities in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal

Sustainability, the relationship between wine and health, responsible consumption, anti-alcohol campaigns, US tariffs and free trade agreements: these are the topics at the heart of the first meeting of the European wine leaders, namely the “Club of Ceos”, born from an idea of Domenico Zonin, vice-president of the Ceev-Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins and the Zonin1821 group, which has put around a table, in the Torres winery in Spain, among the most important in the world, the summits of 27 of the most important realities of wine in Europe, in what, in a sort of travelling “Davos” of wine that will take place annually, and that, in 2020, will be held in Portugal.
Representing the Belpaese, in addition to Zonin, were Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Frescobaldi, Sandro Sartor, managing director of Ruffino, Daniele Simone, CEO of Schenk Italia Wineries, Piero Mastroberandino, Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi Agricola, Luigi Bersano, export manager of MGM Mondo del Vino, Alessandro Botter, at the helm of Botter, and Federico Terenzi, owner of the Terenzi wineries, together with the top management of French companies such as Moet & Chandon, Vins Gerard Bertrand and M. Chapoutier, Lorgerli and Vranken-Pommery, Spanish as Torres, Cordonìu, Zamora and Perelada & Chivite, Portuguese as Bacalhoa, Avelada, Josè Maria da Fonseca, Sogrape and Symington Family Estates, and German as Jacques' Wein-Dep, Sektmanufaktur Schloss Vaux and Rotkäppchen-Mumm.
“We decided to organize the Club of Ceos meeting as an opportunity for the leaders of the European Union's wineries to meet each year, to discuss with each other the main issues for our industry and shape Ceev's long-term strategy”, explained Ceev President Jean-Marie Barillère.
“The first experiment was a success, - commented Domenico Zonin - and the topics at the heart of Ceev's agenda in Brussels were analyzed. A very positive fact because, in this way, the lobby activity of the Comité Vins is enriched by the direct point of view of the administrators of the same companies, which, in turn, bring their sensitivities to the issues under discussion on the political tables of the European Union. The need to solve problems that go beyond and are above the aspects related to the respective competitiveness on the markets has made us feel more and more like passengers of the same ship”.
“We are at the beginning of a journey - adds Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Frescobaldi and vice-president of UIV - and we need to refine our positions, talking in depth on various aspects such as, for example, the need to distinguish between wine and alcohol to provide consumers with clear and accurate information. During this first meeting it was noted a great ability to look beyond the simple company enclosure and to consider the market in its complexity, as happened when discussing the duties in the United States, against which, despite the different treatment suffered by Italy compared to other European countries, the need to share a common strategy has prevailed over selfishness or national retaliation. A European spirit that is not taken for granted and that has done very well to the general climate of comparison”.
“It was one of the first times that these topics - said Sandro Sartor, president Ruffino and vice-president UIV -, such as those of the relationship between wine and health, responsible consumption and the battle against alcohol campaigns, have been placed at the center of the discussion, in the knowledge, by the great managers of European wine, that what we are preparing is an important battle for the future of the wine market itself. Attacks on the world of wine continue to arrive because the sector has not yet unraveled the skein regarding labeling and this is a situation that we will have to face with determination along a path where the different countries still do not travel at the same speed. For this reason, the bravest ones, such as Italy, need to map out and anticipate the road, moving forward and showing proactivity towards this problem”.