The “Resistance” of wine, today: identifying past mistakes and tuning the brand for the future

Trends, markets, paradigm shifts and climate change. The clock is ticking and wine must adapt to the changing world on pain of survival. If for Charles Darwin the strongest species is the one that can best conform with its environment, the same is true for the wine sector facing, today, a real “Resistance”. This was discussed, yesterday, at “VinoVip Cortina 2024”, edition no. 14 of the summit organized by the historic magazine “Civiltà del Bere” led by Alessandro Torcoli, with the big names of Italian wine comparing notes on the future of the sector in the “pearl” of the Dolomites (as we will tell from their voices, with audio and video, in the coming days on WineNews, ed.).
What has changed in the past years? What will happen in the future? What are the new challenges? Speeches followed on these questions, starting with Luigi Moio, president of OIV-Organizzazione Internazionale della Vigna e del Vino, professor of Enology at the University of Naples Federico II and producer and winemaker at Cantina Quintodecimo, who stressed the need to resist the cultural attacks of those who do not consider wine a bulwark of civilization, but simplistically identify it with alcohol. “In recent times, wine has had a great acceleration: so many approached this world because it was trendy and so many found themselves making wine, but without checking the agricultural sciences and without strong expertise. This great attention has made wine more and more the object of prohibitionist campaigns, and sometimes, in order to defend it, we have risked doing some serious communication damage. Wine is one of man's most beautiful inventions, but alcohol is harmful. This is now well established, and it is necessary to be transparent and say it clearly and simply, encouraging conscious consumption at the base, without going so far as to demonize the entire product. Between the early 1990s and the 2000s we experienced a complete wine drunkenness”, Moio reflected, but not a physical drunkenness, but “one of omnipotence. Everyone was happy, and since 2010 so many have thrown themselves into the wine world. Even those without professionalism. It’s nice to have your name on the label, but to plant vines you need agricultural science skills”. Moio identifies this sort of “approximation” of producers as one of the problems of wine today, to which the professor also associates the issue of communication strategies: “it has not been the culture of wine that has been spread, it has been the interest in wine that has been spread to consumers. An example: sommelier courses are fine, but it is not the only thing that needs(to) be done. The acceleration of technological progress, moreover, has created disorientation between consumers and producers. The former demand novelty: historically the novelty is the new vintage, but that is no longer enough. More is needed, but not just any expedient that, often, has no design idea”. An identity crisis that jeopardizes the generational transition: “families no longer eat together, the bottle is no longer put on the table and explained to the children. Before on wine there was an educational process: in Italy, France and Spain we are saved because we were born knowing wine, but in other countries? They don’t even know how grapes are made. Wine is increasingly in danger of being seen as a drink only for grown-ups”.
To recover brand identity and control, according to Master of Wine and Marilisa Allegrini ceo Andrea Lonardi, “we need to identify the glasses we want to pour wine into”, he said, “climate change is reflected in agriculture, but it is an overblown theme. The big change today is the speed with which things change. Consumption has changed, and the wine brand needs to change its leadership, sales model and generational theme: not passing down between father and son, but as a business vision. The real problem is not the change in consumption, but the crisis of “hedonistic satisfaction” at a time when drinking wine no longer becomes fashionable. We need to identify our customer: those who drank wine for culture will continue, while those who drank wine for fashion will look for other fashions”. Today, he added, “the marketing policy is one of mix, made up of method, preparation and time. We need to delve into the changes, without just talking about the climatic one or in consumer preferences. Today we talk more and more about vocationality and single grape varieties, we are experiencing a crisis in the hedonistic satisfaction of wine because it is no longer fashionable, hill and mountain white wines are giving way to white wines from the sea, quality red wines must be consumed at different temperatures, and quality bubbles are becoming more and more gastronomic. The truth is that what is changing today is the speed of change, and that is why we need to be alternative and contemporary and have the courage to intimately self-assess in order to tune in to the present and the future”. Lonardi dictated what he believes is the agenda for the industry at the level of brand tuning in the market, “branding is saying what we are without having to talk. We need to be recognizable, and to do that we need consistency in the production and communication model. We need consistency, to be continuous with strategies, production, and trends, and finally we need to be able to measure all that surrounds us: the “legacy” is the real end goal. We are living in a time of transition today, and I am positive because great opportunities can arise from change. I am also hopeful because Italy has great resilience, history and tradition to which, however, must be given an injection of method. Achieving great results without change is not possible”.
So where to start again? “From the soil”, according to agronomist, consultant and researcher expert in organic viticulture and creator of the Bigot Index, Giovanni Bigot, who focused on the strength of biodiversity and the need to preserve the genetics of grape varieties that have adapted to a particular terroir. “Today a viticultural culture that puts the soil at the center of everything must be passed on. When a grape variety adapts to a different terroir, this ability is transferred to the progeny: adaptation of the grape variety allows the international viticultural heritage to be better organized. We cannot think of losing this very valuable heritage”. Bigot also points the finger at excessive bureaucracy: “We come from 30 years of viticultural simplification. If we want to manage a vineyard, we have to aim for continuous improvement, but this cannot go along with standardization”, he explained, “the soil is the starting and ending point: if it is viable, it is perfect for the vine, otherwise I have to think of a solution with an adaptation. Standardized agriculture is a complexity we are facing, the grape production process must be simplified”. Therefore, a management strategy is needed: “if I can plan ahead I will know how to implement any unforeseen events, I can operate control and establish a final definition”, he concluded.
The speech by Eugenio Pomarici, professor of Economics at the University of Padua, Italian expert at the OIV and coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Viticulture Enology and Wine Markets, finally focused on wine districts: “by district we mean an industrial area characterized by small and medium-sized companies with a propensity to act synergistically. There have often been complaints about the small size of companies, while this fragmented structure has been an element of strength: the large capitalist company, faced with difficulties, cuts everything and leaves, while the small one resists and maintains the vineyard. Then, cooperatives allowed competitiveness by feeding a bottlers system”, Pomarici argues, emphasizing however how he is hopeful for the future, Italy being a world leader not only in wine technology and agricultural machinery, but also in premium commercial and second to fine wine. “Resilience is the ability to absorb the disturbances of change, but also to cope with crisis and learn new ways to move forward. Italy is a world leader in wine, but structural conditions are not favorable. However, we are fortunate to have great domestic demand, a very large area in hectares, good policy, great natural resources and many supporting industries”.
Closing was the presentation of the “Khail Prize” 2024, which is awarded by the magazine “Civiltà del Bere” to figures who have distinguished themselves for their efforts in promoting Italian wine in the world, and which this year was awarded to Marina Cvetic, sole director of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole.