Fivi: “Winegrower”, environmental and nutritional information and health warnings on the label

On the table of institutions, as well as in the agendas of trade organizations, there are many dossiers that affect wine, in a more or less direct way. Among the priorities of Fivi winemakers (Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti, Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers), as president Lorenzo Cesconi reiterated to WineNews, are three main issues: the inclusion of the “Winegrower” category on the label, environmental and nutritional information and health warnings. There are two objectives: to ensure transparency for consumers and clear and simple rules for wineries.

On a practical note, on the labeling issue, in the EU sphere, Fivi was in Brussels on March 30, at the roundtable discussion on the inclusion of health warnings on wine and spirits labels, an initiative of the Irish government, which is currently being approved at the WTO. At the European Parliament, Fivi President Lorenzo Cesconi used clear words to explain the difference between wine and other alcoholic beverages: “wine is born from the fermentation of must, it is a natural product, which is not derived from a recipe, but is born in a certain place at a certain time. It is a unique and non-reproducible product, which educates the consumer to investigate its origin and intrinsic quality, and to evaluate through wine the value of the place of origin. That is why it should be treated differently from other alcoholic beverages, and the work of those who produce it with attention to quality and territory should be protected, because where there are no winemakers, mostly there is abandonment and territorial degradation”. And, in the specifics of European labeling regulations, Cesconi then added that “winemakers are calling for harmonized rules throughout Europe, to allow even the smallest companies to really enjoy the benefits of the single market”.

Vinitaly also presented an opportunity to publicly reiterate some priorities. In the round table on “Health Warning and Consumption Styles”, with the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, doctors and experts, Fivi intervened by reiterating the value of wine and viticulture, of its rootedness in the territory, of its fundamental contribution to the definition of the Italian historical landscape, the immeasurable heritage of our country. “Wine is a rural product, born as part of the daily diet: perhaps we should return to that dimension and simplicity, to educate responsible consumption and limit abuse. Vignaioli wines are by their very nature very valid tools for defining a model of conscious consumption: when one drinks a Vignaiolo wine, one is led to know a piece of Italian territory and history, as well as the culture and personality of the producer, and this attention inevitably prevails over the search for intoxication as an end in itself. Those who love Vignaioli wine want to know what they are drinking, and they do so in a curious, attentive and responsible way”, explained Lorenzo Cesconi.