Pinot Grigio DOC Delle Venezie has proposed a new typology, at low alcohol content

The Consortium of Pinot Grigio DOC Delle Venezie, the leading Italian still white wine in production and export volumes, boasting more than 90% consumption abroad, is encouraging Italian winemaking institutions and the entire winemaking sector to adopt solutions to overcome the current critical issues. The Consortium has taken on the role of condemning Italy’s slow pace in making the necessary changes addressing the production world’s needs as they are struggling with declining consumption. Their aim is to produce less alcoholic and more sustainable wines, especially in this challenging period for viticulture, due to climate change as well as the “ duties issue“ . The Consortium’s project aims to modify production specifications and proposes introducing a type of Pinot Grigio DOC that has a low natural alcohol content as well as using resistant varieties, prohibited in Article 33, paragraph 6 of the Consolidated Law for DOC and DOCG wines.
DOCG wines. “The Consortium is undertaking a new and very ambitious vision to guarantee a future, and economic sustainability for the thousands of winemakers that produce Pinot Grigio delle Venezie. Not doing anything in this dynamic moment when markets and thoughts are evolving, makes no sense, because otherwise, we will have to face the consequences. In this context, the role of the Consortiums, therefore, will also have to change quickly”, President Albino Armani explained, during the meeting, “Pinot Grigio DOC Delle Venezie, prospects for the future: innovation, collaboration and strategies in line with change”, which took place recently at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, moderated by Luciano Ferraro, deputy director of the Italian daily, “Corriere della Sera”.
The alcohol content of the new typology - the Consortium is deciding on the name - will be between 9 and 11 percent, and it will be sold alongside the “classic” Pinot Grigio delle Venezie. “This way we will be closer to the consumer’s needs as far as alcohol content and calorie value go, which are especially important in the United States, our primary target market”, Armani explained. It won’t really be a great effort because Pinot Grigio naturally reaches alcohol levels of around 10-11 percent. However, we want to link its profile to scientific solidity, so we have begun various collaborations with research institutes, which will enable us to draw up a precise protocol to obtain and trace it along the supply chain”. To avoid any confusion, it is important to point out that this wine will not undergo any technological process, will be obtained in the vineyard by adopting agronomic measures to reduce sugar accumulation, harvest time will be about a week earlier, and in the winery fermentation will be entrusted to a non-Saccaromices yeast - used in the beer industry - which has a low efficiency in transforming sugars into alcohol, and therefore set aside for winemaking. Moreover, planting new vineyards, clones that until now have not been considered sufficiently alcohol-producing, will be adopted. “We demand lightness, taste and culture from wine, today, and no longer want wine to intoxicate”, Vincenzo Gerbi, full professor at the University of Turin, observed, following an interesting discussion on the microbiological, nutritional and economic function of alcohol in wine, “oenology can reveal new trends and respond to new market demands, and, perhaps, discover that some wines, such as Pinot Grigio, expressly because of their nature, might be even better at a lower alcohol content. The results of the work in the vineyard and in the winery will be fundamental as they respect the profile and quality of the product, as well as clarifying that it will be a naturally low alcohol wine, therefore more sustainable than products derived from partial dealcoholization. Sustainability will be amplified by introducing resistant varieties in the specification. This is an important step towards greater environmental sustainability, in line with European policies”.
The Consortium’s project aims to break down the wall between the needs of the production world and the decision makers, by introducing resistant varieties (limited to 10%), from crossbreeding. “We are asking for a clear and direct answer regarding the modification of the Consolidated Law: a yes or a no”, Albino Armani said forcefully, “and we want to make people reflect on this issue, which so far no one has done. We need to coordinate the Consortiums and also put in place at least a five year plan to deal with the challenges facing us”. This refers to the bill under examination by the Agriculture Commission in the Senate, which provides for an amendment to Article 33, paragraph 6 of the Consolidated Law on wine (Law 238/2016), that is, eliminating the constraint that today blocks using the so-called resistant varieties for the production of designation of origin wines. Though the wine world is not exactly in an enthusiastic situation right now, Pinot Grigio delle Venezie is offering a glimpse of optimism by continuing to stand out in its performances that go against the trend. In other words, +3% of bottled and +8% of certifications totaling more than 1.7 million hectoliters in 2024. “As for the future of the new typology”, the president of the Consortium said, “we are just beginning the journey. It is best not to expect too much, and continue working on communication on the US market where a positive trend could begin. It would be very interesting even if an increase in sales were to reach just +5% on the current production, as it would mean further expansion, since we are now close to running out of stock”. White wine on a more and more complicated international market, especially considering sales in mass retail trade - the primary distribution channel - is positive, and in 2023 registered approximately +10% increases in volume and value.
“Considering the history of the white PDO wines from Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino, since the DOC delle Venezie was introduced on the market in 2017”, Fabio Del Bravo, director of Supply Chains and Market Analysis ISMEA explained, “exports have increased +110% in volume and +117% in value, bringing the share of Italian white wine exports to 24%. Pinot Grigio delle Venezie has an important and stable position as the driver, together with Prosecco, of the growth of vineyards in the North-East, in contrast to the National vineyard area, which has decreased 15% from 2000 to today. Introducing a DOC typology at a lower alcohol content represents the opportunity to seize the new market dynamics”.
The comparative analysis regarding consumption of Pinot Grigio in the USA, the UK and Canada - the main destination countries of the DO - and the Italian market has also confirmed this market opportunity. The results emphasized a substantial difference in consumption habits and occasions, but also an alignment regarding factors that guide purchasing choices. In both cases, 56% of the sample interviewed was seeking a guarantee of the certified supply chain that Pinot Grigio DOC delle Venezie provides, as it has the State seal on 230 million bottles, in addition to elements of freshness and lightness, especially overseas. As a matter of fact, Anglo-Saxon consumers want to explore new tastes and new wine suggestions, while keeping their strong loyalty to Pinot Grigio, a wine that is highly appreciated for its versatility. “Pinot Grigio’s fame”, Caterina Tagliabue of the social and market research agency, Eumetra, explained, “in Italy as well as in the USA, the UK and Canada is second only to Chardonnay. Its fame, however, does not correspond exactly to consumption, suggesting that its characteristics- freshness, easy to drink, and alcoholic lightness- need to be better communicated to consumers”. Ludovico Mannheimer of Eumetra also agreed and emphasized this consideration, saying, “if it is important to offer products that have a low alcohol content, and therefore a lower caloric impact, it is necessary to communicate it taking into account the changes in sources where consumers get information. It is necessary to favor new tools to reach the segment of the public that is less specifically interested in wine, presenting it while talking about something else. The majority of consumers look for more superficial information compared to the few who get information from specialized press”. In this scenario, what might the impact be of the new typology of Pinot Grigio delle Venezie? “The Italian market is saturated, and consequently aims at replacing one wine with another and not flooding the market”, Luca Rossetto, associate professor at the University of Padua, replied, “the production of North-East Prosecco and Pinot Grigio are experiencing a favorable moment. They are driving exports of Italian wine abroad and they are not in competition, but working together. The demand curve for wine is rigid; that is, the quantity demanded of the product does not change when the price varies, especially for high-end wines, such as Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, and it is therefore conditioned more by consumer loyalty than by positioning. I believe that introducing the new type at low alcohol content, could broaden the audience of interested consumers, and from an economic point of view, increase the potential demand for the product, consequently increasing sales”.
The meeting ended with the presentation of the 2024 Report of the Consorzio DOC delle Venezie. The document provides a detailed overview of the trend of the denomination. “The first document that reports to the supply chain on the Consortium’s activities”, , Stefano Sequino, director of the Consortium, explained, “provides a detailed overview of the progress of the denomination, and to report and plan future activities of the organization that aggregates the needs of the supply chain to the task of transmitting them to the Ministry. We perceive our role broadly, according to the European Regulation on the reform of Geographical Indications (1143/2024), which gives unprecedented and not fully expressed room to maneuver at the National level to protected entities, in reference to wine-growing territories, promoting tourist services, the distribution of value along the supply chain and enhancing the management of the offer. We live in a “multifactorial” context where other varietal denominations exist with other Consortiums, and all of this needs coordination and narration. We are trying to do it in a new way, a vision that focuses not only on the changes presented today, but also on projects and collaborations, such as those with Wine in Moderation, ISMEA (Studies for the Agricultural and Food market) and FAI (Italian national trust)to share, and contribute to spreading common values and goals”.