“Put wine in a “black list” is absurd and harmful. It is an element of our identity”

Today, in the approach to food in general, and wine in particular, there are those who would like to move away from a culture of awareness, information and freedom of choice towards a strategy of prohibition and imposed restrictions, in the name of an all-encompassing and, in some respects, extreme health-consciousness. This is especially true when it comes to alcohol and wine, which in recent times have become the target of what many describe as a genuine demonization. A phenomenon which is “absurd, considering that wine has been a pillar of Western culture since ancient times, as clearly illustrated in Symposium by Plato. It is an indispensable element of our history, culture and society. Wanting to place it on a blacklist is absurd and harmful”. These are the words that philosopher and essayist Massimo Cacciari shared with WineNews during a recent meeting in Rome at the Coldiretti Forum, where, as on previous occasions, he engaged in an exchange of views on the subject of wine. As he has stated in the past, including in interviews with WineNews, wine is a fundamental element of European and Italian identity.
“Rules are needed - Cacciari had already told WineNews - Italy, and Europe as a whole, should strive for a pluralistic framework that, through clear rules and regulations, also safeguards the individuality and identity of each country. This applies from a cultural and broader perspective as well. We must recognize that what is currently taking place is a process moving in the opposite direction: a process of standardization and uniform thinking, which also encompasses the issue of the dominance of large multinational corporations in sectors such as agribusiness”.
A concept that Cacciari reiterated in recent days, stressing the need for institutional reforms to improve the functioning of the European Union: “either Europe acquires a genuine dimension of political unity, or even its economic unity will fall apart. There will no longer be truly common policies for agriculture”. Nor for wine, either.