SUSTAINABILITY IS CRUCIAL TO EVERYONE EXCEPT MAYBE TRUMP, BUT 2 OUT OF 10 WINE FANS IN THE US BUY CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE WINES. NOMISMA WINE MONITOR & VIVA SAY IDENTIFICATION IS STILL AN OBSTACLE TO AVAILABILITY

Sustainability, especially of the environment, has become a common word and a global goal shared by citizens, businesses and politicians, with the exception of perhaps only US President Donald Trump (the G20 in Hamburg sanctioned the definitive break up on climate between the US and other world powers, ed.), and regarding wine, consumer sensitivity to this issue is increasing day by day. Americans are no exception, with or without Trump, and after terrorism and healthcare, sustainability is the third most feared cause of concern on the other side of the Atlantic.
On the wave of this sensitivity, 2 US consumers out of 10 purchase several sustainable wines – mostly California and Australian origin. Prospects and market scenarios of sustainable wines, analyzed by Nomisma Wine Monitor, in collaboration with Viva, a project of the Ministry of the Environment for Sustainability in the Wine Sector, were the subjects of a survey in America on perceptions and willingness to buy sustainable wines (a sample of 1.500 wine consumers residing in New York, California and Florida. These three states together account for more than 50% of the value of total wine imports in the US), and presented in Bologna at Palazzo Davia Bargellini in a workshop dedicated to wineries.

“The profile of the American consumer of sustainable wines”, said Denis Pantini, manager of Nomisma Wine Monitor, “provided the identikit of the typical buyer: Millennial, male, degree of higher education and high income”.
The profile is completely different from the Baby Boomers who, according to the Wine Monitor survey, indicated the most adversity to any form of sustainable behavior and where Trump probably found fertile ground to support being elected President of the US.
Besides defining who the buyers are now, it is the prospect and interest in the future consumption of sustainable wines of a similar percentage of buyers who still do not consume these wines for several reasons, including a reduced availability and promotion as well as proper identification (unclear or confusing labels among the various existing certifications). Not to mention that of those who do not buy sustainable wines today, 56% declare they are willing to spend more for a sustainable wine, while 86% say they are potentially interested in purchasing them.
The effects of climate change also complicate matters and, contrasting experts’ estimates, as they are now evident on a daily basis (and not just long term). Moreover, there are a number of sustainability programs around the world, from Australia to New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, France and the United States.
For instance, in Sonoma County, California (the second largest wine area in the state after San Joaquin), 60% of the surface area is now certified "sustainable" (about 14.000 hectares) but the goal is to reach 100% by 2019.