Wine and spirits producers’ “first time” at a G7 Agriculture: global comparison opened

In 2022 in the European Union, the wine industry contributed 130 billion euros to GDP, generating nearly 3 million jobs, accounting for 1.4% of total employment in the Union; globally, the wine industry counts on an extension of 7.2 million hectares of vineyards and expresses a global export value of 36 billion euros. Also in 2022, in the world’s top 20 economies, the spirits industry generated, directly and indirectly, added value of $110 billion, half of which went to farmers, and tax revenue of $33 billion. These are the figures released today by Federvini at the international conference “The Wine & Spirits Sector: Creating Value in a Spirit of Moderation”, which was held at the G7 Agriculture, currently underway in Syracuse. The purpose of the conference was to highlight the value and role of the wine and spirits sector for farming communities, consumers and businesses, and chart a path for sustainable development shared globally. This was the first time that the international meeting hosted the major organizations representing wine, spirits and liqueur producers.
“This expresses a double value”, said Federvini President Micaela Pallini, “the first is that of the strong link with the territories and farming communities of which the sector is an expression, in many cases with millennia-old roots, and the second is that of the initiation of a confrontation and dialogue at the highest global level at a time when both in Europe and internationally we are witnessing attempts to demonize the sector’s products, ignoring their social, cultural and economic values”.
The event provided an opportunity to initiate reflection on the sectors’ priorities and to establish a dialogue with the leaders and organizations present at the G7, aimed at outlining guidelines for sustainable sector growth, given its socio-economic significance. During the discussions that emerged during the event, the role of the wine and spirits sector as part of the cultural and gastronomic heritage and as a cornerstone of the socio-economic sustainability of rural areas in the European Union was reaffirmed. In order to protect its competitiveness, attention was drawn to the need to facilitate the harmonization of regulatory standards, strengthen legal protection and the promotion of high-quality products. As deeply export-oriented sectors, it remains crucial to support international trade based on shared rules to eliminate market access barriers. In order to avert dangerous prohibitionist drifts, the need to formulate policies that appropriately distinguish between moderate consumption and alcohol abuse was reiterated, promoting constructive dialogue and exchange of best practices among stakeholders.
In the foreground, among the issues addressed, that of responsible consumption: the associations representing the sector wanted to emphasize the importance of joining forces in order to raise awareness of a responsible and balanced consumption style. The Italian model, stands out as “best in class” in moderate consumption and remains the emblem of a balanced Mediterranean style inspired by conviviality, as evidenced by the video shown by Federvini “A sip of Italy”.
“For our sector, the G7 Agriculture in Syracuse represented a unique opportunity to initiate coordination and collaboration, on a global level, between wine and spirits producer organizations and representatives of the G7 countries”, concluded Micaela Pallini, “it is a first step and we must not stop in facing the great challenge of protecting social, cultural, environmental and industrial values in which we recognize ourselves, while respecting our identities and diversity”.
The conference was attended by the most important European and international associations in the sector, including Ceev - Comité Européen des Entreprises des Vins, Discus - Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Fivs - Fédération Internationale des Vins et Spiritueux, Iard - International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, Wsa - World Spirits Alliance and spiritsEurope.