The Future of Wine: Ecologic and Economic

"Conventional, sustainable, organic, biodynamic" truths, lies, speculations, convictions "was the title of the reflection with which the conference" Viticulture: sustainability is the future "was opened, held last Saturday as part of the Goodwine event Neviglie, promoted by the Municipality and by the winemakers of the country. Numerous characters linked to the world of wine, urged by the journalist Filippo Larganà, have commented on an alarming fact: 240 thousand tons of plant protection products are spread every year in Europe for the wine sector alone.

"Sustainability is the only way to keep the activity of winegrowing, to think of a future, without an intensive use of chemistry and of everything that damages the nature and health of those who work there. We need to become aware of the present, and start working in the right direction ", was the message from the mayor of Neviglie Roberto Sarotto.

While the director of the Asti Consortium, Giorgio Bosticco, affirmed: "We need to have the awareness that the market asks, and will increasingly demand, healthy food: those who do not go in this direction will be cut off from the markets. Our task is to educate the sensitivities of winemakers and to promote this type of production in every way ». "One hundred companies from Cuneo joined a project, which includes some targeted activities," explained Fabrizio Rapalino of Coldiretti, who continued by listing: "It's about reasoned reduction in chemistry, biodiversity in vineyards, reuse of rainwater. ». And he concluded by reiterating that by working well it is possible to contain costs.

Some concrete solutions come from technological progress. The chemical weeding, which some years ago seemed impossible to avoid, can be replaced by new generation machinery. Another innovation comes from drones: according to the results of their first uses in viticulture, many contents of the products supplied derive. They lend themselves very well to particularly steep terrain, and are also valid for the problem of worker safety.

A concept emerged from all the interventions: sustainability must not only be environmental. "The prefix" echo "must always be understood in a twofold sense: eco-logical and eco-nomic," they concluded.