To the Origin of Genuineness

 In the past recent years the world of wine has lived alternating moments of glory, from the striking success of the 1990s - a real renaissance for Italian enology and for other countries - up to the not truly florid period, according to a commercial point of view, of the most recent years. In all of this time many producers have developed a certain conscience about the integrity and genuineness of their wines, also thanks to the use - or maybe, the abuse - of technological tools. The many techniques, in particular the many chemical substances used in wine making, have been widely discussed and debated, by praising their advantages as well as their disadvantages, as well as the effects on the health of consumers. Chemical substances used in wine making - it should be noticed - are allowed by specific laws determining both the maximum allowed quantity as well as their use. One of the chemical substances subject of many debates is sulfur dioxide, the most known chemical substance used in the production of wine.

 If it is true sulfur dioxide is the most feared chemical substance in wine making, it is frequently forgotten this gas is widely used by the food industry for the keeping of their products - as well as for other uses - and that in many cases the quantity is higher than of the one allowed in wine making. For the sake of truth, it should be noticed sulfur dioxide, when taken in excessive quantity, has dangerous effects for the health, for this reason - today - many producers use a lower quantity of this gas than the legal limit. It has been widely debated the possibility of making wine without using any sulfur dioxide - both produced by burning sulfur as well as added in other forms - and there are many producers who support the idea wine can also be made without using this gas at all. The results they got are, in some cases, pretty disappointing, in other they are “passable”, in other cases, very interesting. In any case, it is certainly praiseworthy the efforts in making a more genuine wine, less sophisticated, therefore more healthy.

 The need of making a more genuine wine is however becoming more and more strong: the increased conscience of some consumers brought a need for genuine foods and beverages, they want to know how and with what a food was made, as well as knowing its origin, are factors forcing producers to offer wines meeting these criteria, also - and not only - for the commercial opportunity they could get. Making a more genuine and less sophisticated wine does not mean using a lower quantity of sulfur dioxide only, as this is just one of the many aspects of the production of wine. For example, as the wine is produced with grape, the path to quality must necessarily begin from vineyard and also from the land in which vines are being cultivated. This means, for example, making use of cultural practices in respect of the environment while limiting, at the least possible way, the use of chemical treatments both to vines and soil. A genuine wine, in other words, is made from a genuine raw matter, without neglecting quality, while keeping this quality up to the bottle.

 The subject of “organic wine” is however controversial, because, whereas it certainly is praiseworthy and agreeable to support the production of healthy and genuine foods and beverages, it is not praiseworthy the speculation many producers have done about this subject. One of the worst aspect of this subject - a typical habit in the past year - was to sell the so called organic wines at prices higher than, like to say, “conventional” wines. In case they were trying to find the best way to avoid the spreading and the appreciation of these wines, this has certainly been the winning choice. Moreover, in the past, many of the wines defined as “organic” were characterized by a quality most of the times “disconcerting” if compared to other wines. We can also think about spending more money in order to buy something better and more healthy, but in case we find out this product is not good, the temptation of buying something else is evidently strong. It should however be noticed the conscience of “organic” producers is getting better and better also in this sense and it is undeniable today the quality is evidently higher than the one offered in the past.

 The production of organic wines - correctly defined as wines produced with grapes from organic agriculture - is regulated by specific laws, suggesting viticultural and wine making practices, greatly lowering the maximum allowed quantity of many chemical substances, as well as favoring the use of substances of natural origin. In these days the European Union is discussing a new law about the production of organic wines and it will probably be in force on July 1st, 2010. One of the points of this law is about the use of sulfur dioxide. This new law will probably limit the use of this gas to 75mg/l for red wines and 125mg/l for white wines. The European law currently defines, for conventional production, the limit of 160mg/l for red wines and 210mg/l for white wines. Of course, at the base of the production of “organic wines” is found, like before, the exclusive use of grapes from organic cultures, that is from cultures strongly limiting chemical treatments in favor of more natural practices and more respectful for the environment.

 Despite consumers are more and more showing an interest for “organic” wines, communication and the culture to the consumption of these wines must improve. Most of consumers seems to be pretty skeptical to wines produced with grapes from organic agriculture. According to a DiWineTaste poll, in which we ask our readers how important it is, at the moment of purchase, the fact a wine is “organic”, the majority said they are indifferent to the subject, whereas it is important for less than 10%. A group of readers also said they avoid buying “organic wines”, probably because of the disputable quality shown by certain wines - in particular in the past - and the bad experience still plays a role today in their choices. Making a wine more respectful for the environment, nature and, last but not the least, the health of consumers, certainly is a goal for all serious producers. Also in this case - like we said about the quality of wine in general - it is a presupposition associated to culture, conscience, morality and seriousness of producers. Laws are important references for all the honest people, even a superfluous indication for the ones who believe in honesty and in the respect for others. They do not need someone to tell them how to behave honestly: they know this already because it is part of their culture and morality.