Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2020 9 History and innovation of terroir 9 Politics meets terroir. The story of Prosecco – Are GI’s just a protectionist racket?

Politics meets terroir. The story of Prosecco – Are GI’s just a protectionist racket?

Abstract

The recent Free Trade Agreement negotiations between Australia and the European Union have again put the issue of Geographical Indications (GIs) in the spotlight. Australia has long demonstrated its understanding of GIs and maintains a clear and rigorous GI protection system for wine. For many years, Australia’s wine sector was a strong advocate for GIs and a strong system to protect the rights of users. However, in recent times, trust has been eroded by the move by the European Union to legislate away the use of the grape variety ‘Prosecco’ and create an artificial region called ‘Prosecco’. This effectively downgraded the value of the GI Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco by removing the legitimate terroir link between the region and the product. In Australia and other countries, this was perceived as a cynical attempt to remove the rights of other producers to use the traditional variety Prosecco and has been strongly resisted. In this paper, we use the case study of ‘Prosecco’ to explore the importance of GIs and how the national political agendas can impact on the validity of the concept. Recent developments in international law and practical experience in recent Free Trade Agreement negotiations allow the authors to develop a hypothesis that GIs are being used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations. Their very credibility is being eroded as protectionist ideology is driving short-sighted political decision making to devalue the whole concept of GIs by de-linking terroir from the GI. This limits the acceptability of the GI concept and potentially will lead to a consumer backlash as the integrity of the system is questioned. This study also investigates the international legal developments and the implications for these on GI protection.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: March 23, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Anthony Battaglene1*, Damien Griffante2, Lee McLean1

1Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Contact the author

Keywords

Geographic Indications, grape varieties, regionality, Prosecco, wine trade

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Limiting magnesium availability: a novel approach to managing brettanomyces spoilage in winemaking

Brettanomyces is a world-renowned yeast that negatively impacts the chemical composition of wines through the production of metabolites that negatively impact the sensory properties of the final product. Its resilience in wine conditions and ability to produce off-flavors make it a challenge for winemakers. Currently, the primary control technique involves adding sulfur dioxide (SO2); however, some Brettanomyces strains are developing resistance to this preservative agent. [1] Therefore, new management strategies are necessary to control this spoilage yeast.

Read More

Soil mineral nitrogen dynamics in cover-cropped irrigated vineyards with contrasting soil textures

Context and purpose of the study. Cover cropping in vineyards supports grape yield, quality, and soil health.

Read More

Application of remote sensing by unmanned aerial vehicles to map variability in Ontario Riesling and Cabernet Franc vineyards

The objective of this investigation was to verify usefulness of proximal sensing technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mapping variables e.g., vine size (potential vigor), soil and vine water status, yield, fruit composition, and virus incidence in vineyards.

Read More

Evaluation of terroir suitability for vine cultivation in new areas using geographic multi-criteria decision support

Based on historical vine cultivation, the recent development of wine production in Drama wine region (Greece) has led to vine cultivation expansion of white and red varieties. The current cultivation of 500 ha of vineyards is expected to increase in the coming years. Natural terroir units (NTU) have been designed recently to support the production of high quality wines in the region [1]. The aim of this work is to evaluate the relevancy of the proposed NTUs regarding their suitability to produce wines of specific sensorial identity, and to provide guidelines for correct site selection for the expanding wine industry of the region.

Read More

Opportunities and challenges in the adoption of new grape varieties by producers: A case study from the Northeastern United

Grape breeding for resistance to fungal diseases is today very dynamic throughout the world notably in France. New varieties are obtained by hybridization between susceptible varieties of the vitis vinifera species and resistant genotypes, with breeding programs generally lasting between 15 and 25 years and resulting in the registration of a few new varieties. Though these varieties can provide several benefits and can be planted by winegrowers, they are not always systematically adopted.

Read More