There is an archetype of individualism in wine. Perhaps the son of the god Bacchus, a wandering and solitary divinity, keeper of rites and mysteries, custodian of the secrets of nature. Each bottle is unique as are the individual vineyards, the terroir, the personality of the producer, the vintages. On the other hand, together we are stronger, in promotion, in the tourist offer, in the markets. It is no coincidence that in Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta we start talking about the North West system in the world of wine. A liaison that passes first of all from the quality and variety of the grapes: the wine production of Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria, in 46 thousand hectares of vineyards, offers a vast range of vines (over 70 authorized in Piedmont) and wines . They range from mountain whites made from native Valle d’Aosta grapes Prie Blanc and Petite Arvine; to Ligurian sea whites with Vermentino di Luni or Pigato dell’Imperiese; from full bodied reds such as Barolo and Barbaresco; to the gentler ones in Barbera style; up to the bubbles, many excellent and different in the approach: from Alta Langa (defined by Giorgio Rivetti as the “Italian champagne”) to Asti spumante up to Brachetto. Unique products, which if promoted together, under the umbrella of regions and consortia or through business networks, could double the profits of the smaller Liguria and Valle d’Aosta thanks to the driving effect of Piedmont. A utopia? Maybe not.
Let’s start with the last harvest, which caused producers to sigh a lot, while excelling in quality: the estimates speak of -9% of the harvest on average in Italy, a percentage that rises to -10% in Piedmont (with peaks of -30% in the ‘Alto Piemonte, –15% in the Canavese area, according to the data elaborated by Assoenologi); –10.2% in Liguria and –5.3% in Valle d’Aosta. A joint catalog of wines from the North West could be the answer to product shortages caused by the decline in the harvest. And higher earnings would result. «Presenting ourselves on the market together triggers an added value, given by the towing effect, in the case of the North West of Piedmont. The alliance can even double the revenues of the smaller regions. Together we can satisfy a demand that cannot be managed alone – says Denis Pantini, head of Nomisma Wine Monitor – Having said that, the gain depends on the market: we need to identify the target, for small companies, the horeca, to which we adds large-scale distribution for more structured realities ».
The same goes for exports: together we are stronger. The decline in 2020 did not weigh, and if we look at the five-year period 2015-20, the three regions made an important step: Liguria by 73% (with a total export value of 17 million euros); the Valle d’Aosta of 71.2% (total value 2 million); 12.3% Piedmont (total value 1 billion). Progress in exports even if we analyze the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year: Piedmont +22.3 (in 2020 it had grown by 2.6%); Liguria + 48.9% (-1% in 2020), Valle d’Aosta + 148.5% (it had lost 22% in 2020). Uimportant growth in regions where almost all the wines produced are DOP and IGP: 81% Piedmont, 86% Valle d’Aosta, 76% Liguria. Numbers that encourage you to collaborate. Sure, it takes time. “At least 10-15 years – assumes Filippo Mobrici, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Barbera, Vini d’Asti and Monferrato – We need a change of mentality, but working together is possible: you can think of a catalog for the whole meal, including Moscato for dessert, to be offered especially abroad. No country has such a vastness of grapes and wines ».
But be careful, warns Matteo Ascheri, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo and Barbaresco, it is better to first make a selection of types of labels and objectives: “It is easier to collaborate between smaller consortia, with which the type of product and the philosophy”. A few examples? “We can find an agreement with the areas of Gaviese, Tortonese with its Timorasso, Upper Piedmont, Canavese and Caluso, as well as with Barbera d’Alba and the Freisa area: the size of the companies are familiar and the products more uniform. The situation is different for those companies such as Asti spumante, which reach the levels of multinationals of 80-100 million bottles ». The Consortium led by Ascheri (65 million bottles and 9 denominations) is already moving in synergy: “Under the umbrella of Piedmont we are working on three objectives: environmental sustainability, ethics in personnel management and logistics: optimizing the use of vehicles it avoids sending half-empty trucks around and pollutes less ». And Liguria and Valle d’Aosta? “Liguria makes a few bottles that are mostly consumed locally by tourists – says Ascheri – We have a partnership instead with Fontina from Valle d’Aosta and Baraggia rice for promotion in the US and China”.
Liguria, for its part, is increasing the area under vines (+ 5% in 2020 compared to 2019) and therefore the production of bottles. The president of the Consortium for the protection of Vermentino di Colli di Luni, Andrea Marcesini, explains: «On the scales we have Vermentino, a symbol of the viticulture of the territory. We are small and we need visibility, but even bigger companies like Piedmont may need us ». It is the same story of the Aosta Valley producers. So everyone agrees? For Mobrici, and not only, the there must come from the Regions. Marco Scuderi, director of the Grinzane Cavour regional wine shop, says this: «The joint promotion of our excellences is more efficient. And the consortia must play a crucial role with the Regions ». The Councilor for Agriculture of the Piedmont Region, Marco Protopapa, is ready to take the field, underlining the role of heroic wines such as Dolcetto d’Ovada and Carema grapes: of the North West and Piedmont driving nationally for the great offer of quality wines, as a Region we are available for a comparison with the otherre territories in promotion and marketing. I am thinking in particular of the wines defined as heroic which must have the right visibility on the market ».
Abroad, the best known regions are Tuscany, Piedmont and Sicily. For this reason, proposing less noble territories can be successful, also through business networks. Pantini explains it: “If consortia take the field, promotion benefits from them, while in a network of companies the approach is commercial and more easily manageable”