Abstract
Despite the great relevance of sustainable development, the absence of a shared approach to sustainable vitiviniculture is evident. This review aimed to investigate sustainability along the entire wine chain, from primary production to the finished wine, with specific attention to three key dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) and relating measures. Therefore, it was decided to: investigate the ways in which sustainability is applied in the various stages of the production chain (wine growing, wineries, distribution chain, and waste management); analyse the regulations in force throughout the world and the main labelling systems; provide numerical information on sustainable grapes and wines; study the objective quality of sustainable wines and that perceived by consumers, considering that it affects their willingness to pay. The research highlighted that rules and regulations on organic production of grapes and wines are flanked by several certification schemes and labelling systems. Although sustainable wines represent a niche in the market, in recent years, there has been an increase in vineyards conducted with sustainable (mainly organic and biodynamic) methods, and a consequent increase in the production of sustainable wines both in traditional and emerging producing countries. Although (or perhaps precisely for this reason) no significant differences in quality are found among sustainable and conventional wines, consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainably produced wines. This finding should encourage wineries to both put in place environmental activities and intensify their communication.
Highlights
Nowadays, the term ‘sustainability’ is frequently used, and a variety of definitions are available
This means that, in any case, the biodynamic wines have a double certification: the first, concerning their ‘organic’ nature, which is released by independent certification bodies; the second, referred to their ‘biodynamic’ characteristics, which has been guaranteed by the Demeter Association since 1927
A great number of sustainable wine types are available on the market as a result of the different regulations and certification schemes in force in the various countries
Summary
The term ‘sustainability’ is frequently used, and a variety of definitions are available. Szolnoki et al performed a study aimed to understand how wine makers defined sustainability in different countries (namely, France, Germany, USA/California, Hungary, Italy, Greece, and Spain) [5] They found that the definition given by almost all of the U.S and French wineries contains the three aspects of sustainability stated by the United Nations. Differences were observed as a function of the size of the wine companies, with small wineries, especially those certified as organic or biodynamic, focused on the environmental aspect, with the bigger companies more prone to consider the economic and social principles Another finding of this research was that several wine makers did not distinguish between organic and biodynamic management systems. The present work is aimed to give an updated overview on sustainability in the wine sector, describing the following aspects: categories of sustainable wines; sustainable practices along the wine supply chain; sustainable certification schemes; market of the sustainable wines; and consumer attitude towards sustainable wines
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