That’s why nobody will win the wines war and the Prosecco -like arrives

For Al Bano, the disaster can still be avoided. A song and everything passes, even the duties. «I go to a restaurant in Trump, I sing » a glass of wine, with a sandwich, happiness, happiness « , and I convince the president to go back. If it does not work I will sell my primitive 50 euro Plato in Russia », joked the singer-agricultor to a sheep day (Rai Radio 1). From the White House to the Kremlin starting from Cellino San Marco. Al Bano is more worried about how much he wants to seem for the Trumpian threat of the duties on European wines. And like him are all those who work with the Italy vineyard, a sector that invoice 14.5 billion a year, more than half (8.1) thanks to exports. Because the American duties, announced by 25% and then 200% on the entire European agri -food sector, could drastically drop the number of Italian bottles brought beyond the Atlantic. Now the load to the United States is worth 1.9 billion euros every year. Tomorrow who knows.

Prohibitionism

Trump is also a wine manufacturer, despite being a row since his brother died alcoholic. He knows well, the president, that taking it with wine and alcohol causes indignant reactions and media frastuon.
Although every time America has declared war on alcohol, the clamor went hand in hand to the effect-Boomerang. This was the case in 1920 with the prohibition, that he earned 60 million dollars in Al Capone, thanks to illegal drinks. They found underground and tricks: from the passed off liqueurs for medical remedies (even the Fernet Branca for stomach ache made fury in the States), to the churches born from nothing only to keep wine from mass. Until President Roosevelt, after twelve years, canceled the law with a simple sentence: « It is a good time for a beer ». Thus giving Wiston Churchill right to defined the ban on selling wine and liqueurs « an affront to the entire history of humanity ».

Trump, a century later, is more selective, wants to hit the first producers in the world of wine, Italy in the lead, then France, and therefore Spain. It is not the first time, he did so also in 2020, during his first term: 25% on French, Spanish and German wines, a retaliation against the Airbus consortium. Italy was excluded. All Salvi, from the Langhe to Etna. « In practice, Trump was our benefactor, we had a ass of the Madonna, thanks to him we gained incredible spaces, » he barred with the Angelo Gaja sheet, the Lord of Barbaresco.
As long as the current commercial duel between the United States and Europe will last, with the proclamations on taxes imposed on whiskey and bourbon opposing those on Brunello and Amarone, it is not predictable. Meanwhile, hundreds of containers full of large reds and bubbles are blocked in the ports of Italy because importers wait for the night of the duties to pass. Other containers are in navigation on the Atlantic (there are 30-45 days from shipping to delivery) and nobody knows the cost to be paid to clear the load on arrival.

Between Vicenza and Trieste, where the « Zaiastan » extends which includes the largest wine district in Italy, that of the three consortia of Prosecco, there is the same concern that afflicts Al Bano’s Puglia. More than refrains on happiness, they feel improper from Northeast, as if there were many Pojana by Andrea Pennacchi among the vineyards (the actor who has recently staged his story through the Amarone della Valpolicella). The three presidents of the Consortia, Franco Adami (Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Docg) Giancarlo Guidolin (DOC) and Michele Noal (Asolo DOCG), are looking for alternatives: « Japan, India and Nigeria have great potential », says Noal without enthusiasm.
For now nothing can soothe possible damage to duties, because the United States is firmly the first market for Italian wine. Not from now. Count Gaetano Marzotto in the seventies transformed a semi -unknown copper wine into a white for the starred restaurants of New York, Boston and Philadelphia: changing the maceration times of the grapes, the gray Pinot became the locomotor of Italian whites in the States. So famous as to end up in the songs of rapper Drake, suggestive to the point of resonating in the title of a song by Lady Gaga, Gray Girls. On the bianchist wave they then surfed the sparkling wines, Prosecco on their heads, more than 130 million bottles, almost a quarter of the entire tricolor expedition. A sparkling sea on which the duties have the effect of a dam, a Mose that brakes exports. The three presidents of the consortia explained it in a letter to the minister of agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida that the American importers suspended orders, pending the announced duties. « An emergency », write the prosecists asking for the intervention of the government « which can cause a heavy contraction of the value, with repercussions for our companies, both in economic and social terms ».

Similar letters started from the consortia of Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Barolo and Valpolicella. Large supermarket chains and the Wine Trade Alliance, the group that works on behalf of importers, wholesalers, details, American restaurants and producers in mid -March recommended to immediately suspend shipments from Europe.
Giancarlo Moretti Polegato, patron of Villa Sandi in Treviso, president of System Prosecco and brother of Mario, Mr. Geox, is convinced that the Americans, more than the Europeans, will bring Trump back to reason. The group of Moretti Polegato exports 60% of bottles in the United States, Great Britain and Germany. Invoice 20 million euros in America. « At this moment they are the users use the most in difficulty » he explains « find themselves paying unexpected taxes on goods in transit could be a very hard blow. This is why their lobby is pressing on the White House to get a change of pace ».

Before Trump’s decision on April 2, chaos was staged. An Italian who works for an American company such as Sandro Sartor, president of Tuscany Ruffino (60 million euros exported to the US turnover), owned by Constellation Brands, revealed that he had had a million bottles blocked in the port of Livorno, after blocking orders. « One of my importers continued to buy Prosecco, the other stopped orders, » says Moretti Polegato. « However, I’m not pessimistic, Prosecco is unique and inimitable, the Americans will continue to drink it, even if it will cost more. »
But there is always someone ready to take advantage of confusion. A few days ago the Calsecco, Californian sparkling wine, produced by the Rack & Riddle, a great producer of bubbles, has arrived on the US shelves, who skid the choice of the « Italian method », that is, the fermentation in the autoclave as for Prosecco, and « the Venetian wine tradition » with the aim of « conquering American consumers ». Italy will block Calsecco if it will be able to demonstrate that the name and communication are evocative of Prosecco.

Falsari

Food and wine lines are always lurking, Italian scams amounted to 120 billion euros. The United States confirms the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini, « they are the country in which we have the most falsifications and with the duties there is the risk that these imitations take away market shares from the true Made in Italy ». Coldiretti, with Italy and National Farmers Union (NFu) chain, the main association of American farmers, appealed to Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen to ask for the end of the commercial war. UIV, Federvini, Federdoc, Assoenologists, Copagri, Italian Cooperative Alliance, Confagricoltura and Cia Cia Italiani Italiano speak in a document of possible « devastating effects » with the introduction of duties.
The winemakers are convinced: you have to force the EU to treat again with the United States without strength tests. Otherwise they will soon see damage to the economy and employment. Coldiretti hypothesizes a loss of 6 million a day for the Italian cellars in the stall phase. To be more affected by the popular wing of wines, sold by cellars to importers up to 4.18 euros per liter, and not over $ 13 to the consumer. 350 million bottles, about 80% of the total shipped in the USA. With the increase due to the duties they risk ending up outside the market. What to do? Dialogue will not be enough. There is already talk of cuts, also because in the Italian cellars there are 43 million hectoliters of invented wine. « The theme of productive containment will inevitably have to be tackled, » provides Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian Union Vini. In the European Plan for wine presented in March, community funding includes to eradicate the vineyards and spirits red, rosé and excess whites. Destroy wines and vineyards? It already seems half empty that glass of wine with the sandwich of happiness.