A number of leading Italian politicians have joined the offensive to stop the European Union giving its green light to a process which artificially ages wine using wood chips to give it a barrel flavor. Hundreds of wine experts, businessmen and now politicians are signing a petition drawn up by the environmentalist group Legambiente and the Citta del Vino wine association aimed at stopping the EU.
Among the first to sign was Senate Speaker Franco Marini, the centrist Daisy party chairman of the House environment committee Ermete Realacci and Green Senator Loredana De Petris. Other supporters of the initiative include sector
journalists and wine critics, the Italian association of hotel and restaurant wine stewards, university professors, winemakers, a host of municipalities and members of Tuscany's regional government.
"Even Premier (Romano) Prodi has agreed to work with us to try and resolve this problem in order to protect Italian wine," Realacci said. The use of wood chips as a shortcut to aging wine will be brought before parliament in Rome, he added.
"It is still not clear whether the wood chips being used to give the barrel flavor are harmful. But even if they are not, wines aged using this method cannot be compared quality-wise to our Italian wines," observed Piero Baronti of Legambiente's Tuscan branch.
Aside from the proposal itself, Realacci added, "we are shocked by the lack of any provision regarding the labeling of these wines. The consumer will not have a clue about the method used to age the wine he is buying. A clear distinction must be made".
