Meet VIVA, the label for sustainable wine

Project VIVA Sustainable Wine achieves its goal with the presentation of the first bottles carrying the new label tracking the environmental performances of the wine production chain

(Rinnovabili.it) – Consumers need to be aware of the environmental commitment of the Italian wine sector. From now on this will be ensured by a new label documenting in a clear, immediate way the sustainability of the wine production chain. Project VIVA Sustainable Wine, adopted by the Environment Ministry in 2011, aims to measure and improve the environmental performances of the vine-growing and wine-producing chain and to track them through a transparency tool – the label – reporting the sustainability information, guaranteed by the Environment Ministry and validated by third-party certification.

The project involved nine wine producers, selected by geographic and product-related criteria, and three Italian research institutions of Torino University, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and Perugia University. Based on four indicators (air, water, territory and vineyard) and the relevant specifications, the companies reviewed the impact of their production processes in terms of sustainability and voluntarily undertook improvements. The results can be viewed by consumers through the QR code on the label, which is linked to a dedicated web page.

“The creation of the VIVA mark to be applied on each bottle – said Lamberto Vallarino Gancia, the president of Federvini – is an opportunity for both consumers and wine producers to participate in the improvement of production processes from the vineyard to the glass and to enhance consumer awareness in relation to environmental protection”.

The results of the pilot phase of the project were officially presented at Vinitaly 2014 during a ceremony where the nine wine producers were presented with their analysis validation certificates.

Translated by Silvia Modena