The European wine market is heavily regulated, but quality and quantity are not the only criteria monitored by EU legislation
20/01/2014 The political economy counts more, the true

Almost half of the vineyards in the world are in the European Union where 60% of the world’s wine is produced and consumed. But the Old Continent is not only the biggest wine region and main importer and exporter, but also a heavily regulated market. Why? AAWE authors asked themselves the same question in the research paper “The Political Economy of European Wine Regulations” which has as its main thesis the direct influence of the economy on the mechanism which, from the start, has generated the structure of norms which regulate wine in the EU. In Europe, the role of EU norms take on many forms: they determine where some wines may be produced while others may not, the minimum distance between the vines, the type of vine which can be planted in certain regions and so on.
But the regulations also determine the subsidies available to EU producers, the economic help for the uprooting of existing vineyards and impose limits to planting new ones in addition to financing the distillation of surplus wine. A mass of rules which are not always efficient in resolving problems and could have contributed to creating some distortions in the industry. Just as an example, between 20 and 40 million hectoliters (equal to 13-22% of wine produced in the EU), the equivalent of 3-6 billion bottles (Eurostat, 2013) have been distilled every year over the last three decades. Many studies by the same European commission on the wine industry find the amount of distillation, which is neither effective nor efficient in eliminating the structural surpluses, results in too high an expenditure for the EU. In fact, the short-term revenue support creates a stabilization of the surplus in the long term, with the aggravating circumstances that the persisting amount of distillation could provide incentives for the production of industrial alcohol at the expense of wine.
More than 2,000 among the regulations, directives and decision about wine have been published in the EU since 1962, and a good part of this articulate legislative system is directly traced back to the logic contained in French norms introduced between the end of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century: quality regulations like the AOC system introduced to protect historic producers, such as the rich landowners in Bordeaux, from imitations and adulterations; quantity regulations like the restrictions on training systems introduced to protect the producers from importing low-cost wines.
A few examples clarify this decisive imprint, impressed by France to the rest of Europe. In 1970 the big crisis of overproduction triggered pressure from French producers for the introduction of production control norms in the EU as a whole just like in 1930 when wine producers in the south of France (threatened by the influx of Algerian wines) pressured the French government for the promulgation of the “Statut Viticole” about production regulation. In 1976, French producers (threatened this time by the influx of Italian wines in their country) pressured their government into imposing a greater EU regulation on the production of wines within the community.
The European legislative policies, therefore, tried to regulate the quantity, price and quality of wine, but the quantity and price regulations can be understood only from a political point of view, that is by analyzing the intensity of the political pressure on the EU decision-making process. In fact, their main goal is that of redistributing resources from (potential) new wine producers and consumers to existing producers.
In an environment characterized by skewed information between producers and consumers, that is where consumers have imperfect information about the product, as in the case of wine, the EU regulations guaranteeing a certain quality and/or certain basic product information, can enhance overall welfare. In the same way, the norms which prohibit the use of unhealthy ingredients may better consumer welfare by reducing and/or eliminating the problems of skewed information. The quality regulations also relate to the distribution of revenue: according to their implementation, they can, in fact, create revenue for specific groups of producers who must face minor implementation costs for certain quality norms and for those who have access to resources or key prerequisites required by the norms. For example, the norms which limit the production of some types of wines (expensive) of a certain region, may bring with them benefits to the owners of those wineries and may damage the owners of land and vineyards in nearby areas. Other European wine quality norms have strong distributive effects on the income in that they require access to very specific goods, such as plots of land in specific regions. Other examples of quality norms with clear distributive effects are those where certain techniques are not permitted such as the use of hybrid varietals, blending different wines and so on.
When the regulations were introduced mainly for efficiency reasons, they always created profit for limited categories and induced lobbying to keep these regulations active even after their efficiency effects had diminished. In conclusion, to understand the internal dynamic of the EU regulations of quantity and quality, it is necessary to look at the interaction between the political and economic aspects of the same regulations: these norms were almost always introduced to protect existing economic revenue when the same were threatened by innovation or by the increase of wine imports in Europe.
2015
- At Christmastime, give the gift of wine: tastings, tours, overnight stays and much more! Choose from over 900 Italian wineries
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- Open Cellars for San Martino 2015 in Lombardy: tastings, novello wine and
- Open Cellars for San Martino 2015 in Veneto: a sweet way to ring in the new agricultural season
- Open Cellars for San Martino 2015 in Piedmont: raise a glass to the new agricultural year with unusual tastings and events for all tastes and ages
- Open Cellars for San Martino 2015 in Lazio: aged wines paired with the best products in the territory as the fall event returns
- Open Cellars for San Martino 2015 in Friuli Venezia Giulia: experience Open Cellars immersed in the colours and flavours of autumn at MTV wineries
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- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Tuscany: from vines to rare foods, over 70 Tuscan wineries are ready to offer unique experiences (from Saturday, May 30 to Tuesday, June 2)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Sardinia: enjoying the outdoors in olive groves and vineyards while enjoying enchanting glimpses of nature on Sunday, May 31
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- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Lazio: events and delectable tastings at wineries in the Capitoline city (Saturday, May 30 - Sunday, May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Sicily: walks in nature, themed runs, guided tastings and much more (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Molise: tourism and wine make for a winning combination at the 10 participating wineries of Molise (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Campania: on the eco-friendly food and wine trail (Saturday-Sunday, May 30 and 31)
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- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Friuli Venezia Giulia: top event for wine lovers in over 60 regional wineries (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Piedmont: the best wineries of Piedmont open their doors to wine lovers and not only (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in Veneto: film sets, pristine landscapes and snapshots for #bevicosavedi (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday May 31)
- Cantine Aperte 2015 in the Marche: double up on flavour, contact with nature and solidarity (Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31)
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- Puglia at International Wine Tourism Conference in Reims. Wednesday to Friday April 8-10 MTV Puglia in Champagne region
- Red or White? Wine Reveals Intentions: survey among wine lovers by the Osservatorio sui Consumi University of Verona for MTV Lombardy
- Debuting at Vinitaly, 47 Movimento Turismo Vino wine tourism packages and #bevicosavedi photo contest underway on Instagram
- VINITALY 2015: 37 MOVIMENTO TURISMO VINO CELLARS AT OPERA
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- Spotlight on design, fashion and wines at the old tollgates that have come back to life At Piazza Cinque Giornate, the MTV Lombardy wine shop that will toast Expo 2015
- 1965-2015 The Avallone Family Celebrates 50 Years of Villa Matilde, Movimento Turismo del Vino Campania Member! #50annidifalerno
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2014
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Umbria. An Autumn Day in Good Taste with
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Lazio: aged wines at table with local delicacies
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Lombardia: A Toast to the New Agricultural Year on November 16 with Movimento Turismo del Vino Wineries
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Veneto: tastings, guided tours and much more at Movimento Turismo del Vino wineries
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Campania: Saint Martin
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Piemonte. An Autumn Sunday Strolling through Vineyards and Lunching with Winemakers
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #Puglia. Sunday, November 16 Glasses Raised to Toast
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in the #Marche: Chestnuts, Typical Treats and Wine Tastings
- Cantine Aperte for San Martino in #FriuliVeneziaGiulia: saturday and sunday, november 15 and 16 Cantine Aperte turns to autumn
- Cantine Aperte Gift Pack by Emozione3: Some wines make your head spin, the best ones get tourists moving and with Emozione3 it
- Rome and Milan Celebrate Wines from Puglia:
- Movimento Turismo del Vino women: profiles of winemakers who colour the world of wine
- Cantine Aperte for Harvest Time in #Lazio: 14 MTV Lazio Wineries Open their Doors to Wine Lovers
- Cantine Aperte at Harvest Time in #Umbria: Movimento Turismo del Vino Wineries Open Doors to Wine Lovers
- Cantine Aperte at Harvest Time in #Puglia to Experience the Harvest Hands-On and Welcome the Grapes to the Cellar
- Cantine Aperte at Harvest Time in #Campania: Grape and Good Drink Festivities Set for Sunday, September 14
- Calici di Stelle 2014: Participating MTV Wineries and Citt
- MOVIMENTO TURISMO VINO AND CITT
- Calici di Stelle 2014 in #Puglia: Double Date for the 16th Edition
- Movimento Turismo Vino: MTV Lombardia and MTV Calabria meet in Milan for HappinMovinHour n
- Wine and Territory: Strategic Combo for Made in Italy in View of Expo 2015
- Cantine Aperte 2014 in #TrentinoAltoAdige: Sunday, May 25 dedicated to
- All is set for the 22nd edition of Cantine Aperte by Movimento Turismo del Vino
- Cantine Aperte in #Lazio on Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25 in the cities of our capital region
- Cantine Aperte in #Umbria: A, B
- Cantine Aperte in #Campania: the return appointment featuring music, art and good food
- Movimento Turismo Vino hosts Cantine Aperte: Sunday, May 25
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- Vinitaly 2014 & Movimento Turismo del Vino
- ProWein 2014: Puglia present in D
- ISMEA makes it official: Italian wine breaks record with exports of 5 billion euros in 2013 up 7%
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- PRIZE
- In 2013 Less Wine Bought but Price Boom in Italy
- PUGLIA WINE & LAND: Fifth Edition March 16-20
- Italian Wine Sales Drop 6.5% in 2013
- Mastroberardino (Movimento Turismo Vino):
- Alberto Fiornini New President of Movimento Turismo del Vino Emilia Romagna
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- Movimento Turismo del Vino Campania and Training
- BIT 2014: Puglia Showcases Wine Tourism at Fuori Salone and the Fair from February 14 to 17
- China, Canada, Brazil and Japan Hold Back on Wine Imports
- Worldwide Winemania
- In Mexico wine consumption up by 13%, Italy overtakes France
- China to be top wine consumer in the world by 2015-2020
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- Cibus 2014 international food exhibition of Italy a leader foreign markets
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- Expo 2015: budding flowers for the Italian Pavilion
- Industry: food products increase twofold (+2.8%) and lead the upswing
- Wine: SACE supports Italian wineries in foreign markets
- The latest factfile on
2013
- Italy and France leaders in production, Germany for imports, Luxemburg for consumption per capita
- A Christmas in
- A Taste of Charity: Chianti Classico winery Antinori and MTV Toscana join together to help Tuscan cancer charity
- Harvest 2013: the final numbers from Assoenologi indicate a production between 47 and 48 million hl of wine, up 15% over 2012
- Wine eCommerce strives to take off in Italy but doesn
- Tour in Asia to promote Italian wine culture with
- 'Cantine Aperte for San Martino' on Sunday, November 10 in Puglia
- Umbria celebrated 'Cantine Aperte a San Martino': appointment for sunday 10 november for a meeting with the new wine
- St. Martin
- 'Cantine Aperte a San Martino': meeting with wine lovers in cellars of Lazio, Sunday, November 10
- St. Martin
- Cantine Aperte for Indian Summer in Friuli Venezia Giulia: save the date November 9 and 10 for tastings and tours in MTV cellars
- Autochtona, the national territorial wine forum, is back in Bolzano October 21-22
- Expo 2015: Liguria and Lombardy sign super-regional tourism agreement
- Happy Movin Dinner at Milano Golosa with Movimento Turismo del Vino and Unione Italiana Ristoratori featuring North-South tastings and pairings
- Calici di Stelle in Puglia: National President Daniela Mastroberardino ushers in Calici di Stelle 2013 in Trani
- Calici di Stelle (August 10) Movimento Turismo del Vino and Citt
- Calici di Stelle in Puglia, spotlight on Trani and Copertino
- Calici di Stelle in Molise, beaches, castles and historic villages
- Calici di Stelle in Lombardia: MTV regions meet in Milan for a special toast under the stars
- Calici di Stelle in Puglia, from Trani to Copertino a cheers under the stars
- Top Labels and Tastings at Soaring Heights in Cortina at VinoVip (July 13-15)
- Raising a glass to music and wine at Calici di Stelle 2013 on the night of the shooting stars
- Calici di Stelle event celebrates Giuseppe Verdi on the 200th anniversary of his birth
- Winenews-Vinitaly Survey: Wine a must for every other wine lover
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- Cantine Aperte: bad weather limits attendance to 800,000
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- Vinitaly in the World becomes Vinitaly International
- Italy need a Ministry of Agroalimentare, for business growth and competitiveness
- Trade: in 2012 sales less food, save only shopping at discount
- Agriturist, the Strategic Plan for Tourism is already old
- Important recognition for the wine sector; is born Fiano delle Puglie
- Austerity: even the dish is poor. In 2012, 60% of family cut on the table food
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- Expo 2015: in Milan arrives 'HappyMovinHour' with MTV Lombardia
- Agriculture: the bureaucracy can create a bad situation for small businesses
- Puglia is launching a series of initiatives for wine tourists
- Slow Food presents its 'agenda' to the next government
- Puglia is in the worldwide Top Ten of the best wine tourism destinations
- The priorities of agriculture for the new government? You can vote online
- Agriturismo is still the favorite destination for holidays in Italy
- Legal and tax consulence specific for the world of wine is Diritto Divino
- The U.S. magazine Wine Enthusiast dedicated the first monograph to Italian wines
2011
- Christams in Wineries 2011
- A MARRIAGE THAT MUST TAKE PLACE! THE NEW WINE AND GREAT AGING WINES GET MARRIED AT ITALIAN LOCAL FLAVORS IN SAN MARTINO IN WINERY 2011
- Sabato on Wine Agosto 6th 2011
- ARRIVES THE "TRICOLOR" GOBLET OF ITALY 150th YEAR UNIT ANNIVERSARY:
- CALICI DI STELLE 2011 DEDICATED TO THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIFICATION OF ITALY
- ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WINE TOURISM CONFERENCE HEADS FOR PORTUGAL JANUARY 2011
- SABATO ON WINE JULY 2nd 2011
- OPEN WINERIES: THE WINE TOURISM DOESN'T KNOW CRISIS
- OPEN WINERIES ACROSS ITALY Sunday, May 29th: TRAVELING BECOMES DI... WINE
2010
- The 10th of August "CALICI DI STELLE"CELEBRATES RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECO-SUSTAINABILITY IN THE WINERIES
- CANTINE APERTE (OPEN WINERIES), ITALIAN WINE'S BIGGEST PARTY, IS BACK. ON SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2010, 1,000 MEMBER WINERIES OF THE MOVIMENTO TURISMO DEL VINO (WINE TOURISM MOVEMENT) WILL WELCOME A MILLION WINE TOURISTS.
2009
- SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER: SAN MARTINO IN CANTINA
- Saturday On Wine is back on 31 october
- Benvenuta Vendemmia: celebrating the wine harvest in the vineyards
- "Calici Di Stelle-2009"Celebrates The International Astronomic Year In All Italian Piazzas And "Movimento Turismo Del Vino" Wineries.
- Cantine Aperte - With the Wine Tourism Movement. A warm welcome to the wine tourist is the winery's strong point