Heritage vineyards: the landscape of winemaking and environmental sustainability in Italy

What happens when we pop a bottle? What implications does it have for supply chains? For production processes? For the protection of the environment, biodiversity, or the ecosystem? For the landscape or cultural heritage of a region?

Viticulture – the cultivation of grapes for winemaking – is undergoing many interconnected changes in Europe today, including European policies for the protection and recognition of quality brands; enforcement regulations related to specifications; varietal choices and local agronomic practices; and changing climatic conditions to which the sector needs adapt. In Italy, the recent passage of the ‘Ministerial Decree on Historic and Eroic Vineyards No. 6899/2020’ has had significant policy implications and poses new challenges for geo-historical and geographical analysis. It also, however, allows us to reflect upon the effects of climate change and environmental degradation on viticulture.