Great Quality Wines and Low Cost
Notes by Marco Pallanti
We publish here Marco Pallanti’s comments at the public introduction of the book
La fine del ceto medio e la nascita della società Low Cost
(The End of the Middle Class and the Birth of the Low-Cost Society).
I must first of all register a disclaimer, stating my complete lack of standing regarding the present topic, given my almost total non-competence in the fields of economics and sociology.
This said, it must be admitted that this book examines a topic of great interest and immediate relevance, one that regards the market, and in doing so involves all of us, myself included, to the extent that we wish to confront the topic of low-cost wines.
It might be useful if I state my opinion in the beginning, namely, that low-cost wines are not, nor can they ever become, better than Great wines, adopting the classic meaning of that term, even though they can obviously become, and will certainly do so, of great importance in quantitative, and hence economic, terms. It seems clear that only the fact that both wines capture ample market share and number of consumers can bring us to consider these two types of wine comparable. Only from this narrow point of view, that is, their overall economic importance, could we even consider it plausible to compare the low-cost wines to the International Wine Nobility, in much the same way, exaggerating slightly, one could claim that Coca Cola outclasses Chateau d’Yquem.
But what do I mean by a Great Quality Wine?
A Great Wine is a kind of centaur with two halves. The first half, which I would call technical, is regulated by viticulture and by oenology, not very flashy sciences, which by their laws, formulae, and calculations, supply the wine with its non-emotional structure. Everything must always be under strict control. The second half, on the other hand, shows a strong aesthetic charge, generates emotions and sensations; here we find ourselves in the realm of intuition, creativity, in an area where the sentiments rule. The harmonious order of the first part, certainly, the technical, furnishes structure to the second, but it is the latter that creates the distinctiveness of quality.
But this, in the words of the authors, is “a level that of society that functions according to its own rules.”
The meaning of low-cost is clear: paring away of the superfluous and renunciation of formal conventions. In practical terms, the clear-cut separation of the essential from the non-essential.
The principle governing the market for this type of product is quite different from that of the outlet store. Both sales channels share only the goal of saving on price, but while the first can dispense with the “designer signature,” this is not possible in the second, in the outlet, where the product is purchased, yes, at less than the normal market price, but always with something added that reverts back inevitably to the brand.
In the world of wine, low prices (low-cost) always existed, but the lower-level wines did not possess quality.
It is hard to deny that in our own country, the absolute nadir was reached with the methanol scandal, where absence of quality found a new partner in toxicity. Certainly not on the same level, but still relevant to the argument I am making, one has only to recall the myriad defective wines, both draught and bottled, which once graced so many Italian tables.
Without any doubt, science has served the needs of winemaking, and because of technology we can now produce sound wines even at low cost.
In practice, one can today produce low-cost wines that are quite pleasurable, thanks to expansion into new growing areas. Although this list is not exclusive, by growing grapes in more risk-free climates, by expanding to areas with low labour costs, and by using international grape varieties that do not demand specific terroirs but have broader site-tolerance, it is possible to produce low-cost wines that are pleasant, though fairly characterless.
Taking all this into consideration, it would seem that low-cost wine is inevitably destined for total homogenisation.
On the other hand, we must be careful not to adopt extreme positions or take up the facile slogans of the resistance of the “few” over against the advancing “globalisation empire” (the view of Mondovino’s Nossiter). It would be a mistake to ignore the significant contributions that technology, guided by modern science, has made to wine quality, as it has to the quality of our lives.
If we want to re-conquer the world with our less expensive wines, we must utilise technology, but--and here lies the great difference as well as our great opportunity--marrying it to the values inherent in our traditions, and in so doing, free it from mere technical competence.
The world of wine is, overall, being lowered towards what the markets demand, and has thus pushed aside “easy to drink” varieties and wines that used to be produced in the past in Italy, our own region included.
One solution to the problem could be to surrender the uniform paradigm of international wines to areas lacking a wine history and traditions, areas just now emerging as wine producers, in order to inject new life into those models that we have always enjoyed, simple wines, that is, but with character and considerable cultural dignity, even with fairly low production costs.
Love for wine means encouragement of biodiversity, respect for tradition, and for individual growing areas; only in this way will we not lose the sum of human experience, so inevitable with globalisation.
The responsibility of communications is to furnish the consumer with keys to understanding, and not through mere marketing programmes but with carefully-tailored efforts that will provide exciting guidance of great cultural value, thus nurturing the already-strong love for “made in Italy.” This should not be done on a superficial level, but should encompass more existential themes, enabling consumers to make personal contact with our still distinctive “Italian life style.”
La fine del ceto medio e la nascita della società Low Cost
(The End of the Middle Class and the Birth of the Low-Cost Society).
28.09.2006