Assoenologi at the European Parliament with DoctorWine contributors Sissi Baratella and Sara Fracassetti: the only all-female speaker before European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.
In the presence of the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, the meeting “The Future of Fine Wine in Europe,” sponsored by MEP Dario Nardella (S&D) and co-hosted by Liquid Icons Productions Ltd, was held yesterday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. An important event for the European wine sector, which featured – as the only women speakers invited – Sissi Baratella and Sara Fracassetti, official delegates of Assoenologi, the national association of Italian oenologists and wine technicians.
In their speech, the two young professionals brought greetings from Assoenologi national president Riccardo Cotarella and authoritatively represented Assoenologi’s modern and proactive vision of the future of quality wine in Europe. In front of parliamentarians, institutional representatives and elite producers from the international scene, Baratella and Fracassetti reiterated the centrality of the role of the oenologist as an increasingly multidisciplinary, knowledgeable figure, trained not only in technique but also in communication and in reading social, climatic and consumption changes.
Sissi Baratella’s speech
“The winemaker today is no longer just in the vineyard or in the cellar,” explained Sissi Baratella – but it is an interpreter of the territory and a bridge to the consumer. We need to replace the word ‘tradition’ with ‘identity,’ because identity is the real strength of Italian viticulture. And we need training that makes us able to tell the story of wine in a modern, authentic, emotional way. Wine tourism, in particular, is an extraordinary opportunity to enhance fine wines and their connection with territories “.
Sara Fracassetti’s talk
Next, Sara Fracassetti, communication specialist of Assoenologi, highlighted how “the figure of the winemaker must evolve with new tools, both in terms of regulations and training. Pathways are needed that integrate academic teaching with field experiences, in synergy with companies, institutions and professional networks. Our National Congress in Agrigento testified precisely to this desire to build a technical and cultural community that is up to the challenges of the future “.
An international audience
Assoenologi’s speech received great attention from the international audience, which included-in addition to Commissioner Hansen-Marco Canaparo (Deputy Permanent Representative to Coreper), MEPs Eric Sargiacomo (S&D) and Esther Herranz Garcia (EPP), and representatives of such entities as Domaine Leflaive, Il Marroneto, LVMH Vins d’Exception, Moët Hennessy, Crurated, Sogrape, and other European and U.S. excellences in the sector.
With this participation, Assoenologi reaffirms its role as an active interlocutor in the European context, ready to support innovation and the cultural and professional evolution of Italian oenology in the world.
