The importance of Designations of Origin for Italian wines for German consumers

While the designations of origin do not only refer to the specific characteristics of a product but, at least for those who live in a designation of origin territory, they also signify environmental protection and social cohesion, in terms of economic policy it is necessary to analyse the overall meaning the designations of origin of Italian wines have for foreign consumers and, in particular, see whether the values the citizens of the territories of origin attribute to them are transferred to those consumers. Such a study is being conducted on the three main countries to which Italian wines are exported: United States, Germany, and United Kingdom. The study is not simple to implement. Carrying out a direct survey on consumers on such complex topics is extremely difficult and costly, so in this case, also, an attempt was made to identify and contact their representatives. It was decided to collect the information from the most representative commercial operators of the various countries who are the intermediaries between the Italian designation of origin wine producers and the consumers of the various countries. Direct interviews are to be held with them. In this first phase, these interviews are being supplemented by a study on a more neutral field, with an analysis of the texts of the interviews granted by foreign commercial operators to one of the most well-known magazines of the wine sector in Italy: the “Corriere Vinicolo” published by the Unione Italiana Vini, and which has existed since 1928. In terms of economic policy, understanding the importance of the designations of origin of Italian wines for non-Italian consumers, and in what ways they are important, means understanding how much these citizens can ideally agree with and financially support a policy for designations of origin. Lastly, this study may contribute to understand what spaces exist for guaranteeing the wellbeing of the citizens through the development of the designations of origin in the old and new world (Anderson, 2009) (Cross, Plantinga, Stavins, 2011)