Trentino Wines: The Third Sustainability Report Becomes an Action Plan

"Unlike the previous one, we wanted to involve those who work every day in the fields, in the cellar, and in the sales network. A budget only makes sense if everyone experiences it. That's why I ask you to read it and share your comments."

The contents

Stefano Rizzi, an agronomist with the Consortium's Protection Office, illustrated the figures. The report, covering the three-year period 2022-2025, follows the international GRI standards, integrated with SQNPI, VIVA, and Equalitas. It collects data from the Consortium, the supply chain, the wineries, and the farms, through field records. "It's a report on the territory and the sector ," Rizzi emphasized.

The listening phase involved representatives of the wineries, winemakers, and six external experts from the academic, research, and communications worlds. Six priority areas emerged, from protecting denominations and value for members to the responsible use of pesticides, soil, landscape, and biodiversity.

Among the most significant data is the tenth anniversary of the SQNPI sustainability certification , which annually verifies over 5,000 winemakers and unites virtually all of Trentino's vineyards under a single framework. In 2025, winery staff completed an average of more than 10 hours of training, and over 4,800 winemakers were involved in training activities. A three-year study with the Edmund Mach Foundation demonstrated that the Trentino viticultural model, with its alternation of vineyards and natural areas, favors a significantly greater presence of bees and other beekeepers than intensive viticulture. The carbon and water footprints were calculated for nearly 9,000 hectares , identifying the levers for improvement.

The real news is the final chapter. The data are used to develop a 2026-2028 sustainability plan with gradual, economically sustainable, measurable, and verifiable objectives over time. The report is also available in digital format, downloadable via QR code.

"A sustainability report is valuable when it transforms a complex process into understandable, verifiable, and useful information to guide future decisions. For us, sustainability means above all the ability to improve over time and make this improvement measurable. The real protagonists are the people who carry out this report every day, in the vineyard and in the cellar," stated Graziano Molon, General Manager of the Consorzio Vini del Trentino.

Sustainability seen from the markets

Cristina Mercuri MW – Master of Wine, Founder & CEO of Mercuri Wine Club, highlighted a paradox . Seven out of ten consumers consider sustainability important, but only 27% verify that the product is truly organic, and many are unwilling to pay more. With the 2024 European directive, effective from September, claims will have to be demonstrable.

"We're ahead in terms of production, but we can improve on communication. Consumers want concrete facts, not slogans. First we measure, then we certify, and finally we communicate. For a region like Trentino, an annual assessment can become part of the denomination's value."

Astrid Palmieri, Esselunga's Corporate Sustainability Director, offered the perspective of large-scale retail, where responsibility for sustainability is increasingly shared throughout the supply chain: the retailer's new plan aims to evaluate 90% of high-impact suppliers. "It's not important to start from the same starting point; what's important is to share the same direction."

The voice of the producers

In the roundtable discussion moderated by Fabio Piccoli, Editor-in-Chief of Wine Meridian , the first theme that emerged was the value of working together . "As small companies, we wouldn't be able to tackle certain certifications; the Consortium gives us the tools," explained Goffredo Pasolli (Gaierhof - Maso Poli). Federico Simoni (Cantine Monfort - Maso Cantanghel) went further. "Today, wine must be sustainable, period. In Trentino, we've made it a matter of the territory, and it's a plus for us producers." In the cooperative world, the push often comes from the bottom up, as Ludovico Berteotti (Cantina d'Isera) explained. "The winemaker is rooted in his land, and protecting it means protecting his home."

For many companies, sustainability is a long-standing choice. Barbara Mottini (Cantina Vallarom) recalled their early days in 1999. "They looked askance at us, so we immediately started organic. We live among the vineyards and are the primary consumers of our wine." For Martina Centa (Cantina Roeno), it's above all "a responsibility toward the future." Paolo Dorigati (Cantina Dorigati) sees it as a shared experience : in Mezzocorona, among vineyards and apartment buildings, they're testing resistant varieties so as not to spray near homes.

The issue of communication remains unresolved. Francesca Tinazzi (Cantina Tinazzi) compared the sustainability report to weighing yourself. "Every year you look in the mirror and tell yourself it's still not enough." Paolo Dorigati urged work to focus first on the local brand. "Sustainability is a multiplier. If the value of the local brand is low, the result will also remain low."

The Consorzio Vini del Trentino's 3rd Sustainability Report thus concludes with a concrete vision : not simply taking a snapshot of what has been achieved, but using data, listening, and discussion to define the next steps. In this sense, the 2026-2028 plan represents a shared commitment , which will need to be monitored over time and updated based on the results achieved. Because sustainability, even before being a goal to be communicated, is a daily journey that involves people, businesses, and the local community.