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What can Cooperatives Bring to the Future of Fine Wine?
May 10, 2022 @ 16:00 - 17:00
Although declining in numbers, cooperatives still represent around half of the wine production of France, Italy, and Spain, and a third of Germany’s. Their contribution to their wine industries can hardly be overstated.
In 2016, UNESCO added co-operatives to its list of intangible cultural assets, recognising them as entities that “allow for community building through shared interests and values creating innovative solutions to societal problems, from generating employment and assisting seniors to urban revitalisation and renewable energy projects”.
It is fair to say, however, that they have never really been associated with fine wine production, and that generations of both consumers and trade grew up associating cooperatives wines with cheap mass production.
In the last couple of decades, leading wine cooperatives have transformed themselves, and are producing much higher quality wine. At the same time, a younger generation of consumers are developing an interest in cooperatives, intrigued by their community ethos.
Are cooperatives the next big thing for fine wine?
Major themes to be addressed:
- What are cooperatives and how do they work?
- What were their historical roles and purpose?
- In which fields are forward-thinking cooperatives leading the way?
- How can we reconcile cooperatives and fine wine?
- What can a collective approach bring to the future of fine wine?
- Have consumers’ perception about cooperatives changed?
