Designation and Certification Strategies for Fungus-Resistant Grape Wines: An Exploratory Study in Italy

Fungus-resistant grapes (FRGs), or pilzwiderstandfähig (PIWI) in German, are obtained through crossbreeding Vitis vinifera and other species. FRG adoption is among the most promising strategies to pursue improve sustainability wine industry; however, actual spread impact on will largely depend designation certification possibilities procedures for wines, line with framework set by European Union (EU) Regulation 2021/2117. The aim of this study discuss potential consumers’ preferences four hypothetical settings wines: (I) new names without certification; (II) extended use original variety (III) ad-hoc designations (Protected Designation Origin, PDO); (IV) existing PDOs. Participants’ reactivity alternatives was tested market simulations a non-probabilistic sample 301 Italian university students. According results, extension PDOs best option enhance industry sustainability, preserve its quality paradigm, fairly manage competition between traditional wines. Still, further investments needed promote development.