On the barricades against the alcohol removal of Italian wine. Yesterday, at Veronafiere, agricultural and producer associations shared a document, addressed to the Government to put pressure on the Parliament and the EU Council so that they adopt a distinctive terminology for dealcoholated products, even partially (for example “drink”), in order not to confuse consumers, and protect, also in the subsequent Regulation, from partial alcohol freezing PDO and PGI, heritage of culture, tradition and tricolor cellar. Director of the initiative the Veronese regional councilor of Forza Italia, Alberto Bozza, organizer with his colleague Elisa Venturini of the round table which was attended by the president of Assoenologi, Riccardo Cotarella, the national wine producers of Coldiretti and Cia, Domenico Bosco and Luca Brunelli, the Veronese president Confagri, Alberto De Togni, the presidents Avive (association of Veronese wines) and Uvive (union of Venetian wine consortia), Franco Cristoforetti and Pierclaudio De Martin. The initiative comes after the presentation in the Venetian Council of a motion approved unanimously in defense of Veneto wines. «The attack on the most representative product of the Italian agri-food is frontal and affects the soul of the wine, its alcohol content, essential for sweetness and softness. The dealcoholate should not be called wine, it is no longer. It is in fact obtained through two successive distillation steps. By doing so, however, the chemistry of the wine is upset, removing tannin, polyphenols and obtaining a product that is too aggressive and no longer pleasant », says Cotarella. «Only large groups can benefit from the introduction of the practice, because they can have dedicated plants and an export pushed even to countries that cannot approach alcoholic beverages. Alcohol freezing damages small and medium-sized producers, the identity of Italian wine and the soul of the territories ». «The dealcoholates can already be made before the CAP reform, but it cannot be called wine. The way today is to defend our identity: we cannot allow there to be a partially or totally de-alcoholized Italian wine. Italy must maintain its own recognizability: we intervene with a national norm », Bosco hopes. «The discipline included in the CAP risks creating commercial confusion in the consumer. The goal must be to clarify ”, adds De Togni. «We do not like the reform on the dealcoholate, but if Italy makes a system to defend its wine, I believe that the European directive can hardly affect it. There are our disciplines that have a history, they should not be upset to chase a red herring », invites Brunelli. «The disciplinary regulations», specifies Cristoforetti, «allow only traditional practices. If wine has to be dealcoholated, it must be so only with a Community wording and is defined as a drink, it must never be combined with Italian wine. We do not need the alcohol removal ». Finally, De Martin spoke on the question of the Croatian Prosek. “An initiative that jeopardizes all Italian agri-food and not just wine.” •.