Max de Zarobe takes issue — not with pretty labels, but with critics’ scores. De Zarobe is chairman of the board of Avignonesi Winery in Tuscany. Last month, he published an open letter to wine critics, urging us to pay as much attention to how a wine is made as to how it tastes.
The context for de Zarobe’s plea was climate change. “Winegrowers have observed an impressive acceleration in climatic disorders over the past decade,” he wrote. “Who hasn't suffered from devastating fires, late frosts, scorching summers or repeated hailstorms? But we often forget that we are not just victims. Like any human activity, viticulture has an impact on nature. Unfortunately, the massive use of industrial biocides in vineyards seriously harms the environment and reduces the soils' ability to sequester greenhouse gases.”
Many producers have adopted eco-friendly viticulture, obtaining sustainable, organic, biodynamic and now regenerative certifications. And surveys show consumers in much of the world favor companies that follow environmentally and socially responsible practices. Wine critics, de Zarobe laments, remain largely focused on gobs of fruit, nuances of oak and flavors of earth rather than the condition of the Earth.
Point scores and star ratings aside, he argues, “wine critics must assume responsibility and contribute to the preservation of the environment.”
I reached out to de Zarobe to explore his argument. While he took specific aim at wine critics, his rant seemed to include winemakers and consumers as well. And I wanted to take issue with him on the role of the critic, for while I have for years pointed out when wines I recommend are sustainable, organic or biodynamic, I don’t rate those wines exclusively. My goal is to point readers to wines that offer both high quality and value for their price. The rest is additional information that may or may not influence someone’s choice in wine.
We spoke by video chat when it was late at night in Tuscany. De Zarobe and his wife had just returned from Rome after their first dinner at a favorite restaurant since the pandemic began. He lamented that only a handful of wines on the restaurant’s list were organic. And then he addressed my objection to his argument before I even had a chance to raise it.
“The critics’ duty is to explain to their audience that two wines may both be high-quality, but they have different impacts,” he said. He noted that Michelin has started giving green stars to restaurants that use organic ingredients. Wine critics, he said, should salute wineries that use lighter bottles, reduce fuel use by tractors (including spraying the vineyards less with herbicides and pesticides), and switch to solar or wind power. Avignonesi has recently opted for bottles weighing 380 grams, down from 450 grams, as part of its effort, he added.
Sustainable, organic or biodynamic certification is not enough, however. De Zarobe wants more wineries to become B Corporations or seek regenerative certifications, both of which consider worker welfare. He chafed at how Italy’s agriculture sector treats migrant workers from northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. “They are employed like slaves,” he said.
“I always find it awkward that you want to protect insects and birds, but you don’t do anything for the human beings who tend your vineyards,” he said. “The social aspect must be considered, too.”
Momentum may be shifting in the direction de Zarobe wants, as consumers increasingly value social impact as well as price and value in their purchasing decisions. Wine critics should do more to use their influence and push that change along and not “bury their heads in the sand,” he said.
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