by Michèle Shah
Italy s Coldiretti together with associations such as Città del Vino, Federconsumatori, Codacons, Adusbef, Adoc, Slow Food Italia and Legambiente have petitioned the Tribunale Amministrativo del Lazio (Tar) to prohibit the use of chips and
sawdust in the ageing of Italian wine.
The organizations listed above feel that the use of chips could compromise the positive trend of Italy s exports, which for 2006 show an increase of +6.4%. The protest is also aimed at safeguarding the quality of wine and avoiding possible health dangers, which the protesters say could arise from the use of chips in the ageing of wine.
The petition follows the official decree issued by the ministry of Agriculture on 2 November 2006 authorizing the use of chips in 70% of Italy s wine production excluding Doc and Docg wines.
