Organic Viticulture in Europe: Development and current statistics

Summary

Abstract
The first activities in organic viticulture date back to the 1950s when in Switzerland and Germany the first pioneers made great efforts to apply the basic principles of organic agriculture to viticulture. Since then, organic viticulture has developed dynamically in many countries.
The international organic viticulture congresses evolved in Germany. The first congress of was held in 1985 in Geisenheim, organised by the German organic wine growers' association ECOVIN. The 6th congress was held in Basel, Switzerland, 2000 and for the first time in conjunction with an IFOAM Conference (IFOAM 2000). The ‘Organic wine and viticulture conference’ in the frame of the 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress in Modena, Italy, in June 2008 constitutes the 9th international congress on organic viticulture.
According to a survey of the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, at the end of 2006 in Europe more than 95’000 hectares of vineyards were managed organically, corresponding to around 2.3 % of all vineyards. In the European Union almost 85’000 hectares of vineyards were managed organically (2.5 %). The biggest producers are Italy, France and Spain.
Compared to other regions, Europe is by far the biggest producer. In total, globally at least 107’000 hectares are used for grape production. Outside Europe, the US and Chile are major producers (data are, however missing, for important producers like Australia or New Zealand).
After a period of stagnation, 2001 to 2004, mainly due to a slow development in Italy and even decreases of organic vineyards, the organic grape area is currently growing. The share of organic vineyards of all vineyards is still small. The percentage of organic vineyards is, in many cases, smaller than the percentage of organic land of all agricultural land in the respective countries. This is particularly striking for Austria and Switzerland where only little more than 3 % of the vineyards are organic whereas the total organic land is around ten per cent of all agricultural land. However, particularly in the classical wine growing countries of the Mediterranean substantial shares are reached (more than 5 % in Italy).
Literature
Willer, Helga and Urs Meier (Eds.) (2000) Proceedings 6th International Congress on Organic Viticulture - 25 to 26 August 2000, Convention Centre Basel. Stiftung Oekologie & Landbau, Bad Duerkheim. Archived at https://orgprints.org/548/
Willer, Helga, Minou Yussefi-Menzler und Neil Sorensen (Eds. 2008): The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008. IFOAM, Bonn and FiBL, Frick. Hardcover edition: Earthscan, London