THE SUSTAINABLE WINE MARKET IN EUROPE - INTRODUCTION TO A MARKET TREND AND ITS ISSUES

Abstract

The wine market in EU had changed, and in general, wine consumption decreased. New trend can be however observed in terms of production and consumption of organic wines. The aim of the article is to analyse the wine market in EU, regarding organic products and to evaluate the social significance of the growing popularity of organic wines. The survey was conducted basing on the analysis of data on the volume of production and sales of conventional and organic, statements and still ongoing focus group conducted with Austrian and Italian organic winemakers. The results are confirming growing popularity of organic production, but also are showing some problems in the matter of terminology, eco-labelling and naming the organic wines, which seems to arise from a change of the paradigm of entrepreneurial actions and ceding from the assumptions of profit and efficiency maximization, to greater care about sustainable development and quality.