Tourists like the #BringMeWithYou initiative

The #PortamiConTe project against food waste has started in the village of Montepulciano. Sustainable Doggy and Wine Bag: this is how the Municipality, the Consorzio del Vino Nobile and merchants raise awareness against food waste.

The #PortamiConTe project is an initiative born from an agreement between the Municipal Administration of Montepulciano, the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the merchants of the area, in order to use special doggy bags and wine bags, made of recycled material and in turn still recyclable, to be given to the many consumers, guests and residents, who populate the territory of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, tasting its extraordinary food and wine products.

"It all took shape from a reflection that the Consortium made at the time of drawing up the first sustainability report that last May led the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano district to be the first Italian wine district, with Equalitas certification," explains the President of the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Andrea Rossi. "So we felt it was important to address the issue of food waste, which, in a village with a strong tourist vocation like ours, is the order of the day: hence this eco-sustainable solution on the one hand, educational and communicative on the other."

"The fight against food waste is in the Mandate Program of this Administration," stresses Michele Angiolini, Mayor of Montepulciano, "so we have contributed with conviction to this project and we will support it so that it enters the habits of operators and consumers. There is an ethical profile to this initiative that we like to emphasize, especially in times when, to the already known difficulties of supplying entire areas of the planet, there are added risks of famine. Certainly the use of doggy bags and wine bags then reduces the amount of waste produced and its impact on the environment. But the whole topic can be framed in that "cultural ecosystem" to which Montepulciano, like the other municipalities of the Valdichiana Senese, aspires and which, by bringing together material goods and shared values, creates the prerequisites for growth, for protecting its collective heritage, enhancing it and creating conditions of well-being for all."

The doggy and wine bag project and the #PortamiConTe tag
By virtue of the strong tourist presence in the city of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the widespread distribution of facilities with food and beverage administration (more than 200 establishments including wine bars, bars, restaurants), the idea was born to create boxes to collect food and beverages not consumed directly on the spot, thus counteracting the waste of leftover food that would otherwise be generated. With these doggy and wine bags made from recycled paper, which on their outside have a unique graphic created by graphic artist Bobo Artefatti, containing an explanation of the project, the aim is to strengthen the concept of combating food waste starting precisely with the user who, once the contents have been consumed, will release on the territory packages that are in turn recyclable for all intents and purposes.

The objectives, as stated by the various partners, are to raise awareness among consumers against food waste and on the great theme of respect for the environment; to encourage separate waste collection in the territory thanks to fully recyclable/biodegradable materials; and to promote sustainability activities in the territory itself.

For the President of the Regional Council of Tuscany, Antonio Mazzeo, "The fight against food waste is a fight of our time. We must all set the conditions to go in this direction, we need not only to invest in wine tourism but also in ecological tourism. In respect of our land, in respect of those who also have fewer opportunities is a beautiful initiative wanted by the Consorzio del Vino Nobile, by the Municipality of Montepulciano, wanted by Confcommercio, by Confesercenti. To them a big thank you for this that is one of the best wines that is produced in Tuscany. Today Nobile di Montepulciano takes a further step forward, a territory puts itself at the disposal of the future."

Tourism numbers in Montepulciano
In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, Montepulciano and the Valdichiana Senese recorded about 2,000,000 presences with a more than positive result compared to the previous twelve months. The year 2022 is shaping up to be the year of recovery, with performances that in some cases exceed even 2019 (pre-pandemic). It is numerically important, then, the users of the establishments that provide food and beverage with guests who choose the accommodation facilities and like to move around the area to enjoy the food and wine proposals; the guests of the destination are then joined by the inhabitants of the surrounding area who choose the restaurants of Montepulciano.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: an asset for the whole territory
Approximately one billion euros. This is the figure that quantifies Vino Nobile di Montepulciano between asset values, turnover and production. About 65 million euros is the average annual value of wine production, not to mention that about 70 percent of the local economy is directly induced by wine. This is an important figure for an area in which, out of 16,500 hectares of municipal area, about 2,000 hectares are planted with vines, or about 16 percent of the municipal landscape is characterized by vines. Of these, 1,210 hectares are registered for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Docg, while 305 hectares are registered for Rosso di Montepulciano Doc. More than 250 winegrowers cultivate these vineyards (there are about 90 bottlers in all, of which 75 are associated with the producers' consortium). About 1,000 permanent employees are employed by the wine sector in Montepulciano, to which are added as many seasonal employees. In 2021, 6.8 million bottles of Vino Nobile (+21.4 percent compared to 2020) and 2.6 million bottles of Rosso di Montepulciano (+6.4 percent compared to 2020) have been placed on the market.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)