Official confirmation by the Ministry of 86 individual areas documented down to the smallest detail. With this recognition, South Tyrol’s wine sector takes another step in the direction of uniqueness.
Zoning ensures that in the future. the optimal grape variety is grown in each of the identified areas. In addition, it will be adopted a reduction in the quantity of harvest and guaranteed to consumers the origin of the wine, that is, the vineyard in which the grapes were grown.
Thanks to the recognition-from the Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF) -zoning in South Tyrol obtains a special legal status. As a result, the specific zone – for example, Gries, Mazon, Eppan Berg or Brenntal, to name just a few of the 86 officially recognized ones – will in future be able to be listed on the label as an Additional Geographical Unit, UGA, alongside the designation “Alto Adige DOC.” This is the final conclusion of a challenging approval process initiated by the Alto Adige Wine Consortium several years ago. “In the various wine-growing localities, we have formed committees composed of agronomists, oenologists, winemakers, producers and experts in the history of viticulture,” says the president of the South Tyrolean Wine Consortium as well as president of Kurtatsch Winery Andreas Kofler
. – Avevano il compito di suddividere le varie zone e decidere quali fossero i vitigni più adatti alle varie parcelle “.
A complex subdivision
Underlying the concept of zoning is the realization that the quality of grapes and wine is conditioned first and foremost by terroir and microclimate, as well as altitude, soil slope, solar radiation, warm updrafts, air circulation and rainfall. Accordingly, the definition of homogeneous zones involved the evaluation of data on microclimate, solar irradiance, shading, altitude and soil peculiarities.
“We also attached enormous importance to the connection these areas have with history. Thanks to the Teresian Cadastre of the mid-18th century, we were able to trace the names historically given to the cultivation areas “, emphasizes the vice president of the Alto Adige Wine Consortium as well as owner of the J. Hofstätter Estate in Tramin Martin Foradori.
Grape varieties defined and quantities reduced
In addition to geographic zoning, the most suitable grape varieties for individual plots have also been defined. “It is important to point out that the winegrower will still be able to continue to grow, even in the defined UGAs, the grape varieties allowed in South Tyrol,” explains Eduard Bernhart, director of the South Tyrolean Wine Consortium. – However, only those produced from varieties selected by experts will be eligible to be identified as wines from additional geographical units. Depending on the UGA, there may also be up to five different grape varieties, but there are UGAs for which only one or two grape varieties have been selected. i,” Bernhart points out. “By reducing the quantity by 25 percent compared to the quantity allowed for DOC Alto Adige, we also ensure that the quality of these special wines is further increased,” says Andreas Kofler. And Martin Foradori adds, “Our goal is to bring the special characteristics of the different areas into the bottle . ‘Terroir’ should not only be a concept for marketing, but should also be recognizable in the glass.”
An aid to the end consumer
An additional novelty is the pictogram specifically created by the Alto Adige Wine Consortium. On the label, in addition to the indication of the area, the producer is also required to display this pictogram. In this way, in the future, consumers will be able to distinguish these wines from the rest of the wine offerings. Andreas Kofler concludes by also outlining the vision pursued by the South Tyrolean wine sector with this zoning. “If our project succeeds, these zones can become synonymous with great, unique and unmistakable wines.” This has already happened with models adopted by other famous wine areas, so there is cause for optimism.
