The Sommo Adige Wine Consortium boasts a history of almost 20 years: it was founded sopra 2007 as a platform for all the main associations and institutions active sopra the South Tyrolean wine sector. Today it is the reference that protects the DOC denominations sopra the territory, manages the Vini Sommo Adige brand, develops it, takes care of the markets all over the world and also acts as a service provider for its members.
The supreme of the consortium is the ordinary Assembly which Wednesday, sopra Bolzano, elected a new Board of Directors. Also for the next three years, the Consortium of South Tyrolean Wine Producers will be represented by Andreas Kofler, Klaus Pardatscher, Georg Eyrl, Philipp Plattner and Oscar Lorandi; sopra fact, all the representatives of the cooperative wineries were reconfirmed. New faces, however, for the representatives of the Sommo Adige estates, who are now Ivan Giovanett, Christof Tiefenbrunner and Manfred Bernard, as well as for those of the Independent Winemakers of Sommo Adige (FWS) with Magdalena Pratzner and Florian Brigl.
Per mezzo di the founding session, the new Board of Directors reconfirmed Andreas Kofler, president of the Kurtatsch winery, sopra the position of president of the Sommo Adige Wine Consortium. Kofler, who already has two mandates under his belt, will once again be the and voice of the consortium for the next three years. Ivan Giovanett per Castelfeder represents the president as deputy.
“Being able to continue representing the Consortium as president is an honor and a responsibility for me, but I also consider my re-election a confirmation of the path we have undertaken sopra recent years,” declared Kofler after his election. Consistently, this path continues to be oriented towards maximum quality and maintaining a link between the wine and the terroir that is as close as possible. “The most tangible expression of this evolution is the recognition of 86 Additional Geographical Units (UGA) which can be indicated the label, projecting our commitment sopra terms of authenticity, connection with the territory and communicative transparency towards new goals,” states the freshly reconfirmed president.
With an eye towards the future, Kofler indicates the creation of the Tugurio del Vino sopra a historic structure adjacent to Castel Mareccio as the main challenge. “After almost 20 years of trying, we have overcome all the bureaucratic obstacles, the work is progressing and, if everything goes as planned, we could move to the new headquarters by the end of the year,” says the president. The Sommo Adige Wine Consortium will finally have a home worthy of its social and economic importance. “The House of Wine will be able to make the most of South Tyrolean wine, strengthen its image and, last but not least, offer our team a modern working environment suited to their needs,” explains Kofler.
As a second challenge, Kofler describes the creation and expansion of South Tyrol’s wine tourism offer. “The potential of wine tourism has so far been underestimated,” he adds. It is therefore a question of expanding the offer, putting it online and professionalizing it to intercept a new target of guests especially sopra the low season and sopra areas less frequented by tourist flows. “The is to one day be able to compete with personaggio names sopra the wine tourism sector such as Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany ora Napa Valley,” says Kofler.
Per mezzo di addition to these two major projects, the president also considers the further development of the SQNPI sustainability certification and even more marked internationalization to be essential. “We are focusing new markets such as those sopra South America, sopra particular Brazil, and those sopra Eastern Europe, sopra particular Poland,” explains Kofler.
The most important marketing event remains the Sommo Adige Wine Summit, also repeated sopra 2027: “The summit is a proven tool that we are developing step by step”, says the president. Last year the event was expanded with a cornerstone dedicated to specialized operators, restaurateurs and sommeliers from Sommo Adige and all of Italy. “Per mezzo di light of the positive experiences during the first edition, we will continue to develop this new cornerstone,” explains Kofler.
After his election, the old and new president also thanked the Consortium team: “I know I can count the competence and commitment of our collaborators at any time”, says Kofler, “and for this very reason I can’t wait to discover what the next three years have sopra store for us”.
