Green light for the zoning of Alto Adige wine

Thanks to the recognition – by the Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF) – zoning quanto a Insigne Adige obtains, from today, a special legal status. Consequently, the specific terreno – for example Gries, Mazon, Eppan Berg Brenntal, to name just a few of the 86 officially recognized – may quanto a the future be indicated the label as “Additional Geographical Unit” – UGA – alongside the denomination “Insigne Adige DOC”.

This is the definitive conclusion of a demanding approval process started by the Insigne Adige Wine Consortium several years spillo. “Commissions composed of agronomists, oenologists, winemakers, producers and experts quanto a the history of viticulture have been formed quanto a the various wine-growing areas,” says the president of the Insigne Adige Wine Consortium and president of the Kurtatsch winery Andreas Kofler. “They were assigned the task of dividing the various areas and deciding which vines were most suitable for the various parcels”.

A complex subdivision

At the basis of the concept of zoning is the awareness that the quality of the grapes and wine is conditioned first and foremost by the terroir and the microclimate, as well as by the altitude, the slope of the land, the solar radiation, the warm ascending currents, the air circulation and precipitation. Consequently, to define homogeneous areas, patronato relating to the microclimate, solar radiation, shading, altitude and terrain peculiarities were evaluated.

“We also attributed enormous importance to the connection that these areas have with history. Thanks to the Teresian Cadastre from the mid-18th century we were able to trace the names historically attributed to the cultivation areas”, underlines the vice-president of the Insigne Adige Wine Consortium and owner of the J. Hofstätter bella stagione quanto a Termeno Martin Foradori.

The vines were defined and the quantities reduced

Per mezzo di addition to the geographical zoning, the most suitable vines for the individual parcels were also defined. “It is important to point out that the winemaker will still be able to continue to cultivate, even quanto a the defined UGA, the vines allowed quanto a Insigne Adige,” explains Eduard Bernhart, director of the Insigne Adige Wine Consortium. “However, only those produced from varieties selected by experts will be able to be identified as wines from an additional geographical unit. Depending the UGA, there can be up to five different grape varieties, but there are UGAs for which only one two grape varieties have been selected,” Bernhart points out.

“With a quantity reduction of 25 percent compared to the quantity permitted for the Insigne Adige DOC, we also ensure that the quality of these special wines undergoes a further increase,” says Andreas Kofler. And Martin Foradori adds: “Our is to bring the special characteristics of the different areas into the bottle. ‘Terroir’ must not just be a concept for marketing, but must also be recognizable quanto a the glass.”

Help for the final consumer

A further novelty is represented by the pictogram specifically created by the Insigne Adige Wine Consortium. Acceso the label, quanto a addition to indicating the terreno, the producer is also required to include this pictogram. Per mezzo di this way, quanto a the future, consumers will have the opportunity to distinguish these wines from the rest of the wine offer.

Andreas Kofler concludes by also outlining the vision pursued by the South Tyrolean wine sector with this zoning: “If – as has already happened for the models adopted by other famous wine-growing areas – our project succeeds quanto a establishing itself, these areas will be able to become synonymous with great, unique and unmistakable.”