The future is here. This is the message of the first edition of the Valdarno di Sopra Day.
Because the future of the Designation and of our territory can only be the result of the choices we make today, here and in this moment.
These are important and practical choices that the Consortium has decided to share with those who, in various capacities, are collaborating for a territorial development of Valdarno di Sopra with a greater focus on the environment, social relations and its traditional productions.
Starting from the organic certification, undertaken voluntarily by all members and for this reason subject to a specific application to be submitted to the Italian Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), to allow its inclusion within the product specification. This is a controversial application, but we believe that, if accepted, as for similar registered designations of origin in other European countries, this could be the beginning of a new phase of the Italian designations of origin, a stimulus for the growth of quality organic wine production, of the share of agricultural land and of the demand for organic wines, all aspects included and aimed at in the EU Action Plan of the European Green Deal.
With the organic certification, we strive to protect those who work in our companies and in this area, those who live near and those who tour our vineyards, also shared with the Distretto Rurale del Valdarno di Sopra (Rural District of Valdarno di Sopra), of which the Consortium is a part, which will soon change its name and consequently also its goals, in Distretto Biologico del Valdarno di Sopra (Organic District of Valdarno di Sopra).
Wine is the most identifying product of our territory, as already testified by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia, but above all as enshrined by Cosimo III De’ Medici in his famous announcement of 1716, which included the territory located between the Casentino valley and Chianti, in the four areas intended for quality production, the only ones that can be exported with the indication of its origin: Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and precisely, Valdarno di Sopra.
An ante litteram anticipation of the modern designation of origin, based on environmental characteristics, traditions and skills, which in many respects we can still consider valid today and which we believe are more and more important in the light of climate change, of the production evolution that already derives from it and of the changes in a global market in which identity and quality are and will be increasingly central to stand out.
For this reason, we have convincingly considered the territory and not the grape variety as the fulcrum of our action, trying to put more value on its recognizability and qualitative potential, emphasizing its importance precisely in relation to the expressiveness of historically present grape varieties such as Sangiovese and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir, as well as the autochthonous Canaiolo, Pugnitello and Foglia Tonda among the reds and Trebbiano, Malvasia and the recovered Orpicchio among the whites, subject to further enhancement in the product specification.
Expressiveness and varietal depth that benefit from an agronomically respectful viticulture, attentive to the vitality of the soils and the importance of their preservation, in a holistic vision of all those natural elements that make Valdarno di Sopra an ideal environment for vines and wine: The Arno river running through it entirely downstream through woods, vineyards and olive groves, its Balze which characterize the complex stratification of the land, starting from the hilly areas bordering the Chianti Classico area, up to those going back towards the mountain massif of Pratomagno, another crucial component for the local temperature ranges, with its different altitudes and vast wooded areas.
Even the shared decision to focus on identifying the best corporate and non-UGA vineyards, specifying them on the label and signaling them with dedicated territorial signs for each member, represents the will to maintain attention on the historical totality of the designation, reinforcing the perception of wine / vineyard / territory chain, increasing its quality in terms of link with the origin and production identity, allowing the consumer to know the real origin of the grapes of that single wine.
The Valdarno di Sopra Day was conceived as a moment to think and discussion on all these issues, opening up to the knowledge, opinions and proposals of experts, agronomists and oenologists, partly also operating on the territory and in our companies, with a very important national and international expertise. The meeting will be hosted in the medieval village of Borro in San Giustino Valdarno (Ar) and will focus on the inclusion of organic products in the product specification, with the participation of regional institutions, representatives of the ministry and the testimony of a representative of the DO Cava, first European product with a registered designation of origin to obtain the mandatory organic certification for the entire production of Cavas de Guarda Superior, the top quality products including Cavas Reserva, Gran Reserva and Cavas de Paraje Calificado.
The event will be completed by a master class that will address some specific aspects of the Valdarno di Sopra wines and by a tasting in the afternoon, also open to HORECA and trade operators, with the members of the Consortium who will present their company products.
Topics and insights that we consider topical and interesting also for wine critics, specialized press representatives and training professionals, essential interlocutors for an effective dissemination to promote our territory, the registered designation of origin and the work of local producers.