Sandro Bottega: “It would be important for the world of Prosecco to have a new vintage with adequate quantities both because the sparkling wine market requires it and because 2023 was particularly poor.”

«In the Prosecco area, if the climatic conditions of the next two months remain within the parameters of the period, there should be a vintage of exceptional quality».

Word of Sandro Bottega , wine entrepreneur at the head of the historic Bottega SpA company of Bibano (TV) , among the leaders in Italy for the production of Prosecco, who is therefore optimistic about the next harvest, which should also respect the traditional times. «In the Prosecco area, despite there having been persistent rain and lower than average temperatures in recent weeks, a delay in the harvest is not currently expected, which should take place around the third week of September. In the month of June – explains Sandro Bottega – we enjoyed a strong temperature range between daytime and nighttime hours, which certainly determined the development of aromatic substances. It follows that, if the climatic conditions of the next two months remain within the parameters of the period, there should be a vintage of exceptional quality. Extending the analysis to the entire “Italian vineyard” we could say in broad terms that for the North it is expected that ordinary harvest times will generally be respected. In the South, the African heat could instead interfere with the ripening process of the grapes, influencing the harvest period in one direction or another”, specifies Bottega, who adds: “It would be very important for the entire Prosecco world to have a new vintage with adequate quantities both because the sparkling wine market requires it and because 2023 was particularly poor”.
The owner of the winery famous throughout the world for its “Prosecco Bars” also confidently analyzes the climatic conditions: «I underline that the abundance of water is determining a luxuriant vintage, even if in some ways difficult due to the excessive humidity and related vine diseases, which required the vineyards to be monitored with extreme care. The only risk, now structural in every wine-growing area, is linked to storms or in any case to extreme atmospheric agents which could in some areas cause a reduction in production. I repeat – continues Bottega – that we are confident and believe that the quality of the grapes will be high. In our vineyards for years now we have reintroduced the classic “green manure” technique: it is a capillary grassing that strongly contributes to absorbing any excess water. In order to give the best of itself, the vine needs harmony and balance, in this case therefore it is necessary to intervene and prevent, preferably with natural methods, such as “green manure”. Regarding the excessive heat, always threatening even if this year all in all limited in the Prosecco area, we are developing an ad hoc study with our agronomists to intervene on the plants, leaving the foliage highly developed in order to protect the bunches”.
Finally, a reflection on the search for dedicated personnel for the harvest: «With regards to labor for the harvest, the general difficulty in finding available labor persists. Bottega has well-established teams of grape harvesters, who have been retained by the company thanks to a policy of continuity of collaboration, which within the context of the seasonality of this work is renewed from year to year”, concludes Sandro Bottega, owner of the company of the same name Venetian winery.

Bottega – The Bottega family, which has four centuries of history in the world of wine and grappa, founded the company of the same name, which is both a winery and distillery. It is based in Bibano di Godega (TV), 50 km north of Venice, where it produces grappa, wines and liqueurs. Among the grappas, the prized selections of single varieties and the spirits matured in barrique stand out. The range of Bottega wines includes Prosecco, including the well-known Bottega Gold, and other sparkling wines with great personality. In detached cellars, in Valpolicella, Chianti and Montalcino, Amarone, Ripasso, Chianti Gallo Nero, Brunello di Montalcino and other great reds are produced. The offer is completed by a wide range of fruit and cream liqueurs. The Bottega company distributes its products in 150 countries around the world. For many years, Bottega SpA has made an indissoluble commitment to sustainability, which has led to real and concrete results in reducing the impact on the environment, society and the economy.

SUNRISE 5, 6, 7 AND 13 JULY.

The journey of LoST EU , the European Union’s sustained promotion program on the topic of sustainability and promotion of small dairy denominations, continues.

A journey that began last year, which saw very high quality cheeses protagonists of many events both in Italy and abroad, and which continues in the second year with a busy calendar of promotional events, which have at their center PDOs of excellence such as the Murazzano , Roccaverano , Ossolano from Piedmont, Puzzone di Moena from Trentino, Strachitunt from Lombardy, Vastedda from Valle del Belice and Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily, and last but certainly not least Provolone del Monaco from Campania .

After the first event, organized in Barolo on 1 and 2 June with tastings of DOP cheeses much appreciated by numerous European tourists, the next stop of LoST will be the Collisioni Festival , the great musical event scheduled in Alba on 5, 6, 7 and 13 July with very popular artists such as Calcutta, Club Dogo, Tedua, Capoplaza, Anna .

The musical event, which in the last edition registered around 60,000 spectators, will be a new great opportunity for visibility for the Lost project, which will have a promotional corner available in the hospitality area, to talk about the characteristics and unique qualities of its basket of DOP cheeses from all over Italy to the guests of the event. Furthermore, the general public of the Festival will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of these ancient products of the Italian dairy tradition also through the dedicated video, created in the first year and projected on the big screen of the festival before the concerts. There will also be moments of storytelling and promotion on the web, via social channels, through posts, videos and pills that will be published on the project pages.

The key word of the promotion will above all be sustainability . The intent is to raise awareness among the general public, especially young people, about respect for traditions, the environment and animals, knowledge of the history of the territory and the valorisation of quality DOP cheeses, such as those of LoST , which are an example of protection and harmonious coexistence with the natural ecosystem of the landscapes that host its production.

Through storytelling and dissemination, the public will be able to appreciate the philosophy of LoST, which aims above all to stimulate people to reflect on the current food distribution systems and to learn about the good practices that we can adopt every day, as consumers, choosing fair and sustainable products.

Thanks to LoST cheeses, in fact, it is possible to rediscover the rules of ethical agriculture far from mainstream logic , where the watchwords are health, well-being and protection of the future through the protection of the natural and human environment.

Bringing the messages of the Lost project to a festival with a very high participation of young people such as Collisioni represents an important challenge for the project, and an essential educational effort towards which we must all make a commitment, if we imagine a future for the new generations where food awareness linked to health and sustainability issues becomes a non-negotiable fixed point.

LOST EU IS A PROJECT BY

ALTE TERRE DOP ASSOCIATION

In collaboration with

Consortium for the Protection of Murazzano PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Roccaverano PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Ossolano PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Puzzone di Moena PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Strachitunt PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Vastedda della Valle del Belice PDO, Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Siciliano DOP, Consortium for the Protection of Provolone del Monaco DOP

Vermouth Consortium of Turin relating to the 2024 States General and the appointment of the new Certified Ambassadors.

In what were the Royal Estates of Carlo Alberto of Savoy, today home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the Consortium has gathered its members, who represent over 96% of the production of Vermouth di Turin. They market it in 82 countries on 5 continents, with a production of around six million bottles.

The President of the Consortium Roberto Bava and the director Pierstefano Berta outlined a precise picture of the objectives achieved on a national and international level in the year that followed the States General 2023. Important topics were addressed to facilitate the work of the Members, informing them on how effectively follow the guidelines of consortium life and management of the Denomination:

– Information on the most recent updates relating to the Control Plan, conducted by ADM-Cert, the certification sector of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM).
– Clarifications and clarifications on labelling, which includes the affixing of the European Union and MASAF logos. This is an important sign of how much this Protected Geographical Indication means, the only one granted to a Vermouth. In fact, the denomination “Vermouth di Torino” represents an excellence of Piedmont, shows an indissoluble bond with the territory, provides greater guarantees to consumers with a much higher level of traceability and food safety compared to products that do not have this denomination.
– Certification mark in USA. Another fundamental ace achieved by the Consortium was obtaining the Certification Mark, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This in fact allows the Consortium to protect and rigorously control the “Vermouth di Torino PGI” denomination in the USA, a market of great importance for the Consortium’s members.
– The consortium trademark , registered in Italy, Europe and the main international markets, has enabled intense opposition to incorrect uses of the name in European and non-European countries, protecting consumers, producers and Made in Italy in general.
With respect to the market, the President and Director presented data that show the demand and value of Vermouth di Turin is still growing , which is recognized as having particular qualities by consumers. This is also a reflection of the many promotional activities organized in many parts of the world. Among these, in particular, the Mediterranean Aperitif . This project, which started in 2022, has seen many activities carried out in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Their main moments were retraced to the States General by the project manager, Pauline Rita Rosa.
In the second part of the day, in the cellars of the Banca del Vino, at the Pollenzo Agency, the President and Director of the Consortium held a seminar on the Vermouth of Turin dedicated to journalists and international operators. On this occasion , the new “Ambassadors and Educators of the Vermouth of Turin” were appointed, a recognition aimed at people who work in various capacities with passion and competence for the knowledge and appreciation of this fascinating product. Present to receive the special diploma of ambassadors were Mariuccia Roggero Ferrero and Diego Crippa , important chefs from Canella, Sergio Nodone, ambassador to the Knights of the Truffle of Alba, as well as the “Educator Ambassadors” Pauline Rita Rosa, Myles Cunliffe and Samuel Boulton who managed several seminars in the Consortium’s international events.
As soon as the Vermouth Week 2024 has successfully concluded, the July events begin immediately with the London IMBIBE fair , where the Consortium promotes the Mediterranean Aperitif with its partners. A professional seminar organized by the Consortium will follow at the end of July at the Tales of the Cocktail forum in New Orleans, USA.

Eighteen total medals out of the 61 participating wines, with scores ranging from 85.7 to 90.7. Among these, twelve labels from Trentino, two from South Tyrol and four from Germany. In particular, twelve are 2023 productions, four from 2022, one from 2021 and one from 2014.

The awards ceremony of the 21st edition of the Müller Thurgau International Wine Competition took place on Saturday 29 June , coinciding with the second day of the 37th edition of the Müller Thurgau: Mountain Wine event .

The event was hosted at the Fuori di Taste space in Cembra by the talented professional sommelier Andrea Amadei , radio speaker of Rai Radio 2’s Decanter who, supported by Livio Fadanelli, involved the audience present – made up of representatives of the award-winning wineries, sector journalists, wine enthusiasts and the curious – on a journey of discovery of the six references that obtained a highest score: in alphabetical order, DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau 2023 by Cantina La Vis , DOC Alto Adige Müller Thurgau Valle Aristos 2023 by Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco , DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau Casata Monfort 2023 by Cantine Monfort , Baden-Bodensee Müller Thurgau Burgstall Rivaner 2022 by Hagnau , IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Müller Thurgau Monogramma 2021 by Pojer and Sandri – which obtained scores between 87 and 89, earning thus the Gold Medal – and IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Müller Thurgau di Pelz 2014 which, with 90.7 points obtained the Grand Gold Medal , in addition to the special mentions Best Italian Wine and Best Long-lived Wine .

“ A further confirmation – explained the host Andrea Amadei – of the extraordinary potential of this vine, which may be able to overcome the challenge of time with great elegance ”.

“ There would have been many others – added Sara Pedri, President of the Mostra Valle di Cembra Committee – the labels deserving of the Gold Medal, but our regulations impose a maximum limit of 10% of Gold Medals out of the total number of participants. Suffice it to say that the ranking of the awarded wines is based on a range of five points: the Gold Medals range from 87 to 90.7 points, the Silver Medals range from 86.4 to 86.8 points and the Bronze Medals from 85.7 to 86.2 points ”.

The six Silver Medals , in alphabetical order, were Azienda Agricola Francesco Moser , with the IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Müller Thurgau 2023, Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco with the DOC Alto Adige Valle Isarco Müller Thurgau 2023, Cantina Sociale di Trento with the DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau Heredia 2023, Hammel with the Qualitätswein Bestimmert Anbaugebiete Pfalz In the Mood for Müller 2023 and with the Qualitätswein Bestimmert Anbaugebiete Pfalz Versuchung Rivaner 2023 and Villa Corniole with the DOC Trentino Superiore Valle di Cembra Müller Thurgau Pietramontis 2022 .

Finally the six Bronze Medals : Azienda Vinicola Nicolodi Alfio with the DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau 2022, Bellaveder with the DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau San Lorenz 2023, Cantina Aldeno with the DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau Athesim Flumen 2023, Cembra mountain winery with the DOC Trentino Müller Thurgau 2022, Corvée with the DOC Trentino Superiore Valle di Cembra Müller Thurgau Viach 2023, Durbacher with the Qualitätswein Trocken Durbacher Rivaner 2023.

“ The event – concluded Andrea Amadei – always proves to be an excellent opportunity to taste the best expressions of this vine, which has had a very pop, almost mass-market past, then a stop and now an unparalleled qualitative explosion. All producers have understood the value of this variety, which they are increasingly raising in altitude and taking care of in terms of winemaking. And Val di Cembra, like other territories, really manages to offer peaks of excellence “.

During the three days there will also be an exciting trek through nature, culture and vineyards, along the territory of the Municipality of Segonzano, dinner on the avenue, interspersed with a dance show by young champions of the Ritmomisto school and the Cantine in saddle e-bike tour , which combined cycling through the vineyards with visits to three wineries in the valley. And then the tastings of the 60 wines on display at Palazzo Maffei and those of local wines at Fuori di Taste, in addition to the Trentino grappa-based cocktails prepared by Leonardo Veronesi, much appreciated by the public.