FOR THE FIRST TIME VINEYARDS WITH MORE THAN 50% INCLINES WILL HAVE AN EXTRA 1000 EUROS PER HECTARE. THIS IS THE CASE OF 800 SORÌ WINEMAKERS: THE EPIC VINEYARDS OF ASTI MOSCATO THAT ARE STEEPER THAN THE HILLS IN THE TOUR OF ITALY AND TOUR DE FRANCE

A regulation has been approved that is destined to mark a small revolution in recognizing the work of wine growers. For the first time, those who cultivate vineyards on a more than 50% slope will receive an extra production bonus of 1.000 euros per hectare.

To understand what this means, consider that the legendary hills of the Tour of Italy or the Tour de France bike races, epic names like Mortirolo, Colle dell’Agnello, Alpe d'Huez and Galibier, which have seen the greatest champions climb them, have between 20 and 25% slopes. This establishes the principle that a vineyard on a steep slope, where it is almost impossible to enter with a mechanical agricultural vehicle, is a heritage to protect and save. This is the case of Sorì, a name that in Piedmont means "sunny" and is reminiscent of a smile, "where the vineyard smiles at the sky”, cultivated by 800 winegrowers of Moscato in the provinces of Asti, Alessandria and Cuneo and to whom the "feast of Sorì, the epic vineyards of Moscato d'Asti DOCG" is dedicated.
. There are vineyards where it is even difficult to stand; tractors cannot enter because the terrain is too steep. This is Sorì, the best-exposed slopes of the hills and only the tenacity of men continues the cultivation of the vine and in particular, Moscato d'Asti, the grape of Asti DOCG. There are more than 4.000 companies that cultivate 9.700 hectares of vineyards in the 52 municipalities in the DOCG area, along the south side of the provinces of Asti, Alessandria and Cuneo. Article 9 of The inter-trade agreement, which governs the relationship between the historic Houses of Asti sparkling wine and producers of grapes, with the Regional Agriculture Councilor as mediator, requires the parties to enhance the quality.

It may seem a generic promise. How can one evaluate the quality and commitment of those who work in the vineyards? Thanks to the work of the Committee on Quality (chaired by the Director of the Consortium of Asti DOCG, Giorgio Bosticco, who will open the meeting in Canelli, upon reading and assessing the reports of the geologist Claudio Riccabone, the landscape architect Roberto Cerrato and historian of viticulture Lorenzo Tablino) that proposed the regulation that was approved and is destined to mark a small revolution in recognizing the work of wine growers. For the first time, those who cultivate vineyards on a more than 50% slope will receive an extra production bonus of 1.000 euros per hectare. The agreement established the principle that a vineyard on a steep slope, where it is almost impossible to enter with a mechanical agricultural vehicle, is a heritage to protect and save.
The committee, composed of representatives from agricultural organizations, associations and members of the Moscato chain, has identified 323 hectares of epic vineyards, divided into 1600 land parcels. 61% are in the province of Cuneo, 35% in Asti and 4% in the Alessandria area. In Canelli each " Sorì Moscato" farmer will receive a certificate and the "patriarchs", that is, farmers over 90 years old, will also be awarded. 802 farmers received the extra bonus starting from the last harvest for the price of grapes harvested in their steepest vineyards. The reward for these vineyard "acrobats" will be a total of 300.000 euros, a figure, according to the Asti DOCG Consortium, which is an encouragement not to give up: the world needs those Moscato vineyards. It needs them because they contribute to the charm of the landscape, the protection of the delicate water balance of the highest and steepest hills, and to the history of viticulture, which starts from those rows so difficult to grow, but give exceptional flavors, and sugar yields.

At the event, alongside the Agriculture Councilor of the Piedmont Region, Claudio Sacchetto and the president of the Asti DOCG Consortium, Gianni Marzagalli, some wine growers will also take part narrating their stories and their lives and there will also be technicians and personalities representing the Moscato world like Giovanni Bosco of the Territories of Moscato, among the first to propose an award for the quality of the Sorì vineyards.