Resistant grape varieties, a growing enological frontier, in the spotlight of the Mach Foundation

It is a certainty that the sustainability of the wine supply chain depends first and foremost on the vineyard. And among the many tools that Italian companies and others are exploring with increasing conviction is that of disease-resistant and climate-change-resistant varieties, the so-called Piwi (PilzWiderstandsfähig) vines. Today this is still an oenological frontier, a pioneering niche that is, however, attracting more and more attention. This is demonstrated by a large number of participants at the first themed exhibition at national level, organized by the Edmund Mach Foundation of San Michele all’Adige, one of the most important research institutions in the wine sector at international level. The event is organized by the Edmund Mach Foundation and will take place over two days: on November 18, the wines will be assessed by a qualified panel of experts, and on December 2, there will be a seminar and awards ceremony, with the participation of the President of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Professor Luigi Moio. A total of 56 wineries from all over Italy have registered for the competition, while 91 wines are competing.
“This initiative represents another important step by the Edmund Mach Foundation in the direction of promoting resistant wines”, explains FEM president Mirco Maria Franco Cattani. “The experience gained in San Michele over the past few decades in the field of genetic improvement of vines, the development of varieties tolerant to fungal diseases that are already available to winegrowers, and the increasing attention paid to the sector of resistant grapes, which are steadily gaining interest in the Italian wine-growing and wine-making scene, have all led to the promotion of a competition for these particular wines and to the conception of this event, which is intended to be an opportunity to showcase the potential of these wines; All this, together with the scientific and technical expertise developed and increased over years of experimentation and study, has led to the promotion of the competition for these particular wines and the creation of this event, which is intended as a first significant stimulus to take the road to sustainable viticulture.
The presence of an exceptional guest such as Professor Moio, President of the OIV, at the award ceremony is a concrete element of the broader international interest in this area of wine production as well as prestige for this event”. The participating wines will be assessed by a panel of 30 experts selected from among oenologists, wine technicians, journalists, sommeliers and researchers from the world of agro-foods, through an evaluation aimed not only at defining a mere score, but also at attributing descriptive parameters to the wines in each category.
The tasting will take place on November 18 in the Palazzo Ricerca e Conoscenza, while on December 2, live streaming, there will be the technical seminar and the awards ceremony for the winners, by Luigi Moio, who, in addition to being president of OIV (and producer in Irpinia with his winery, Quintodecimo), is also professor of Oenology at the University of Naples and director of the Institute of Vine and Wine Science, with a speech entitled “The future of wine in the era of sustainability”.
The wines will compete in the following categories: reds, whites, whites with prolonged maceration orange, sparkling classic method whites, sparkling classic method rosé, sparkling classic method whites, sparkling charmat method rosé, sparkling wines with a base, wines from grapes subject to drying.