Chianti Classico’s “Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive” link territory and communication

The president of the Chianti Classico Consortium, Giovanni Manetti, explained the meaning of the 11 Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA) to WineNews: “dividing the Chianti Classico territory into smaller, uniform geographical areas is an extremely important step that we have been talking about since the end of the 1980s. The discussion has been ongoing for a very long time, and now we have finally launched this project, which has been well received by experts in the sector, the media & opinion leaders as well as on the territory. It was a long wait, but over 90% of winemakers at the assembly voted for it. The wait was actually positive. The wine-territory relationship is stronger and the most attentive consumer’s desires –the consumer who goes to the tastings, visits the wineries and companies, reads the wine media, who wants to know more in depth about the relationship to its area of origin - have been satisfied. More and more people are asking about the territory, the land, the altitude of the vineyards and the exposure, while fewer and fewer people, for instance, are interested in how much wood is in wine. People are more curious about the territory where wine is created”. The UGA will be put on the labels of Gallo Nero wines, initially starting with only Gran Selezione, Chianti Classico’s top of the pyramid quality wines.
Therefore, San Casciano, Montefioralle, Panzano, San Donato in Poggio, Castellina, Vagliagli, Greve, Lamole, Radda, Gaiole and Castelnuovo Berardenga, will be the new UGA, which have been identified according to the main criteria of similarity of soils and microclimates, but also the location of the vineyards, as well as the "human factors", such as cultural history, local traditions and community spirit will narrate even better the link between wine and territory “which is especially close to our hearts, and that we consider a paradise for wine”, Marquis Piero Antinori, one of the great masters of Italian wine and at the helm of one of the most prestigious wineries in Italy and the territory, Marchesi Antinori, told WineNews.
Wine producers are confident that the Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA) will represent a further step forward in communicating the quality of wine and the territory. “Dievole is part of a small UGA, in terms of number of producers, but the dimensions of our area are extensive, since they include half of the Municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, which faces Castellina in Chianti”, Stefano Capurso, managing director of Dievole, historic Estate and winery owned by the Argentine oil tycoon, Alejando Bulgheroni, commented, “and I must say that we are very interested in the UGA. And, above all, the fact that we will indicate, even though the first phase will be limited to the Grand Selection wines, the place of origin of the wine, sends a positive message to the tourist sector. The indications will give a clearer identity to the wines, and will have a positive impact, especially abroad, on the knowledge of the territory and the lesser known areas, such as, Vagliagli”. “We had been hoping to implement the UGA for years”, Massimiliano Biagi, technical director and agronomist of the historic Barone Ricasoli, of Castello di Brolio where Bettino Ricasoli developed the first "recipe" for Chianti that later became Classic, “because we can finally start talking about areas, territories and zoning. Ricasoli, however, has been working on this since the 2000s, identifying soils and vineyards that have specific qualities, soil and pedoclimatic characteristics. Our "crus" come from individual Sangiovese vines on different soils, different altitudes and different exposures that allow us to express the uniqueness of Sangiovese. We welcome the UGA, therefore, because they are the beginning of zoning, qualifying the vineyards and the qualities of Sangiovese in the various Chianti Classico areas, a territory covering 70.000 hectares, of which 7.200 are vineyards”. “Gran Selezione is the highest quality, the excellence of Chianti Classico, and the addition of the UGA will make it even more important”, Sergio Zingarelli, at the helm of Rocca delle Macìe, one of the most famous Chianti Classico wineries, added, “and, above all, we will be able to communicate the vast Chianti Classico area better. The question is not whether one UGA is better than the other, but providing an instrument that will make people talk more about the territory” . The Additional Geographical Units (UGA) are one more plus for the consumer”, Antonio Michael Zaccheo, patron of Carpineto, a wine company that manages 5 wineries on over 70 hectares of vineyards in Chianti Classico, between Dudda and Greve in Chianti, added, “so that they can better understand where a wine comes from. Gran Selezione is a cru, but the UGA are an excellent, new chapter opening in the Chianti Classico area. It will open in other Tuscan denominations as well, such as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (with the Pievi, ed.). “I believe that continuing the path of the Additional Geographical Units (UGA) is a must”, Stefano Marzotto of the Santa Margherita Group, who owns one of the historic gems in the Chianti Classico area, Lamole di Lamole, added, “because it is necessary to make people understand what our excellent products are. The UGA in theory will be used to create more stability, and also to make it clear which company produces from the field to the Grand Selection, and also to make areas such as Lamole, Panzano, Radda, Gaiole and so on more known. Let's just hope”, added Marzotto, “that they don't create further confusion. We already have Chianti and Chianti Classico, Riserva, Gran Selezione, now the UGA. We will have to see how the market accepts them. And, we must explain that it is the desire to communicate more accurately and carefully the quality of Chianti Classico and its terroirs”.
Giovanni Folonari, at the helm of Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, who owns the beautiful estate of Nozzole in Greve in Chianti in Chianti Classico expresses a positivity about the UGA project, but he is also critical, “it is an important project, a step that will help the territory, like Gran Selezione did. It will give a clearer idea, especially by highlighting the most famous areas to those who have visited them, which is fundamental, and gives identity to Chianti Classico, which is still partly looking for it. However, in my opinion, 11 UGA are too many. They should have given fewer, as it can cause confusion, because some have unknown names, perhaps difficult for foreigners to pronounce. They should have limited them to Greve, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga and San Casciano. I would have started out with these denominations, and then maybe I would have added the others at a later time. However, on the whole, my opinion about the project is very positive”.