Canelli, home to Moscato d’Asti and “Unesco Cathedrals”, is officially a new DOCG

Canelli, home to Moscato d’Asti, and the Unesco Heritage “Underground Cathedrals”, is officially a new DOCG, bringing Italian wines to a total of 527 PDOs and PGIs. The announcement was made at “Vinitaly” 2023, and it has been officially registered in the Official Journal of the European Union L 166 of June 30, 2023. Canelli PDO is produced from grapes in vineyards composed exclusively of the Moscato Bianco vine that must come from 17 Municipalities around the Canelli sub-area: Calamandrana, Calosso, Canelli, Cassinasco, Coazzolo, Bubbio, Castagnole Lanze, Costigliole d’Asti, Loazzolo, Moasca , San Marzano Oliveto in the Province of Asti, and the Municipalities of Castiglione Tinella, S. Stefano Belbo, Cossano Belbo, Neive, Neviglie and Mango in the Province of Cuneo, a cross point between the Langhe and Monferrato. Over the past few years, the average total area has been 100 hectares, producing around a million bottles; however, the area has great potential for much more. Specifically, for instance, developing an aromatic, sweet wine, that has slight excess pressure and low alcohol content will be the distinguishing features of the Canelli PDO, Riserva typology. It will be placed on the market not before 30 months of aging and refining. Cultivating vines, and especially Moscato, have been the predominant crops in the Canelli area since the 1300s. In the early twentieth century, the process of preparing wine for fermentation was developed, and then perfected by Federico Martinotti.
“It has been a 24 year long journey that is now coming to an end, and all our producers are united towards this goal”, Flavio Scagliola, vice president of the Asti DOCG Consortium and supporter of the process through the Association of Moscato di Canelli Producers, commented, “and this recognition will elevate the quality value of this wine even more. Our wine has been held in higher and higher regard over the years, particularly on the Eastern markets where it is an excellent combination to their culinary traditions, and therefore will lead the way to Piedmont wines in general. It is a significant recognition for Canelli, which is one of the “flagship” places of Piedmont quality viticulture, and especially Moscato d’Asti DOCG. Furthermore, it is a fundamental element towards the socio-economic growth of an area that is becoming more and more a wine tourism destination. Now, the procedure includes assigning a protection body, the Asti Consortium, which will protect Canelli as well as Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti”.
“The PDO recognition to Canelli represents a step forward for the Italian wine system connecting the quality values of a product to those of the territory”, Mauro Rosati, Managing Director of the Qualivita Foundation, explained, “it also strengthens the Protection Consortia as tools to manage the supply chains, and the administrative capacity of the Ministry, which managed this important National dossier. In addition to giving more value to wine, the new denomination will generate a strong satellite activity in the area, improving the aspects linked to wine tourism, which are now an indispensable source of income for small and medium-sized enterprises”.
Piedmont, therefore, Qualivita emphasized again, now has 60 wine denominations (plus 23 in the food sector). The registration of the new PDO brings Italy to a total of 527 for wine - of which 409 PDO and 118 PGI, plus 322 for agri-food products, for a total of 849 denominations, PDO, PGI and STG. Further, taking into account also the 35 GI for spirits, the total is 884 Geographical Indications, which makes Italy the number one European country.