Tuscany of wine has its institutional voice: recognized the Consorzio Vini Toscana

“I believe that this milestone, achieved also thanks to the efforts made by the Tuscany Region, which we thank, is a starting point, so that we can finally develop the management, protection, supervision and enhancement programs that Toscana IGT wines deserve; a Consortium that represents many producers from all over the Region and that is inclusive and representative of the companies that believe in the “Toscana” brand”: thus Cesare Cecchi, president of Consorzio Vini Toscana, which, as WineNews anticipated yesterday, obtained official recognition from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Italian Republic with Decree no. 423141 of August 21, 2023. This is an important milestone for the Consortium, obtained thanks to the representativeness of more than 39.5% of the producers and more than 58% of the production (well above the requirements of the Ministry, i.e., at least 35% of the producers and at least 51% of the production), which thus brings to fruition the renewal project developed since 2019, with the beginning of Cesare Cecchi’s presidency. “I am very pleased with the achievement of this goal”, said Cesare Cecchi again, “which comes as the culmination of an intense four-year period of work; a complicated work because we were starting almost from scratch and because we worked two of the four years in the pandemic”.
A project on which the Tuscany Region has also placed a strong bet, also by virtue of the importance of the Consorzio Vino Toscana, representing as many as 1,594 of the most representative wine-producing members in Tuscany, and a total certified production of about 95.5 million bottles of Toscana IGT wines, with an export share of as much as 69%, and a goal, that of the recognition of the Consorzio, also achieved thanks to the decisive role of the Tuscany Region, and in particular of Vice President and Councillor for Agriculture Stefania Saccardi. “Right from the moment of my appointment I have followed, together with my collaborators, the work that the Consorzio Vino Toscana was doing”, Saccardi emphasized, “I have flanked and supported their efforts and I consider the achievement of this result very important, which concerns as many as 4,000 wine producers who claim Toscana Igt, contributing not only to the enhancement of our agriculture, to preserving the value of our countryside and being a defence for the territory, but also to the enhancement of the brand “Toscana” at 360 degrees. For the Region”, concludes the Vice President and Councillor for Agriculture of the Region of Tuscany, Stefania Saccardi, “it is very important to have a point of reference with which to share objectives and strategies for the development of such an important sector as the wine sector”. “Now we have the tool to work with, from here on out it is up to all of us to contribute to the valorization of our Toscana IGT wines”, added Cecchi again, at the head of a Consortium that “intends to thank all those who believed in the project and worked hard for its realization, as well as the Vice-President of the Region of Tuscany and Regional Councillor for Agriculture Stefania Saccardi, the Ministry of Agriculture that supported the project, and the member producers represented by the Consortium’s Board of Directors, whose members have been very committed over the years. Thanks are extended to all the Consortia of Tuscan Denominations of Origin that have favored the birth and development of the Tuscan Wine Consortium”.
By obtaining recognition, the Consorzio Vino Toscana, as the only recognized and reference body for the entire production of the Toscana IGT Geographical Indication, will now be able to greatly implement its action, starting with Protection: thanks to this it will in fact be possible to deal directly with the authorities of countries all over the world, for effective action against imitations and counterfeits. The Consorzio Vino Toscana will also be able to implement policies for the management of the Typical Geographical Indication Tuscany together with the Italian regional and national authorities, and it will also be easier to develop surveillance activities on the production and marketing of products. Last but not least, the implementation of valorization initiatives will be no less important, in order to make Toscana Igt wines better and better known in Italy and around the world. A new role, therefore, for the Consortium, which goes to enrich - with those conferred on it by the recognition - its already important tasks, regarding the management, protection and valorization of Toscana Igt wine.