UGA, Additional Geographic Units, for Alto Adige, to boost growth

Alto Adige is one of the top prestigious territories in Italy, especially for its production of excellent white wines. The territory has been approved for UGA, Additional Geographic Units (the value of its vineyards, especially in the area of Lake Caldaro, has reached up to 900.000 euros per hectare, according to the Italian research institution on agrifood, CREA), completing a project that started a long time ago, as we have reported several times. The Ministry of Agriculture has given its official approval to 86 UGA, identified and documented down to the tiniest details. Thanks to the UGA, “the Alto Adige wine sector has taken a further step towards uniqueness”, the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige, led by the president, Andreas Kofler, and the General Manager, Eduard Bernhar, explained. Some UGA names that may be indicated on the label in the future together with the denomination “Alto Adige Doc”, are, for instance, Gries, Mazon, Eppan Berg or Brenntal.
It is another step towards growth and valorizing the territory that produces 40 million bottles each year, sold mainly on the HORECA channel (hotels, restaurants, catering) as well as to many markets around the world. Exports to the United States, Germany, Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom and Sweden yielded around 350 million euros turnover in 2023. And, according to Consortium data, the same amount should be confirmed even in this quite challenging 2024 for the entire wine market. The official acknowledgment of the Alto Adige UGA concludes a challenging approval process, that the Alto Adige Wine Consortium began several years ago.
“We had formed commissions consisting of agronomists, oenologists, winemakers, producers and experts in the history of viticulture, in the various wine growing areas”, Andreas Kofler, President of the Alto Adige Wine Consortium (and President of the Kurtatsch Winery), said. “Their task was to divide the various zones and decide which grape varieties were best suited to the various plots”. The concept of zoning, explained the Consortium, is based on being aware of the quality of the grapes and that wine is conditioned first and foremost by terroir and the microclimate, and also the altitude, the slope of the land, solar radiation, warm ascending currents, air circulation and precipitation. Consequently, data on the microclimate, solar radiation, shading, altitude and soil characteristics were evaluated to define similar zones. “The historic connections of these areas was also very important to us. Thanks to the Theresian Land Registry from the mid-18th century, we could trace the names that were historically attributed to the cultivation areas”, Martin Foradori, Vice President of the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige (and owner of the Tenuta J. Hofstätter in Termeno), emphasized. In addition to geographical zoning, we also defined the grape varieties most suited to the individual plots.
“It is important to specify that the winemaker will, in any case, be able to continue to cultivate, even in the defined UGA, the grape varieties permitted in Alto Adige”, Eduard Bernhart, Director of the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige, explained. “However, only the wines produced from varieties selected by experts can be identified as wines from an Additional Geographical Unit. Depending on the UGA, there can be up to five different grape varieties. However, there are UGA for which only one or two grape varieties have been selected”, Bernhart explained. “Reducing quantity by 25 percent of the quantity permitted for the Alto Adige DOC, we are also ensuring a higher quality of these special wines”, Andreas Kofler said. Martin Foradori, added, “Our goal is to bring the special characteristics of the various areas into the bottle. Terroir must not only be a marketing term, but it must also be perceived in the glass”. Another new feature is the pictogram, which has been specifically created by the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige. T he producer will also be required to include this pictogram on the label, in addition to the indication of the area. In this way, consumers will be able to distinguish these wines from the rest of the wine offering in the future.
“If we succeed in establishing our project, like models that other famous wine-growing areas have adopted (such as Barolo and Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Soave and others, ed.), these areas could become synonymous with great, unique and unmistakable wines”, Andreas Kofler, president of the Alto Adige Wine Consortium, concluded.

Focus -Alto Adige’s 86 UGA (Municipality and Additional Geographic Unit)
Salorno - Buchholz
Salorno - Salurn-Pfatten
Cortina - Giatl
Magrè - Punggl
Magrè - Unterfennberg-Hofstatt
Magrè - Kreuzweg
Magrè - Margreid-Leiten
Cortaccia - Entiklar
Cortaccia - Penon-Kofl
Cortaccia - Penon
Cortaccia - Milla
Cortaccia - Brenntal
Cortaccia - Eggen
Cortaccia - Rain
Cortaccia - Penon-Hofstatt
Cortaccia - Frauenrigl
Cortaccia - Graun
Egna - Mazon
Egna - Griesfeld
Montagna - Glen
Montagna - Pinzon
Montagna - Kalditsch
Montagna - Pinzon-Gebach
Montagna/Egna - Lehen
Termeno - Tramin-Rungg
Termeno - Steinacker
Termeno - Tramin-Plon
Termeno - Tramin-St. Jacob
Termeno - Tramin-Söll
Termeno - Putznai
Ora - Kiechelberg
Ora - Furggl
Aldino - Aldein-Aich
Vadena/Caldaro - Feld
Caldaro - Altenburg
Caldaro - St. Josef
Caldaro - Barleit
Caldaro - Wadleith
Caldaro - Plantaditsch
Caldaro - Dorf
Caldaro - Mezzan
Caldaro - St. Nikolaus
Caldaro - Planitzing
Appiano - Montiggl
Appiano - Kreit
Appiano - Girlan
Appiano - St. Anna
Appiano - Eppan-Berg
Appiano - Eppan-Berg-Schulthaus
Appiano - Girlan-Gschleier
Appiano - Maderneid
Appiano - Paulsner Feld
Appiano - Huberfeld
Appiano - Missian
Cornedo - Karneid
Bolzano - Kampenn
Bolzano - Kampill
Bolzano - Leitach
Bolzano - St. Justina
Bolzano - Rentsch
Bolzano - Gries
Bolzano - Gries-Moritzing
Bolzano - Prazoell
Bolzano - St. Peter
Renon - Ritten
Terlano - Siebeneich
Terlano - Klaus
Terlano - Vorberg
Terlano - Kreuth
Nalles/Tesimo - Sirmian
Merano - Freiberg
Merano - Labers
Merano/Tirolo - Kuechelberg
Tirolo - Tirol
Lagundo - Rosengarten
Parcines - Partschinser
Naturno - Naturnser
Castelbello-Ciardes - Kastelbell-Juvaler
Castelbello-Ciardes/Naturno - Kastelbeller
Silandro - Vetzaner
Villandro - Sauders
Villandro/Chiusa - Frag
Chiusa - Pardell
Funes - Nafen
Velturno - Schrambach
Bressanone/Varna/Naz-Sciaves - Brixner