The surprising turn in Oltrepò Pavese: a change in representation within the Consortium, giving space to small winemakers

A territorial agreement. In February, something unusual happened in Oltrepò Pavese. The assembly of the Consortium for Protection voted for a historic realignment to address a chronic representation gap. The largest cooperative reality in Lombardy, Terre d'Oltrepò, decided to hand over the reins of the consortium to the producers by channeling its votes from a major electoral standpoint towards candidates in the production chain. This choice breaks with the past, marked by significant conflicts due to the overwhelming influence of the cooperative over the small producers in the area. In the past, Terre d'Oltrepò had chosen to ally primarily with bottlers, but the new CEO, Umberto Callegari, has decided to align with the producers to revitalize the territory and its designations.

New roles in Oltrepò Pavese

The new organizational structure of the Consortium's Board of Directors appears well-distributed in terms of weights and prominent figures. In the viticulturist category, notable figures such as Cristian Calatroni, Caterina Cordero, and Paolo Verdi have been elected, while in the winemaker category, prominent figures include Fabiano Giorgi, Ottavia Giorgi Vistarino, and Francesca Seralvo (Tenuta Mazzolino). Among the bottlers, we notice the confirmation of Renato Guarini from the Losito e Guarini company, which came under scrutiny due to accusations from Report.

"Terre d'Oltrepò will support a Consortium project that not only looks at technical aspects but also considers the moral and ethical aspects of the territory. Only if all of us can act as an ethical system, Oltrepò can truly be reborn," commented Callegari. It is worth noting that Oltrepò, with its 13 thousand hectares of vineyards, produces over 60% of Lombardy's wine and is the Italian capital of Pinot Nero, with 3 thousand hectares.