Consorzio Valtènesi. Interview with President Alessandro Luzzago

Dec 14 2020, 09:19 | by Gianluca Atzeni
Will wine tourism and sustainability really be the drivers of the coming years? Here's the interview with the President of Consorzio Valtenesi Alessandro Luzzago.

1 How have they changed and what are the inspiring principles and philosophy of your consortium today?

In the spring of 2019 we entrusted the Roman illustrator Gianluca Folì with the task of renewing the consortium image by sharing our identity in 5 illustrations. The key concepts on which the Consortium intends to focus its communication in the future emerged from this process: Valtènesi is the fragile and precious character of Groppello, our native grape variety, it's a question of method, the one linked to the rosé vocation of our territory. It's a pact between generations of family businesses, it's a corner of the Mediterranean at the foot of the Alps, but also a corner of the world where one can savour the local Garda "dolce vita" in a glass.

2 According to many analysts, wine tourism and sustainability will be the drivers of the coming years. How are you interpreting them and where do you need to improve?

The productive structure of Valtènesi is a fabric of small and medium-large wineries operating on a territory of 1066 hectares of vineyards set in a highly suggestive environmental context. Hence promotional initiatives based on the link between man and territory such as the latest edition of “Profumi di mosto,” focused on the experiential dimension is what we plan to focus on more in the future.

3 In terms of marketing, how important is the relationship with the territory according to you?

The connection with the territory is fundamental, as demonstrated by the Rosa Valtènesi 2020 project. In August we delivered bottles and informational material to more than 600 businesses on the Brescia coast of Lake Garda. In turn these shared them with their customers, giving us great visibility in this difficult year: a great commitment for the cellars of the Valtènesi Consortium who made more than 10,000 bottles available for free. The response from restaurateurs, hoteliers and shopkeepers was extraordinary and allowed us to "light up the Riviera in pink" from Sirmione to Limone del Garda.

4 What are the projects of the Consortium for the next two-three years?

The vocation of Valtènesi for rosé, as evidenced by an annual production increase set at 10%, is the basis on which all the projects of the Consortium develop towards in the coming years. La Prima del Valtènesi on February 14, Italy in pink in June, the revival of Rosa Valtènesi in summer and Profumi di Mosto in October are the major events that we will host in the area, in addition to international collaborations with excellent partners such as journalist-sommelier Filippo Bartolotta and his Mamablip project, to consolidate and strengthen our presence on foreign markets

Valtènesi & Groppello: one territory, one grape

Overlooking the Brescia coast of Lake Garda, the Valtènesi area is characterised by a unique microclimate, with a Mediterranean feel. Groppello has historically found its natural habitat here, a native grape variety that represents the main enoic heritage of the area: in the world there are 400 hectares cultivated precisely on the hills of the Benacense morainic amphitheatre. From Groppello comes Valtènesi, a rosé wine with ancient roots but with a contemporary profile, whose production process was codified for the first time in 1896 by the Venetian senator Pompeo Molmenti.

Valtènesi in figures

92 wineries

1,066 hectares of vineyards

19,630 hectolitres

35% export

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