|
 The area covered by the application corresponds exactly to that of the Chianti Classico DOCG zone which is nicknamed as the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) because of the logo used on bottles in this territory, according to Silvia Fiorentini, Marketing and Communications Manager of the Consorzio.
The idea had been discussed by the members of the consortium for months and it was decided in February this year to make the application. It was now formalised in Florence during a series of celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the announcement of the Grand Duke Cosimo III de Medici on Sept. 24, 1716 through a decree. This decree defined the area and the boundaries for making Chianti-including the current area of Chianti Classico, Pomino (Chianti Rufina), Valdarno di Sopra and Carmignano. This was the forerunner for the DOCG wine classification and was the first example of defining the boundary of wine production in Italy.
If the application for acceptance as a Heritage site by UNESCO is successful, there would be benefits for Chianti Classico as a prestige tourist destination. Joining the UNESCO club would also give some protections for the landscape like property speculation.
Italy already has 51 UNESCO world heritage sites, more than any other country; seven of those are in Tuscany. The Langhe-Monferrato viticulture areas in Piedmont are already on the list. Vineyards producing Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG wines were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014. Prosecco producing region of Valdobbiadene-Conegliano hills and the Nebbiolo grape vineyards on the terraced slopes of Valtellina (Piedmont) have already applied and are thus ahead in the race.
To win, producers must prove that Chianti’s landscape is of ‘outstanding universal value’, according to Decanter. Burgundy and Champagne, just as Barolo and Barbaresco and the island of Pantelleria under the Sicilian administration, proved it and were granted the coveted status last year.
‘This is a long and difficult process, in competition with other prestigious candidates, but it is within our capability. Given the fact that Florence has received acknowledgment of two UNESCO sites, I support this candidacy,’ remarked the Mayor of Florence. ‘The UNESCO candidacy cannot be reduced to another label for this area: it is an acknowledgment of the international value of its unique features and cultural identity. In the future we must gamble on the wine producing and farming business linked to tour area, ancient but open to innovation, and the wine sector, which is perfectly suited to this combination like few others,’ he added.
Tessa Caponi Boraswska, president of the Fondazione per la Tutela del Territorio-Foundation for the Protection of the Chianti Classico Territory, made the case for Chianti over the weekend and drew up the application.‘The Chianti Classico area as we see it today is a unique and unrepeatable example of the ability to combine beauty, social harmony and economic growth, and this is why we are convinced that its values can and must obtain international recognition,’ she said.
Italy’s agriculture minister Maurizio Martina also pledged to support the application via video message at the conference organised on September 24, exactly 300 years after the decree was signed. Praising the quality but stressing more work had to be done to promote Italian wines, the prime minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi said, "The quality of our wine is at least as good as our French cousins. Compared to them we have not been able to make the team in the last 20-30 years. We have not done what they have done with great vision and strategy. We now need to do more and better.”
Collaborating with Champagne
It was also announced at the celebratory conference that the Gallo Nero consortium is preparing to sign an agreement with another exquisite area for viticulture- Champagne which won the recognition last year. "We will focus on a variety of factors: the governance policies of the two territories to the protection of our names and brands worldwide. The champagne has much to teach us,” says Sergio Zingarelli, President of the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) Consorzio. Added to this are cultural exchanges and experiences. We will probably make even set of communication campaigns to support two excellent wine producing countries in the world- France and Italy.” He also mentioned that Florence and Reims already y have the sister city agreement since 1954.
|