Terra dei Forti: Promoting LocalWine, Heritage and Sustainable Tourism
Objectives and Strategies for Territorial Enhancement
Counteracting market homogenization through the recovery of local enogastronomic, historical, and cultural peculiarities of a territory; creating competition between regions rather than between products; understanding typicity, the strength of producers, as a combination of history, cultural heritage, environmental protection, and product health; finally, fostering professionalism at the intersection of multiple skills and, above all, a policy of alliances among different stakeholders—producers, consortia, hospitality operators, restaurateurs, and hoteliers.
This is the feasible path for launching viticulture in the new subzone «Terra dei Forti». The proposal comes from Riccardo Pastore, an expert in planning and marketing, who delivered the introductory speech at the conference «Valorizzazione di un territorio. Terra dei Forti» (Enhancement of a territory. Land of the Strong), held within the 18th Valdadige Doc Wine Festival.
Official Recognitions and Sustainable Tourism
«It’s a special edition this year», declared Valentino Fugatti, president of the same consortium, at the beginning of the event. «Finally, we have managed to obtain the official designation “Terra dei Forti”, a proof that our territory is evidently inclined towards the production of quality wines».
«Today we talk about sustainable tourism, which aims to rebuild a relationship with nature, history, culture, and knowledge, and to enjoy local products», explained Pastore. «A term unknown five years ago and that demonstrates a counter-trend, a will to oppose the prevalent trivialization in the agri-food sector, which is the lack of awareness about the origin of what we eat».
Demand for Quality and Direct Relationships with Producers
The explanation lies in the growing demand for food quality, which touches all social classes, in the rediscovery of the pleasure associated with wine, in the demand for an eco-compatible territory, meaning landscape and environmentally friendly, in general, in the desire for a direct relationship with the producer.
«The winery», concluded Pastore, «must have a direct relationship with the customer. Evidence of this is the success of the Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars) initiative, which in five years has increased visitor numbers tenfold, from 100 thousand in 1994 to 1 million last year».
Territorial Promotion and the Responsibility of Administrators
Opinions shared also by the second speaker, Enrico Merenda, president of Apt Riviera degli Ulivi. «Apt has been trying for years to promote the lake district and the inland areas as a single entity», he explained. «Tourism is a fundamental factor to supplement income from agriculture, but a cultural operation on the territory is necessary.
Work cannot be done for individual systems but rather from a perspective of globalization. In this sense, significant responsibility largely rests on local administrators». The conference concluded with the awarding of the wineries that won the 18th edition of the Vini Valdadige Doc competition.
