CONSORZIO DI TUTELA VINI COLLIO: THE NUMBERS OF BOTTLED PRODUCTS IN 2022 EXCEED THE FIGURES OF 2021, RECONFIRMING THE GROWTH TREND RECORDED IN RECENT YEARS

The Consorzio di Tutela Vini Collio The Collio is a viticultural area known throughout the world for its variety of white wines , characterized by a marked minerality and great longevity . This hilly area, located between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea, creates an absolutely unique microclimate, capable of marrying perfectly with the "ponca", the characteristic Collio soil made of marl of Eocene origin, ideal for growing vines. The Collio brings to mind a stupendous succession of slopes where the best white wines of Italy are produced from native vines such as Malvasia, Ribolla Gialla , Friulano and Picolit , alongside a universe of international vines. The Consorzio di Tutela Vini Collio was born in 1964 and since 2012 it has acted on an erga omnes statute; today it has about 1,500 hectares of vineyards. It is currently made up of 178 members and its president is David Buzzinelli, unanimously re-elected on 4 April 2022. The Consortium is active on many fronts, from the promotion of the territory and its unique wines , to the development of wine tourism , a fundamental tool for bringing the public closer to these top-level wine products. The Consortium is also particularly active from the point of view of environmental sustainability , wine experimentation and research.

The Consorzio di Tutela Vini Collio closes 2022 on the up, with a bottled volume higher than 2021 by 9% and higher than 2020 by 26%. In the period between January and November , 6,643,278 bottles were bottled, a truly considerable number, especially given the water crisis that hit the country during the summer and the energy and raw materials crisis that also impacted the wine sector.

" The year that is drawing to a close concludes with a definitely positive balance - says David Buzzinelli, President of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio - The new Board of Directors, elected in April, took over the baton and immediately started working to achieve important goals : to bring Collio wines to levels of absolute excellence by promoting the priceless wine heritage of this area on several levels, in Italy and abroad. A heritage also protected with an eye towards environmental sustainability and towards wine tourism, always looking to continuous and all-round development ".

The 2022 harvest , slightly earlier than the previous year due to above-average temperatures, was overall positive . The dry climate kept the quality of the grapes excellent from a phytosanitary point of view and the isolated rainfalls in the months of June and July were sufficient to prevent the vines from undergoing excessive stress. The overall volumes at the end of the harvest returned to the average of previous years.

2022 also saw many activities to promote the area which put Collio at the center not only as a place of interest for operators and sector experts but also as a wine tourism destination for anyone wishing to learn more about everything this dynamic area has to offer and heterogeneous. There were many events such as " Enjoy Collio Experience " and " Enjoy Autumn Collio Experience " which had great appeal both for the Italian and foreign press . The first of these, " Enjoy Collio Experience ", was focused on describing the white wines of the area through five workshops that investigate the interesting connections between the sensory and emotional sphere and wine . One of the goals for 2023 is to re-propose this format, making this experience usable by all the tourists who will arrive in the Collio.

The second event, " Enjoy Autumn Collio Experience ", is proof of the growing interest in Collio wines even outside the national borders. This year the event brought journalists from the United Kingdom and the United States of America to the region who were able to taste the excellent white wines of the region, characterized by a marked minerality and recognized longevity.

Also from the point of view of sustainability, 2022 was a fundamental year for the Consortium. In fact, the forward-looking and in-depth work that the territory, with the Consortium and its members, is carrying out in the context of the certification of the National Integrated Production Quality System has continued. A recognition of the good practices that companies introduce daily to protect biodiversity and the ecosystem that makes the region so unique. A path that will certainly continue and will be implemented in the years to come with the aim of increasingly protecting Collio as a pearl of Italian whites.