SOUTH TYROL WINE CONSORTIUM: ANDREAS KOFLER CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT. SUSTAINABILITY, ZONING AND NEW HEADQUARTERS AT THE CENTER OF WORK FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS

Founded in 2007 as an organization able to bring together all the main associations and institutions of the South Tyrolean wine sector, the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige today represents the reference center of competence in the field of wine and manages the Vini Alto Adige brand, as well as taking charge of a wide range of services for its associates. Andreas Kofler, president of the Cantina Kurtatsch, has already directed the activity of the Consortium in the role of president in recent years; at his side, as vice president , Martin Foradori of the Hofstätter estate in Termeno.
The board of directors, recently elected during the general assembly held in Bolzano, reconfirmed both of their roles. This vote too was marked by continuity. In fact Andreas Kofler, Klaus Pardatscher, Georg Eyrl and – new – Philipp Plattner as well as Oscar Lorandi will continue to represent the Consortium of producer cellars within the board of directors of the Consortium. Martin Foradori, Alois Clemens Lageder and Peter Zemmer were reconfirmed as representatives of the Alto Adige estates. The same is true for Stefan Vaja of the Vignaioli dell'Alto Adige, also represented on the board of directors, for the first time, by Hannes Andergassen.
With continuity at the top of the Consortium, continuity with regard to the main themes is also guaranteed. “Special attention is naturally paid to a consistent implementation of the South Tyrolean Wine Agenda 2030 , which shows us the way to a sustainable future along the entire value chain,” says Andreas Kofler. "After all, to consumers, we want to guarantee not only the quality of our product, but also the quality of production".
A second objective is the realization of the ambitious project linked to zoning , ready for implementation after years of preliminary work. “Over the next few years, unique terroirs, grape varieties selected for these specific areas and a further reduction in harvest quantities will raise the quality of Alto Adige wines to an even higher level,” explains the vice president of the Consortium Martin Foradori.
Finally, the project for the new headquarters of the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige is also under construction, in which the entire South Tyrolean wine sector will find a new home. “The concentration in terms of environments and spaces will allow us to better group resources and make cooperation even closer”, assures the president.
Looking back , however, Kofler recalled the Covid pandemic as the biggest challenge of his previous mandate. “We had to change our entire communication with the markets almost overnight,” says Kofler. Another challenge was the fight against flavescence dorée. “Thanks to numerous partners, we have managed to set up a monitoring system to keep the spread of this vine disease under control,” says the president. During the previous mandate, a sustainability certification was launched according to the SQNPI standards which, over the last few years, has passed its pilot phase. “The fact that we have managed to carry out all these fundamentally important projects, and have undertaken just as many, was only possible thanks to the enormous commitment of the entire Consortium team”, concludes Kofler, “and I am already looking forward with great pleasure to the next three years".