The Regional Council has given the green light to the new regulations of the Toscana Igt Wine Consortium. Among the substantial changes in the specification: the change of the name “Toscano or Toscana” to only using the term “Toscana”; the introduction of the “Spumante” (sparkling wine) category, both the Classic Method produced with refermentation in the bottle and the Martinotti or Charmat Method with refermentation in the autoclave.
“The process has been long and complex,” says Cesare Cecchi, president of the Consortium, “but we have finally taken the first step in order to bring more and more value to Toscana Igt wine. This denomination is claimed by around 4,000 producers a year and represents a very strong brand, which, as a common heritage, concerns the entire Region and deserves to be enhanced and protected. I would like to thank all those who have collaborated in this demanding work, from the Council to the agricultural categories and of course President Giani, Vice President Saccardi and his Department of Agriculture and all the regional officials who have played an active role in the procedure.”
“The term Tuscany alone,” explains President Eugenio Giani, “will help strengthen the identity and qualification of the wine of the denomination and at the same time help the consumer to correctly understand the geographical origin of the wine. The name Tuscany has become over time a brand of great importance at all levels, not only in the field of wine production, and it is precisely the name of the region that is recognized and considered both nationally and internationally.”
Toscana Igt: what changes with the new specification
In addition to the name, the second major change in the production specifications of Toscana Igt wines concerns the introduction of the “Spumante”, “Spumante di qualità” and “Rosso frizzante” wines.
In recent decades, within the Igt, alongside the production of still wines, the production of sparkling wines has developed over time on the one hand and the production of red sparkling wines from the processing of vines that can be cultivated in Tuscany has evolved on the other.
“The introduction of sparkling wines and sparkling wines within the denomination”, says Stefania Saccardi, vice-president and councilor for agri-food, “considering the increase in demand on the domestic and international markets, represents a significant boost to the growth of Tuscan wine companies that will have the opportunity to increase production and at the same time diversify the offer of products”.
“The change we fought for concerns the change of the name previously defined in the regulations Toscano or Toscana to just Toscana”, says Stefano Campatelli, director of the Consortium. “The wine will therefore refer only to the geographical term in order to strengthen the territoriality. In practice this is the main common element on which IGT wines must focus because the typologies can be different and produced with different vines. So ample space for research and innovation, which in the past has given our region famous and appreciated wines in the world”.
“The novelty is the introduction of the Spumante and Spumante di qualità category, after all for several years now the production of this type has been used in various areas of the region, and so they will be able to claim the name Toscana on the label. Furthermore, the new Disciplinary provides for the modification of some rules to provide greater clarity and to adapt to the regulations of recent years”.
The positive opinion of the Region has already been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture which will examine the practice and define the drafting of the text of the Disciplinary and the transitional rules. Subsequently, some of the new rules will be examined and definitively approved by the European Commission in Brussels.
