The rise of Ligurian wines: the secret of a success driven by wine tourism

Liguria is like a boomerang, curved, long and narrow, with vineyards characterized by the most disparate inclinations. For the same grape variety, completely different wines emerge in the various areas, and this drives wine lovers crazy. As Marco Rezzano, president of the Ligurian regional wine shop and of Ais Liguria, sculpts the identikit of his land. The wine expert, who also runs a haute cuisine restaurant in Framura (La Spezia), L’Agave, overlooking the sea, knows every inch of the strengths and weaknesses of his region. We talked with him about the success of Ligurian wines, trying to highlight the strengths of the sector in the area, but also the cracks, where there is room for improvement. Wine Liguria is experiencing a golden moment, in contrast to the rest of Italy. The numbers show it: 5.5 million bottles produced in one year; 1600 hectares of vineyards within the region, with a small annual increase of around 1%; 8 DOC (Cinque Terre, Colli di Luni, Colline di Levanto, Golfo del Tigullio, Ormeasco di Pornassio, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Val Polcevera) and 4 Igt (Liguria di Levante, Colline del Genovesato, Colline Savonesi, Terrazze of Imperia); +55.8% growth in exports of Ligurian wines in 2023 compared to 2022 with an export value of 23.9 million in 2023, in 2022 it was 15.3 million euros (Uiv and Ais data).

«Ligurian wines are attractive because they can be traced back to a well-defined territory. The credit goes to the winemakers who valorized ancient varieties and continued on even when the trends of past years suggested making easier products. And today the taste of enthusiasts is going in that direction: they are looking for traditional, rare, high-profile vines. Our problem is to grow volumes: demand is much higher than supply.” What is the role of restaurants in this sense? «The quality of the wine list in the restaurants is growing thanks to the work done over the years to raise awareness among restaurateurs. Until recently, it was difficult to find Ligurian labels on paper, today all the places have a nice selection. And this trend goes hand in hand with the acculturation of the staff who are called upon to explain the wines and highlight the strengths of that product and/or that territory. The choice is wide and also includes bubbles, which are still a niche, but whose presence has filled a gap. Not to mention the dessert wines, first and foremost the Sciacchetrà, which has always been the pride of the region.”

In this context, an important role is played by wine tourism. «The numbers tell us that wine tourism is rapidly expanding – explains Rezzano – The companies are organizing their welcome and, especially in the summer, the proposals linked to experiences in the vineyards with aperitifs at sunset, dinners among the rows are growing , guided tours of the cellar and so on. Our tourists have a very high spending capacity, they move the market, and this makes us understand that expanding and improving the quality of the offer is the right way to follow.”

At this point what is missing? «The next step is to be able to create an organizational network between producers – Rezzano replies – In Liguria there are notable logistical problems: from East to West there are over 300 kilometres, a strength that enhances the biodiversity of the region and the variety of places to visit, but also a weakness. To offer efficient and effective services to visitors it is necessary to draw a common thread that brings together all the wineries and which facilitates a homogeneous organisation, coordinated promotion and constant regional comparison between the companies: it is necessary to move in symbiosis, with the same dynamics, creating situations of confluence between the consortium entities, perhaps with a single direction, a bit like what happened with the regional Enoteca which has four offices, one per province (Castelnuovo Magra, Genoa, Ortovero and Dolceacqua)».

What is the challenge of the future? «The production of spirits and mixology: a rapidly growing trend».

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