Reconnecting the threads of an almost century-old history, recovering the mission that the dissolved entity “Mostra-Mercato nazionale dei vini tipici e fine” (National Exhibition-Market of Typical and Fine Wines), then “Enoteca Italica”, then “Enoteca Italiana” had for decades. And doing so by innovating in form and substance, returning to being a place of scientific research, of study and dissemination of wine culture, of promotion of the “Vigneto Italia” and recovering the role of valid interlocutor for production and non-production entities (consortia, companies, associations).
These are the objectives that the founders of the Siena Italian Enoteca Foundationwhich arose in recent months in Siena on the initiative of Elena D’Aquannotogether with the members of the consortium that acquired the historic brand of Enoteca Italiana Siena and which involves public and autonomous bodies (Municipalities and Chambers of Commerce), sector professionals, consortia, associations, starting from the National Association of Wine Cities, trade associations such as CNA.
Foundation that had its official baptism during an event with the evocative title “Among the rows of the history of wine”held today in Rome in the Sala del Cenacolo of the Palazzo Valdina complex.
The presentation, introduced by institutional greetings from the secretary of the Chamber of Deputies Francesco Battistoni and the president of the Forza Italia group in the Chamber of Deputies Paolo Barelli and from the reading of the greeting from the Undersecretary of Agriculture Patrizio La Pietra, continued with the speeches of the deputy mayor of Siena Michele Capitani and the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Arezzo-Siena Maximum Gascons.
“Today the municipal administration of Siena goes beyond the confines of its territory and its walls and proudly attends what must be a rebirth for the city’s historical heritage. A rebirth strongly desired by the administration, which has been able to overturn a situation that has dragged on for too many years, even painfully”, he said Captainsrecalling that the concession contract for the Fortezza Medicea will be signed in the next few days. “For Siena, losing the Enoteca was, in fact, depriving itself of a historical page of its cultural heritage. Even more: an institution that was a true city institution, a true testimony,” added the deputy mayor, applauding Elena D’Aquanno’s initiative.
Massimo Guasconi he recalled that the “Chamber of Commerce convincingly supports all those projects capable of supporting and promoting the most strategic sectors for the economic system of our province. Our support could therefore not be missing for the initiatives that the “Fondazione Enoteca Italiana Siena” is undertaking to encourage the development of wine culture and practice and to offer further visibility to Sienese productions and labels. Initiatives that can take on additional value in supporting our tourist offer. The Foundation’s activity is also taking place at a very important time for the marketing of our wines, especially in international markets. In the first quarter of 2024 we had a growth in exports of 12.9% compared to the period January-March 2020 with a value of almost 122 million euros”, said Guasconi.
Moderator Andrea Radic then gave the floor to three co-founders of the Fondazione Enoteca Italiana Siena: Max Caroti, Rosanna Zari e Mario Valgimigli.
“The aims of the foundation – he said Caroti – include, among other things, projects related to research and the scientific world, the conservation of native vines and their way of adapting to climate change, approaching young people with projects related to drinking well and responsibly, valorizing, promoting and protecting healthy products deriving from low environmental impact production processes, at km 0, natural and organic.
A Rosanna Zariagronomist, member of the Georgofili Academy and councilor of the historic Fisiocritici Academy of Siena, the task is to range over the theme of the protection of Italian viticultural landscapes and the diversities that make the Italian grape variety unique and inimitable, focusing on their characteristics and their impact on the development of territories.
“Italy is one of the first areas of viticultural biodiversity which confirm the great adaptability of this species to different environments, contributing to the creation of varied landscapes, some of which are UNESCO heritage sites. Today’s challenge for researchers and winemakers is to study new cultivars and training methods to adapt to climate change,” Zari recalled.
The intervention of Mario Valgimigli – vice president of the Foundation, doctor and wine producer – instead focused on some of the future initiatives of the Foundation in line with the informative and educational mission of Enoteca Italiana Siena. Initiatives that include “the reconstitution of a Selection Commission of Fine Wines, resumption of the historical function of the Enoteca d’Italia and thus valorize the positive characteristics of Italian wine, often demonized for reasons of commercial competition and that have nothing to do with health”, Valgimigli pointed out, recalling that there are in the pipeline “projects of national and international scope for education on excellent wine and Made in Italy from a health perspective.
Conclusions entrusted to president of the Elena D’Aquanno Foundation which opened with the usual thanks – from national institutions to the Tuscany Region, to associations, in particular the National Association of Wine Cities, trade associations and consortia – for their closeness and support for the project. He then retraced the history of the Institution, from its birth in 1933 to its liquidation, up to today, focusing his speech on the spirit that animated the decision to “create a non-profit organization capable of gathering the legacy of the dissolved institution and working – in synergy with associations, companies, scientific entities – to understand, enhance and promote Tuscan wine culture, basing its work on two cornerstones: the protection of product quality and the sustainable development of local economies. It is significant that the Foundation, which is not born from the ashes of the Institution but aims to recover its spirit and role, officially starts from here, from the heart of the institutions, demonstrating the ambition and credibility that surrounds it”.
The Fondazione Enoteca Italiana Siena was founded in 2024 with the aim of promoting, spreading and enhancing the wine culture, protecting quality and supporting local sustainable economic development. Among the main objectives are the enhancement of native vines and traditional and modern cultivation practices, theysupport for the economic development of rural wine-growing areas, the promotion of the circular economy and the health and nutritional aspects of food, participation in events of international importance, the promotion of studies and publications and the organization of events related to the culture of wine.
