Gran Monferrato is officially "European City of Wine 2024
After the informal investiture came at the end of May, as of yesterday afternoon, July 4, the Gran Monferrato of Acqui, Casale and Ovada and the Alto Piemonte of Gattinara and Ghemme are officially the "European City of Wine 2024."
Recevin, the European Network of Wine Cities, presented the award to representatives of the territory at the European Parliament in Brussels' Spinelli Hall. A total of 20 municipalities will be able to boast the title next year: the three capitals of the Monferrato alessandrino area and 17 centers in Novarese, Vercellese, Biellese, and Vico in Alto Piemonte. Becoming "European Wine City" (for 2023 it will be Douro, Portugal's turn) will allow Piedmont's hills to earn for long months a place in the sun among the great continental wine areas and will bring to the territories promotional events, marketing strategies, university studies and international collaborations involving protection consortia, Chambers of Commerce, local authorities, companies, universities, with economic and tourism benefits.
Montepulciano (Siena) and San Clemente (Rimini) were also competing for Italy, but the dossier assembled by the committee headed by Mario Arosio convinced the National Council of Wine Cities to bet on a lesser-known but motivated area. "This important European recognition," says Regional Councillor for Agriculture Marco Protopapa, "translates into a great promotional opportunity for an area linked to wines of certified quality, from Grignolino to Dolcetto, from Casalese to Acquese to Ovadese to Gavi to Alto Piemonte. It is a starting point."And Tourism colleague Vittoria Poggio: "The title attests to our primacy in a sector that attracts thousands of tourists and investors." For Federico Riboldi, the mayor of Casale Monferrato, this is "a great victory for Gran Monferrato, the first international one, which consolidates its central role in structuring broad networks of institutional and territorial collaboration."
Also in Brussels with Alexala Director Marco Lanza was Ovada Tourism Councillor Sara Olivieri: "The Wine City title will be an important boost to increase tourism and commerce in the city. Ovada deserves this limelight, I thank the Region and our Enoteca." For Acqui, Rossana Benazzo, councillor for Agriculture, was present at the EU Parliament: "The new project will allow our city to have visibility, economic and tourism spin-off."