Having travelled back and forth to Piemonte fairly regularly for over twenty years, you’d think I’d be used to it all by now. But not a bit of it. The landscape that greets you as you turn off the E70 motorway from Torino, down into the town of Asti and the countryside beyond, always manages to put me into an almost trance-like state of happiness. The seasonal colours, the hills, the forests, and the villages you pass…you could only be in the Langhe region of Piemonte.
Having said that, the stunning topography does bring its own difficulties. Grape growers and winemakers in the region are subject to the same market pressures as elsewhere in the world. With what feels like less on offer for a larger volume of work, it’s no wonder that 'easier' vineyards win out, and the harder to reach, steeper, and older vineyard sites are slowly retired as economic factors take their toll.
Recently, however, a group of producers have established a new self-governing label designed to protect and promote these historic and unique vineyard sites. The Sorì Eroici (roughly translated as ‘Heroic Crus’) have been established to market the fabulous wines these sites produce to wine drinkers across the world and help to increase the economic sustainability of the hard graft these vines require. On a recent visit to the Langhe, I sat down with one of the prominent producers of the project, Alessandro Negro, from Poderi Roccanera in Cossano Belbo to find out more.
What is a Sorì Eroici?
“The whole project is about protecting those steep vineyards with the perfect terroir of our region,” began Negro. “We’ve used the Piemontese dialect to come up with a name for these historic vineyards, our vigneti vocati, our heroic vineyards.”
Followers of all things Piemontese wine may have heard of the term "Sorì" before. Indeed, it has been widely used by producers in Diano D’Alba to describe their most storied Dolcetto vineyard sites, roughly translated as their Crus. Even notable producers such as Gaja have used the term in the past.
By formalising it behind this new label of Sorì Eroici, this growing number of producers are looking to give meaning and definition to the term.
“Eroici means ‘heroic’ viticulture,” enthused Negro. “Believe me, it’s tough going. I reckon I spend about 3-4 times the hours per hectare on these sites than others I own, but we still believe it’s very much worth the effort for the wines we can produce.”
The origins of Sorì Eroici
The Sorì Eroici initiative was launched in 2021 (the first vintage with the logo) by the Associazione Comuni del Moscato following painstaking work from Luca Luigi Tosa, wine producer and mayor of Cossano Belbo. After studying the higher, steeper sites of the famous Belbo Valley, he discovered that a quarter of the vines were on slopes over 30%, and a tenth were on slopes over 40%. Work on these slopes is either tough or completely impossible to mechanise. The work needed to keep these sites, and the cultural heritage they entail, going now and for many years to come deserved more recognition.
The project has now mapped around 20,000 hectares across 51 municipalities within the Moscato production zone (although not limited to the Moscato grape) to identify and certify vineyards that meet the specific criteria laid down to qualify for Sorì Eroici status.
“We have about 18 producers signed up,” noted Negro. “I use it for Moscato and Docletto sites, Luca (Luigi Tosa) for Moscato, Dolcetto, Favorita and Nebbiolo. I think Sarrotto uses it for their Cortese and Arneis.”
Criteria for Sorì Eroici
The topography of the vineyard site is the first factor in the decision. Vineyards must be on South, East or West facing, sun-drenched slopes. Northern slopes are automatically excluded.
“The Northern slopes were always reserved for building the winery and growing corn, tomatoes and cereal,” pointed out Negro. “In Cossano, our south sides are steep, eroded limestone slopes. As long as we’re careful with the rootstocks it’s a perfect aspect.”
The steepness, or at least the difficulties involved with farming the slopes, is carefully monitored. Eligible vineyards are located on slopes with a gradient of 40% or higher, which qualifies them automatically as these are sites where mechanisation is impossible. Tojo Winery in Santo Stefano, produces wines on gradients as high as 60%, a fact that this new labelling will promote and celebrate. For less steep gradients, other conditions are assessed, such as the inability to use mechanical equipment for vineyard operations.
As should arguably always be demanded for this and any future initiative, producers are also required to possess a recognised environmental certification. That can be organic or biodynamic (like in the case of Quila in Neive, SQNPI (the Italian Integrated Production Quality System), or The Green Experience.
All this is then independently verified by Valoritalia, the auditing body behind the DOC and DOCG labelling.
What does this mean for the region?
Eventually, the goal is that the prices the producers can charge for these newly distinguished wines will reflect the extra effort it takes to make them. It also promotes the trend towards more sustainable environmental practices in the vineyard amongst the large production belt of the Belbo Valley. But there is a lot more to it than that.
As Negro pointed out, the draw of the landscape for tourism is a huge part of the local economy. “It’s not just that these slopes can produce nicer wines,” mused the winemaker, “we’re also thinking of our UNESCO heritage based on these steep, stunning vineyards and the wine tourism dollar it can bring to our towns and villages.”
There are also the environmental risks that many who work the land are increasingly aware of. Recent news headlines from across Italy have seen devastating landslides, that can result from neglected terrains, greatly affect the local way of life. Negro’s home village of Cossano Belbo is no different. “Every year we see a piece here and a piece there being abandoned,” bemoaned Negro. “The south facing slopes of Cossano are so steep, we have to do something to prevent them being abandoned entirely!”
What success looks like for the Sorì Eroici
“This is all about protecting the area and the traditions of our winemaking for future generations,” – Alessandro Negro, from Poderi Roccanera
There is no easy fix here. The whole point of the inception of the certification is that these are highly labour-intensive sites. Short-term economic factors such as finding and paying for the manual labour to work the sites will undoubtedly remain of chief concern. Short-term problems, however, are no excuse not to try.
“This is all about protecting the area and the traditions of our winemaking for future generations,” stated Negro. “We’re looking to improve the quality of our wines as well as protecting our environment, our history, our landscape and our tourism. We also want to be able to reward producers for the fact it’s really hard work!”
The success of the venture will depend on consumer uptake for the scheme. That may rest in the hands of more widely known producers signing up and joining the promotion. From 2024, for example, Marchesi di Barolo will use it for its Moscato d’Asti as even larger, more famed producers still see the value in protecting and promoting the exceptional sites of this glorious part of Piemonte.
For more information
With thanks for the time, patience and wine making passion of Alessandro Negro, owner and winemaker at Poderi Roccanera. For more information about the Sorì Eroici project and the wines available, please contact him directly at info@poderiroccanera.it.
Mike Turner is a freelance wine writer, presenter and educator, and regular contributor for The Buyer.
