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UN recognises vineyards of Soave as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System

Published:  07 December, 2018

The vineyards of Soave have been recognised as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

The GIAHS advisory committee cited several attributes in approving Soave’s vineyards for recognition under the scheme, including the prevalence of the historic Pergola Veronese training system and the on-going adherence to traditional management methods that have evolved to minimise erosion and maintain soil health high, steep slopes.

Contributing to the character of the Soave landscape, these methods include dry stone walling and terracing, the maintenance of ancient hedgerows, and the preservation, even within high-value vineyards, of oak and chestnut forests.

FAO singled out the region’s ability to ensure a sustainable source of income for the various stakeholders in the production chain - grape growers, wine producers and bottlers, even during historical times of “intense hardship”.

The recognition put Soave among the most important agricultural and wine systems in the world, said Sandro Gini, president of the Soave Consorzio.

“It acknowledges the region’s ability to maintain centuries of tradition, in parallel with the innovation in the industry which inevitably takes place over the years,” he said.

GIAHS sites have been recognised all over the world, and include the Muscatel raisin vineyards of the Malaga mountains in Spain, the saffron fields of Kashmir in India, and the traditional wasabi fields of Shizuoka in Japan.

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