We speak of heroic viticulture when cultivation takes place in extreme conditions compared with the usual ones and using traditional techniques, mostly employing native grape varieties. When producing wine becomes a true challenge for the winegrower against the adversity of the terrain and nature. A term and concept that appeared in Italy in the mid-1950s in the specialist press, but which over time have gained recognition and official status, also acknowledged by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
Heroic viticulture usually involves small plots of land, resulting in low yields in terms of quantity, but usually of high quality: this rewards the heroic winegrower for their efforts. Passion makes it possible to boldly overcome difficulties, hard work and sweat.
A curiosity for film enthusiasts about heroic viticulture: in 2009, Ermanno Olmi made a documentary film, Rupi del vino, devoted to the subject and set in Valtellina.
What distinguishes heroic vineyards
The body currently defining the characteristics of a heroic vineyard is CERVIM (Centre for Research, Studies and Promotion of Mountain Viticulture), which is committed to the protection and enhancement of heroic vineyards and of those who cultivate them. Indeed, a heroic wine-growing area represents quality and biodiversity, and is a fundamental and unique part of the environmental and landscape heritage.
The location, extreme climatic conditions and even the grape variety itself can all contribute to making a vineyard heroic, while ultimately giving the wines unrepeatable aromatic and flavour characteristics.
To qualify as a heroic vineyard, at least one of the following four criteria must be met:
- Having a slope of more than 30%
- Being located at an average altitude of more than 500 metres above sea level (this does not apply to vineyards located on a plateau)
- Having vines laid out on terraces and stepped slopes. (In the case of particularly rugged terrain, such as cliffs or volcanic slopes, it is sometimes even necessary to use monorail systems.)
- Being located on a small island (with an area of less than 250 km2)
The official recognition and registration of heroic vineyards could be the first step towards recognition on the label as well for wines produced from their grapes. For the time being, Italy has managed to win more than one gold medal in the various annual editions of the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes international competition, which rewards heroic viticulture products. Edoardo Patrone winery itself won the silver medal with Vigna Vagna 2019, a red Valli Ossolane DOC wine.
Edoardo Patrone winery and heroic viticulture
The areas where the principles and conditions of heroic viticulture are applied, or vineyards that, in addition to being heroic, are described as historic, are not merely a kind of open-air museum. For us at Edoardo Patrone winery, exactly as CERVIM emphasises, they have a unique and strategic socioeconomic and environmental role. It is in these places that high-quality wines, recognised nationally and internationally, are produced.
Our winery also operates within the scope of heroic viticulture in Val d’Ossola. We are among the pioneers of heroic wine production in the valley of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Our vineyards meet three of the four criteria required to be considered heroic: altitude, slope and the presence of terraces.
Alongside other more innovative and contemporary activities, we are committed to the recovery and safeguarding of heroic vineyards, grape varieties and training techniques. We harvest and select the grapes by hand to offer wine lovers’ palates genuine and unique flavours.
CERVIM and the definition of heroic viticulture
CERVIM, the Centre for Research, Studies, Safeguarding, Coordination and Promotion of Mountain Viticulture, rigorously defines the criteria for heroic viticulture. It recognises as “heroic” vineyards that meet at least one of several parameters: a slope of more than 30%, an altitude above 500 metres, cultivation on terraces or stepped slopes, or location on small islands. These criteria help to objectively distinguish heroic viticulture from the more general category of mountain viticulture.
