IN BREVE
- The Italian National Commission for UNESCO has submitted the candidacy of Valpolicella’s ‘messa a riposo delle uve’ (grape withering) as intangible cultural heritage.
- This practice represents a key element that unites community, landscape, and production culture within the winemaking tradition.
- The Valpolicella Wine Consortium has led a path of awareness that has lasted for over thirteen years.
- The candidacy is based on four identity pillars and anticipates UNESCO recognition in 2027.
- The ‘messa a riposo delle uve’ actively involves around 8,000 people and performs educational and social functions, in addition to oenological ones.
The Italian National Commission for UNESCO, following a proposal from the Ministry of Culture, has decided to submit the candidacy of the Valpolicella “messa a riposo delle uve” practice as intangible cultural heritage. The motivation focuses on “winemaking wisdom as cultural heritage,” recognizing the withering ritual as an element that binds community, landscape, and production culture.
The presentation document highlights how this practice tells the story of a deep-rooted and identity-defining tradition, in which the grape withering process represents a central step not only from an oenological point of view, but also socially and culturally.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CANDIDACY
«The official candidacy of the ‘messa a riposo delle uve’ ritual is the first winemaking technique to cross the UNESCO threshold and represents a historic milestone for Valpolicella. A millenary savoir-faire,» states the president of the Valpolicella Wine Consortium, Christian Marchesini, «that has shaped the culture, landscape, and identity of the territory, becoming an authentic expression of our communities.»
«This achievement strengthens the commitment to protect and pass on to new generations a tradition that cannot be taken for granted, enhancing its cultural and collective significance and the uniqueness of Amarone and Recioto,» continues Marchesini. «I thank the Undersecretary for Culture, Gianmarco Mazzi, the Scientific Committee, and the community for having convincingly and collectively supported a path that has increased awareness of the value of our rituals.»
A JOURNEY LASTING OVER 13 YEARS
The candidacy is the result of work started over thirteen years ago and led by the Valpolicella Wine Consortium. The project involved the Brotherhood of the Sovereign Most Noble Order of Amarone and Recioto (Snodar), the academic world, and the entire territory. A shared process that has strengthened awareness of the cultural value of the withering practice and its transmission over time.
THE FOUR PILLARS OF THE DOSSIER
The dossier is based on four identity pillars identified by the Scientific Committee composed of oenologists, legal experts, and anthropologists. At the center is the technique of resting the grapes on ‘arele’ (drying racks), then placed in ‘fruttai’ (drying lofts).
According to the document, this practice performs an “educational, environmental, social redemption, and inclusion function” in addition to the fundamental “oenological function,” since “without this technique, the wines of the territory would not exist.”
Among the distinctive elements, the strong territorial participation also emerges: approximately 8,000 people involved, including men and women, young and old, Italians and integrated foreigners across the 19 municipalities of the denomination.
DECISION EXPECTED IN 2027
The outcome of the candidacy will be evaluated by UNESCO with a decision expected in 2027. A step that could mark international recognition for one of Valpolicella’s most identity-defining practices.
