The Montlouis-sur-Loire ZAP scoops a VITOUR Award

Over 60 best practices in terms of protecting and enhancing vine-growing cultural landscapes had been identified by the VITOUR network. The VITOUR scientific committee, together with a jury of specialist European journalists – Carsten Henn (Germany), Ronn Wiegand (USA), Jean Claude Bonnaud (France) and Silvio Barbero, Vice-President of Slow Food – selected six significant work experiments conducted over the past three years within the network on capitalising on and transferring experiments in terms of protecting and enhancing the vine-growing landscapes inscribed on the World Heritage List. 

The main criteria considered were: ecological impact, social impact, the ability to preserve landscapes and possibility of transferring this best practice to other regions. 

The Loire Valley best practice rewarded

The experiment conducted in Montlouis-sur-Loire by the local authority and wine union was awarded the Expert Jury Prize. This recognises an initiative that guarantees the future of vine-growing areas in outlying zones. This tool has already been studied by other Loire Valley local authorities: Vouvray, Amboise, Vineuil and Cléry-Saint-André. 

The winners

• 1. Projects for maintaining the hiking trails organised by Legambiente in the Cinque Terre National Park (Italy)
• 2. Wine-makers' association "Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus" – Governance and positioning of the Wachau wine region (Austria)
• 3. Creation of the "Rheinsteig" world heritage trail in the middle Rhine Valley (Germany)
• 3. Strategy for managing and developing terrace viticulture, Cinque Terre National Park (Italy)
• Special mention by the Scientific Committee. Measures to protect farmland in Montlouis-sur-Loire (France)
• Special mention by the Jury. The UNESCO management plan of the Lavaux site (Switzerland)

VITOUR at the Salone del Gusto in Turin

The results of the VITOUR Landscape project were presented during the international event organised by Slow Food, the Piedmont Region and city of Turin, in liaison with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Terra Madre. 

A photo exhibition of all of the partner sites drew several hundred visitors to the VITOUR area where additional information was available about the project, its objectives and results. A round table was also organised to discuss the negative effects that current wine market regulation policies could have on European wine regions. 

Online:

• www.vitour.org