"Heroic viticulture in Italy and Europe has now, finally, got its own event designed to promote the many different production situations that are of great social, cultural and economic importance. With Enovitis Extrême, we as Unione Italiana Vini, have managed, by partnering with CERVIM, VIVAL and the autonomous region of Valle d'Aosta, to complete the range of events dedicated to technologies for viticulture, along with Enovitis in campo and Enovitis Business in Milan, created in conjunction with SIMEI. As well as being an opportunity for promotion, this event aims to facilitate meetings between producers and suppliers and also launch a cultural message to politics, institutions and markets on the need to safeguard, protect and promote this niche of viticulture."

This is what Luigi Bersano, Councillor of the Unione Italiana Vini, said during the first edition of Enovitis Extrême, the new dynamic and itinerant exhibition dedicated to the world of heroic viticulture organised by UIV in cooperation with CERVIM (Research Centre for Mountain viticulture), with the support of VIVAL (Valle d'Aosta's Wine Growers' Association) and sponsored by the autonomous region of Valle d'Aosta.  The event took place yesterday, Thursday 19 July, in Quart (AO) in the beautiful vineyards belonging to the agricultural company Grosjean Vins, a company that directly manages around 15 hectares of vineyards and produces just under 150,000 bottles a year. Over 500 visitors attended, thereby helping to make the event a high-profile event for discussion and professional updating, an event that enabled more than 45 exhibitors with more than 100 machines tested to present the possible innovations for this fascinating system of heroic viticulture. Many visitors – in addition to Valle d'Aosta Valley and Piedmont – from Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Liguria, Puglia and Lazio and, reflecting the value of "heroic" viticulture in Europe, from France, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium.

"It is a great pleasure," explained Elso Gerandin, Councillor for Agriculture and the Environment for the Valle d'Aosta regional government – to work with Unione Italiani Vini on an event like Enovitis Extrême with the objective of promoting the practice of mountain viticulture that has a high cultural, social and economic value for the community of Valle d'Aosta. Finding innovative and technological solutions helps to facilitate the work of heroic grape growers and to reduce some of the high costs that they are forced to bear due to the special conditions in which they operate. This event, which also enjoyed the participation and support of CERVIM and VIVAL, goes in the direction of what we all hope to achieve: to create a system and to raise the attention to this particular sector of winemaking that manages to combine high production quality, promotion of the environment and protection of communities".

The event was enriched by moments of reflection and debate during the round table "Heroic vineyards: protection, promotion and markets", organised by "Il Corriere Vinicolo "CERVIM, moderated by the Director of "Il Corriere Vinicolo" Giulio Somma and with presentations by Valeria Revel Chion (office for agriculture and environment at the Valle d'Aosta region), Moreno Soster (Director of the wine sector at the department of agriculture, hunting and fishing for the region of Piedmont), Michele Alessi (Director of the office for wine at the Ministry of Agriculture - Mipaaf), Olivier Viret (Director of the office for viticulture, Vaud, Switzerland), Roberto Gaudio (Chairman of CERVIM) and Stefano Celi (Chairman of VIVAL). A moment for training that touched on the themes and main issues relating to heroic viticulture, in particular analysing the case of wine production in Valle d'Aosta, characterised by restricted quantities but high quality.

"As is well-known - explained Michele Alessi, (Director of the office for wine at the Ministry of Agriculture) - the Consolidated Law on vines and wine entrusts the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies with the task of issuing a specific measure for the protection of vineyards with particular landscape, historical and environmental merit called ' heroic or historical'. The purpose of this provision is to define the criteria for identifying the territories where these vineyards are located and also to establish the criteria for the types of intervention that can be financed with the National Support Programme resources. The latter, not only in the context of renovation and conversion, but also for promotion in third countries and investments, in compliance with the objectives of safeguarding the territory and supporting the socio-economic development of the areas concerned. To date, the draft decree has been the subject of an initial technical debate and is following the expected path for reaching an agreement within the permanent Conference between the State, the regions and the autonomous provinces".

"With Enovitis Extrême - Roberto Gaudio, Chairman of CERVIM, commented - the collaboration between CERVIM and Unione Italiana Vini is continuing in the direction we had hoped for. In fact, it is more and more necessary to create a system among the players of the production chain and to raise attention towards this type of viticulture, together with the world of research, innovation and applied mechanical engineering companies. Innovation and technology are critical to make the work of heroic wine growers easier and reduce, at least in part, the costs of production. Costs that are higher than conventional viticulture and that represent one of the prime issues in mountain areas as well as on small islands ".

"We are very pleased to have helped organise a major event like Enovitis Extrême – Stefano Celi, Chairman of VIVAL, added – expressly dedicated to areas where mechanisation is limited and hard. We are also honoured that the first edition was hosted in our region, the symbol of heroic viticulture characterised by steep slopes and works to support the land that create unique landscapes and preserve the territory from hydrogeological instability. It is therefore important to help growers to cultivate these areas to keep them as they have been created over the centuries, also for the protection of the environment".

Throughout the day in the vineyards, tests were carried out on the machines and equipment by exhibitors, and all the innovations and latest technologies for mountain viticulture were presented, aspects that characterise all Enovitis events taking place "in campo" (in the field).