THE TERRITORY

“Liguria is like a Crescent Moon resting on the sea. The shining Tyrrhenian sea caresses its banks and the close by Alps and the Apennines, shield it from winds and invasions. This long, narrow, curved strip of land of green palm trees and olive trees, colorful houses, fragrant flowers, oranges, jasmine and brackish, where the best tasting fruits grow, where vineyards climb the rocks among pine trees and cypresses, where soft hills alternate with sudden steep coast, is only apparently a mainland region adjacent to the Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia and Tuscany: in reality it is an island”. (A. Morassi, Attraverso l’Italia -T.C.I.- Milano 1949)

Liguria presents a land configuration which make it different from the rest of mainland Italy: narrow valleys alternate with steep hills that then turn into mountains which are reflected in the sea.  From almost everywhere in this region there a view of the sea, and on almost every hill rises a castle, a village, a church or a house, recalling bits of history, reshaping the landscape of an already generous nature into unforgettable views of breathtaking beauty.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Since ancient times its geographical location and curved shape have made it a natural harbor and crossroad, ready for cultural and commercial trading. Indeed, the first references to viticulture in Liguria date back to contacts with the Greeks and even more so with the Romans: the first, who landed along the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, introduced the local populations to this crop, passing on their techniques, the latter improved the quality of production.

The oldest document of this historical period in Liguria dates back to 117 A.C. It is a bronze plate found in Val Polcevera in 1506, which reports the outcome of a dispute relating to a matter of borders, in which Val Polcevera wine appears to have been used as means of payment.    Discordant are, however,  the quotes by Strabo and Plinio “the elder”. According to the first,  Ligurian wines were bitter and resinous and were produced in limited quantities, whereas Plinio praised them in his “Naturalis Historia” , stating that “Luni wines hold the Palm of Etruria”.

The Ligurians immediately fall in love with the grapevine and the olive tree. Over time, they shape the territory to accommodate these crops, creating terraces supported by dry stone walls. The adaptation is favored by the mild climate created by the protection of the mountains and the ventilation produced by the marine breezes.

The vine and the olive tree become integral part of the economic fabric of the region and accompany its historical phases.  The ships that set sail from the port of the great maritime Republic of Genoa, carry goods of all kinds, including wines, which is amply documented in the legal documents that certify trade. There is also specific documentation regarding the export to the North Europe of the famous Moscatello di Taggia (Muscat of Taggia wine).

The colors and scents of Liguria, as well as its natural beauties, have inspired writers and poets over the centuries, just as the rare Ligurian wines have left traces in the local culture and history, creating an unbreakable bond between territory and wine that goes straight to the heart.

It is a long period of luck and success for Ligurian wines: Francesco Petrarca sings the praises of the Cinque Terre wines: “… so famous for the sweet vine leaves that the colli of Falerno and the praised Meroe declare themselves inferior” and while the Marquis of Clavesana imposes the cultivation of Ormeasco with an edict, Napoleon Bonaparte chooses Rossese Dolceaqua as the product for his personal comfort during the campaign of Italy.

Many are the varieties of vine cultivated in Liguria, brought back from journeys and planted in small plots which make up the Ligurian vineyard. The most important reference work for scholars of winemaking heritage of Liguria is surely “La Pomona Italian”, namely the “Trattato degli alberi fruttiferi” (Treatise on fruit bearing trees), published in Pisa (1817-1839) and written by Giorgio Gallesio, born in Finalborgo, near Savona, in 1772. He graduated in law, worked as a state official, politician and diplomat, retired from public life to pursue his primary passion, agriculture, and wrote the work that made him famous by describing in detail the variety of fruit trees grown in Italy, complete with clear and precise color drawings.

The decrease in trade, due to the downfall of Genoa, led many peasants to convert part of the land to other crops. At the end of the nineteenth century the phylloxera and blight plagues heavily affect the sector, leading to its decline. In the second half of last century and more precisely during the seventies there begins to be a slow, but continuous countertrend, although throughout the 80’s and 90’s, the abandonment of the territory continues, leading to the reduction of the vineyard area and production: young people migrate to the cities, leaving farming activities predominantly to the elderly. Often, wine production does not exceed the scope of family consumption.

In the last five decades, the tenacity of some producers and the strong ties between man and land, have favoured the cultivation of local vines.

The arrival of DOC certifications, first of all, in 1973, the one for Rossese di Dolceacqua, as well as the continuous research in quality over quantity, have produced an increase in the number of companies, although small in size: many young people have embarked on this road as a choice of life, bringing renewal and energy to the whole sector, well aware that, as of today, agriculture also means conservation of the land as a cultural and environmental heritage.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTE

Liguria is one of the smallest regions of Italy (5420 km2). It overlooks the Ligurian Sea, borders France to the West, the regions of Piedmont and Emilia to the North and Romagna and Tuscany to the East. 65.1% of the territory is constituted of mountains and hills, while the remaining  34.9% extends in an curve shape almost from the mouth of the Roja river to that of the Magra River and includes much of the Tyrrhenian side of the Alps and of the Appennini. The geological make-up of the reliefs is constituted in part of shale, quartzite, limestone, marl and dolomite and in part of schist and gneiss, arenare and conglomerates, which determines the most diverse characteristics and alpine landscape.

Along the coast, which runs for 346 km, mountains often rise directly from the sea, and in some areas the alluvial deposits of sand and gravel have formed soils that are well suited for the cultivation of the vine.

The western portion of the coast is characterized a by a red soil of marl and limestone origin with organic residue, which becomes darker going inland, while the eastern portion features soils of calcareous clay mixed with sand, which are heavier and deeper.

Numerous valleys carve the mountains which are crossed by short streams, while to the North some valleys are crossed by rivers of fairly regular regime, all tributaries of the Po, including the Tanaro, the Bormida di Millesimo, Bormida di Spigno, the Scriba, the Trebbia and the Aveto. The rivers flowing into the Ligurian Sea are characterized by short routes, steep slopes, basins of modest dimensions and irregular and almost exclusively pluvial basins, presenting a markedly torrential regime, with strong variations between maximum temperatures in autumn and spring and minimum in the summer and winter months. These rivers carry various debris, forming the well irrigated and fertile coastal plains.

Despite its latitude Liguria has a varied climate, mainly mild along the coast, and continental and typical of the mountains towards the north-east . The mild climate is due to natural protection from the winds by the Alpine-Appennine chain and to the cooling influence of the Ligurian Sea. In areas where the mountainous circle drops, such as Savona and Genoa, you can have sudden changes in temperature whereas in the sheltered areas the climate is constant. Rainfall is infrequent and heavy. Drought is considered the worst enemy for the cultivation of the vine. The summers are generally sunny and dry, while winters are pleasantly mild. The micro-climates vary notably within the region, and there are several climatic oasis where it is possible to grow even tropical flowers and plants.

The predominant winds blow from the South-West (Libeccio) and Southeast (Scirocco) causing moisture, rainfall and bad weather on the mountains of the interior. Equally frightening are the Mistral, which blows from North-west, tense and cold, and the storm winds which cross the depressions of the Colle di Cadibona.

Throughout the region the contrast between sea and mountains determines ventilation, mild climate and precious light for the growing of grapes, flowers and olive trees.

WINE GROWING AREAS

Generally the vines and techniques found in the Western area are similar to those used in Piedmont, while in the East the trends are closer to those of Tuscany. The most used forms of farming are sapling and espalier in the  production areas of Rossese and Pigato, although in the Cinque Terre area sapling undergoes some variations; in other areas the espalier, less frequently called “arbour” (“Topie”, in the local dialect). The vines grown in Liguria, with a predominance of white grape varieties, are more than a hundred, a number that explains the fragmentation of ownership, the difficulty of growing on a difficult terrain, the ease to trade with other wine-producing regions. The most widespread vine is the Vermentino, followed by the Albarola, Pigato and Sangiovese. On the western coast of Liguria, vines are cultivated using sapling, and the vineyards are located at altitudes between 200 and 300 m a.s.l., cultivated on terraces close to the sea as well as inland, always on impervious and steep areas that make cultivation difficult.