The Consortium

TENACIOUS and PROTECTIVE, like a real Abruzzo DOC.

Consortium

The Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini d’Abruzzo (Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Abruzzo) is a non-profit association, made up of all the entities forming part of the control system, which aims to protect, enhance and take care of the interests relating to the controlled designations of origin of the regional territory.

Activities which the Consortium carries out, day after day, with the utmost determination. That same determination which its members – grape growers, winemakers and bottlers, always closely focused on quality – put into their work: from the care of the vineyard to the scrupulousness in the transformation of the grapes, diligence in aging to attention to customer requirements.

There is no region in Europe like Abruzzo where more than 30% of the territory is protected by four parks (three national and one regional) and a dozen nature reserves and protected areas. It is therefore no coincidence that the Consortium, which has been protecting one of the most authentic resources of the territory for years, has chosen the eagle as its symbol: an animal with a strong protective instinct, as tenacious as the people of Abruzzo.

Activities

Lots of functions, a single goal – to defend the quality of Abruzzo Wines.

The current statute, approved by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies with decree dated 4 June 2012, attributes diverse and different levels of duties to the Consortium.

Such as monitoring, protecting and safeguarding designations mainly carried out during the sales phase:

at technical level to ensure the protected products are in compliance with production regulation requirements;
at administrative level, to protect designations from plagiarism, unfair competition, usurpation and other illegal practices.

The Consortium also has a guidance function and in particular may:

after consulting the representatives of the designation involved, define the implementation of pertinent Government policies
organize and coordinate the activities of the categories involved in the production and marketing of DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) or IGP (Protected Geographic Indication) wines.

The Consortium may also make proposals relating to the regulation of DOP (DOCG – Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin -, DOC) and IGP wines and provide advisory services relating to the product involved, as well as assistance as regards the application of the law on the protection of designations of origin and the geographic indications of the wines.

CONTROLS AND CONTROLS PLAN

Frauds damage designations of origin and frustrate the honest work of many producers.

For this reason the Consortium initially and, since 2009, the Control Bodies recognized by the Ministry, carry out important control activities, aimed not so much at punishing producers for possible violations as at sensitizing them and directing them to follow the rules provided for by the production regulations with which the producers themselves have chosen to comply.

Since 1 August 2012, the DOP and IGP wines of the Abruzzo region have been subject to the control of Agroqualità S.p.A. – an agri-food quality certification company which carries out its activities through specific Control Plans. For information on the formalities and related forms, interested parties may contact:

Agroqualità S.p.A. – Ufficio di Pescara
Centro direzionale l’Arca delle Professioni
Strada Statale 16 bis, località Villa Raspa
65010 Spoltore (PE)
Telephone 085 4175588
Facsimile 010 5351135
vini.abruzzo@agroqualita.it
www.agroqualita.it

From harvesting to bottling: every step undergoes control.

The control Body operates in accordance with the rules laid down by the new regulations on the control of Designation of Origin and Geographic Indication wines, as required by ministerial decree dated 14 June 2012, which concerns all operators and all production phases, from grape harvesting through to bottling.

The Plan is split into several different sheets, depending on the entity involved in the control and provides for different types of activities strictly related and consequent the one to the other:

DOC and IGT conformity control activity;
DOC production certification activity;
IGT production conformity control activity.

Control plans and price lists of other regional DOP and IGP wines: