Dynamismhigh quality and bond with the territory: these are the cards to play for the Garda DOC consortiumwhich having noted the increase in wine production of 46% since 2017 is now more determined than ever to deploy all its strengths to grow.

This is what emerged as part of the “Garda Wine Stories” event organized on 6 June at the Dogana Veneta in Lazise, ​​in the province of Verona. The President of the Consortium, Paolo Fiorini, opened the day with institutional greetings. They then took turns the interventions of Eugenio Pomarici of the Center for Research in Viticulture and Oenology of the Studies of Padua and followed by Angelo Zago, of the Department of Economic Sciences of the University of Verona.

The Garda DOC strategy

The study carried out by Eugenio Pomarici’s team highlighted the dynamism and potential of the Garda DOC wine system, a denomination that has established itself on both the national and international markets.

The significant expansion of the cultivated area and the number of winemakers testifies to one quantitative growth notable: +46% since 2017, with a production that exceeded 410,000 quintals of grapes in 2023. Furthermore, the important capacity for innovation and diversification of Garda DOC was highlighted, with a wide range of wines that respond to the different needs of the modern consumer, highlighting a impressive increase in the number of bottles produced, which went from 6.1 to 18.6 million in six years.

The focus also underlined the strength of the “Garda” brand, which immediately evokes the beauty and unique characteristics of Lake Garda.

The challenges of the consortium

However, he also highlighted some challenges, such as the lack of distinctive specificity of the denomination, which makes a greater focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio varieties necessary also for a higher positioning in the market. The proposed strategy to overcome these challenges includes the intensification of promotion and valorisation activities by the Consortium, collaboration with local tourism and the creation of a network between producers and tourist operators, which can strengthen the image of wine linked to the territory of Lake Garda.

Web analytics

The second speech of the day featured Angelo Zago as speaker, who presented an in-depth analysis of the interest in Garda DOC wines based on searches carried out on Google. The research project, financed by CT Garda Doc, explores how users from various European countries and some Italian regions search for terms related to Veronese wines, in particular those of Garda DOC. The results show that “Garda” is the most searched term among the main Veronese denominations and that in the specific categories of “alcoholic drinks”, countries such as Austria, Germany and England show the greatest interest in Garda DOC wines. This interest is particularly strong also in the Italian regions mentioned, where Garda surpasses other denominations such as Valpolicella and Lugana. The project intends to continue exploring the role of tourism in further stimulating interest in these wines and evaluate the development of predictive tools that help concentrate promotional activities in the areas of greatest interest.

“These interventions – concludes President Fiorini – not only confirm the popularity of Garda DOC wines at a national and international level, but also offer fundamental ideas for future marketing and promotion strategies, in order to enhance in a growing and synergistic way the link between the Garda territory and its prestigious wine product”.