Tessin

The Ticino vineyard covers barely a thousand hectares, but the dynamism of a certain number of winegrowers has already earned it international recognition, thanks also to the good services of a shock ambassador, the Merlot grape variety: at the beginning of the 20th century, it found a particularly favourable area of acclimatisation in Ticino, and currently covers 85% of the Ticino's wine-growing area. The geography here determines the wine landscape and the differences between the vintages. Divided by Monte Ceneri, Ticino is articulated around two main regions and divided into 8 districts: the Sopraceneri in the north (Bellinzona, Blenio, Riviera, Leventina, Locarno, Vallemaggia) and the Sottoceneri in the south (Lugano and Mendrisio). To these regions, we can add the Mesolcina, an Italian-speaking but Graubünden valley, which includes about fifty hectares of vines.Blessed by the gods with an annual sunshine of a little more than 1000 hours per year, the Ticino vineyard is influenced by the Mediterranean. However, the Ticino vineyards are also subject to significant rainfall, with almost 1600 mm per year. These brief but violent rains make the task of the Ticino winegrowers, especially those who have turned to organic viticulture, more difficult. Fortunately, the Ticino vineyards are largely planted on porous soils with a high drainage capacity, especially in the Sopraceneri where acidic soils such as granite and gneiss are predominant. In the southern part, the morphology is more complex with numerous glacial deposits, volcanic sediments (San Salvatore) and, in the Mendrisiotto, which represents more than a third of the Ticino vineyards, calcareous sediments alternate with heavier soils, with clayey matrices.