If this message is not displayed correctly click here |
Issue 718 - January 27th - 31st 2025 - Expressly created for 3750 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
|
|
| | | The Piedmont of wine, with 60 PDO wines, including 19 DOCGs and 41 DOCs, reached an export value of 1.18 billion euros in 2023, or 15.3% of the total value of Italy, and with a figure for the first 10 months of 2024 in line with last year, according to Istat. Denominations that came together, for the most part, at “Grandi Langhe and the Piedmont of Wine” in Turin, with the tale in the wine glass, to experts, of the latest vintages of Piedmont wines, from many territories. In more detail, the WineNews editorial staff’s best tastings, including Barolo and Barbaresco. | |
|
| | Piedmont is undoubtedly one of the world’s most important wine regions. But if some of its most famous appellations are known throughout the world, from Barolo to Barbaresco, from Roero to Barbera del Monferrato, from Asti to Alta Langa, passing through Gavi, for example, others, in a region that has 60 PDO wines, including 19 DOCG and 41 DOC, are not, and some, by notoriety, do not cross regional borders. But if the old adage that “unity is strength” applies, and considering that Piedmont, in the wine world, is a well-known “brand” that is synonymous with wine quality, it is understandable why there is unanimity, among the consortia that protect all these appellations, in supporting the proposal for the creation of an “Enlarged Geographical Mention” that will also carry the mention “Piedmont” on the label, optional at the choice of producers, in the wines of all appellations. A far-sighted idea, which, moreover, was born in the very first region in Italy where Additional Geographical Mentions arrived in appellations, first in Barbaresco and then in Barolo, in a path followed, after years, by other Italian appellations. Talking about the project, to WineNews, from “Grandi Langhe and the Piedmont of Wine”, in recent days at Officine Grandi Riparazioni (Ogr), in Turin, with more than 500 wineries from all over the Region, are the first promoters, namely the presidents of Piemonte Land, the association that brings together all Piedmont’s wine Consortia, Francesco Monchiero, Consorzio del Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani, Sergio Germano, and Consorzio del Roero, Massimo Damonte, with the Piedmont Region’s Agriculture Councillor, Paolo Bongioanni. And Vitaliano Maccario, president of the Consorzio della Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato, which protects 14 DOC and DOCG wines, including the Piedmont DOC (their comments in more detail). An “Enlarged Geographical Mention”, that of Piedmont, which could further enhance, therefore, what is already a huge wine heritage, given that we are talking about 44,471 hectares of vineyards, almost 7% of the Italian total, with a 2024 production estimated at more than 2.25 million hectoliters, of which 2.1 (93%) are PDO, with a production value (2023 figure) of 1.2 billion euros, out of a total of 9 billion euros for Italy as a whole. | |
|
| | Telling the Arab world, and the Arabs who do not drink alcohol (but maybe they will drink alcohol-free wine), about the beauty of the “Italian garden of wine biodiversity”, in many cases a UNESCO World Heritage Site: it happens in Jeddah, in the Italy Village wanted by the Ministry of Defense and inaugurated in recent days by Minister Guido Crosetto, to accompany the stopovers of the “most beautiful ship in the world”, the Amerigo Vespucci, on its world tour to promote Made in Italy, and on board which, in her visit to Saudi Arabia, Premier Giorgia Meloni also boarded. And where, in recent days, narrating the value of Vigneto Italia, were Veronafiere and Italian Trade Agency (Ita), also through a video signed WineNews on wine territories as maximum examples of the virtuous relationship between man and nature, the basis of the Unesco recognition. | |
|
| | | The year 2024 of Italian wine in Italy’s large-scale retail trade closes in the negative, as expected, with suffering, at least in volume, for all categories of wine, and in particular for ordinary wine. It emerges from Circana’s data on Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Small Free Service, analyzed by WineNews, which tell how volume sales regressed -3.4% compared to 2023, to 436.4 million liters, for a stable value, at €1.9 billion, at +0.8%. Taking the lion’s share, despite a -2.5% in value, for 161.6 million liters, and with a 0.6% growth in volume, to €1.05 billion, is the Doc and Docg wines segment, which is confirmed as the best-selling segment by far in value, but also in volume. It is followed, with 155.8 million liters (-5.9%) and -0.5% in value, on 2023, by ordinary wine, which still accounts for more than a third (35.5%) of the volumes sold. Holding up best of all is the IGT wine segment, with 111.6 million liters (-1%) for 498.4 million (+2.2%). Among channels, supermarkets account for more than 73% of wine sales in both volume and value. The first three big players, namely, in order, Caviro, Cantine Riunite & Civ and Gruppo Italiano Vini - Giv (part of the same group as Cantine Riunite, ed.), alone cover 11.3% of the market in value. | |
|
| | | The U.S. celebrated Made in Italy, once again: the exceptional stage was that of “Wine Enthusiast” 2024 “Wine Star Awards”, which, in San Francisco, featured Silvano Brescianini, president of the Franciacorta Consortium, awarded “International Wine Region of the Year,” Sandro Boscaini, “Mr. Amarone”, at the helm of Masi Agricola, who received “Lifetime Achievement of the Year”, and the historic Marche distillery Silvio Meletti, awarded ”Spirit Brands of the Year”.
| |
|
| | A dream trip between wine, cuisine and the beauty of Sicily, including Villa Tasca in Palermo, with dinner hosted by the Tasca family, private city tour, Tenuta Regaleali with vineyard tours, tastings, dinners and Sicilian cooking class, Villa Igiea, the island of Mozia with lunch and tasting, and a selection of rare wines from the winery. Here is “The Sicilian Legacy of Tasca d’Almerita”, the “wine experience” for two couples hosted by Tasca d’Almerita, which was auctioned for a record $550,000 at the “Naples Winter Wine Festival” 2025, raising $34 million for the Naples Children & Education Foundation. Starring in the 2025 “Auction” were more than 25 of the world’s most prestigious wineries, including Antinori, Gaja, Altesino, Caparzo and Borgo Scopeto. | |
|
| | From 1997 to 2018, without duties, U.S.-EU trade increased by 450% to $200 billion. But the imposition of tariffs in Trump’s first presidency between 2018 and 2021 saw U.S. whiskey exports to the EU drop by 20%, and Italian liquor exports to the U.S. by 41%. Launching a new appeal to avert the reintroduction of duties are Federvini and Discus, the benchmark associations of Italy and the U.S., waiting for the U.S. president’s decisions on the duties he repeatedly promised in the election campaign. | |
|
|
|
