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Issue 747 - August 18th - 22nd 2025 - Expressly created for 3706 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Hermitage Rouge 2021 from Domaine Jean Louis Chave (+36.8%), Château Canon 2014 (+25.8%), Château d’Yquem 2014 (+25.7%), La Tache Grand Cru 2020 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (+24.5%), Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Screaming Eagle (+24.4%), Champagne Sir Winston Churchill 2015 from Pol Roger (+24.4%), Château Suduiraut 2016 (+23.6%), E. Guigal Cote Rotie 2028 from Château d’Ampuis (+20%) Clos de Tart Grand Cru (+18.1%) and, closing the “top 10”, Soldera Case Basse 2018 (+14.3%), a cult wine from Montalcino. Here are the 10 wines with the best performance in a difficult 2025, even for investment wines, according to the WineCap website. | |
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| | Istat data on Italian wine exports, updated in May 2025, confirm the trend of the first four months of the year: a very slight decline in value, in the order of -0.82%, to €3.2 billion, and a decline of -3.8% in volume, to 852.3 million liters. But there is also another confirmation: the United States, together with Canada, continue to remain in clearly positive territory, while the decline, especially in value, is mainly attributable to the collapse of Russia, but also to some decline in the most important European markets such as Germany and the UK, and in Asia, from China to Japan. At least, this is one of the possible interpretations of the Istat data, analyzed by WineNews, which, at least for the US, also confirm the overall trend reported in recent days by the Oive. Looking at the individual markets for Italian wine, according to Istat data for the first five months of 2025, the US continues to be the clear leader. And while volumes are more or less stable at around 150 million liters, values are still up 5.7% to €838.7 million, albeit showing a slight slowdown compared to the 6.5% growth recorded in the first four months. Germany remains behind the US, despite a -1.2% decline in value, to €478.8 million, but with a significant -5.8% decline in volume, to 198.5 million liters, in what is the leading foreign market for Italian wine in terms of quantity. On the other hand, the United Kingdom saw a sharp decline in value, down 5.9% to €298.1 million, accompanied by a 4.3% drop in volume to 94.7 million liters. Switzerland remained a stable and secure port, with €164.7 million (+0.2%), while Canada (which, for months, in the tariff dispute, has closed its shelves to American wines, ed.) grew significantly, with a +9.8% increase in value in Italian wine imports, to €159.3 million, and a +3.5% increase in volume, to 28.1 million liters. Among the markets above €100 million in value, France continues to grow, up +2.1% to €130.9 million, as do the Netherlands, up +1.8% to €104.8 million. There was also slight growth (+2.3%) for Belgium, with €90.6 million worth of Italian wine imported in the first five months of 2025, while Sweden, at €80.4 million (-1.5%), and Austria (-2.5%), at €62.7 million, saw slight declines (in more detail). | |
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| | It is important to talk about tariffs, but without forgetting the timeless passion that Americans have for Italian wine. Further confirmation comes from the cover of “Wine Spectator”, the prestigious US magazine, dedicated to Italy, this time symbolized by Umbria, the “green heart” of Italy, rich in nature and land of saints, such as St. Francis of Assisi, good food, and excellent wines, such as Sagrantino di Montefalco, the ancient wine used for Mass in the time of the patron saint of Italy, rediscovered and relaunched on the international scene, together with its territory, by producer Marco Caprai, at the helm of Caprai (and now appreciated worldwide thanks to many historic wineries, from Scacciadiavoli to Antonelli). “Savoring Italy, Praising California Pinot” is the title of the editorial signed by the editor of “Wine Spectator” Marvin R. Shanken. | |
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| | | EU wines and spirits will be subject to 15% tariffs to enter the US. It is now official, as unfortunately expected and as anticipated by The New York Times, and as reported by WineNews. The confirmation comes from a joint statement by the US and the EU, which has effectively formalized the framework trade agreement reached last month. For wine, disappointment for all sector organizations, from Federvini to Ceev, from Coldiretti to Confagricoltura, to Cia Agricoltori, with the president of the Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv), Lamberto Frescobaldi commenting, “It is now more important than ever to activate an alliance between the Italian wine industry and US partners - distributors, importers, and restaurateurs - who are the first to oppose tariffs, in the common interest”. According to the Uiv Observatory, the estimated damage to businesses is €317 million over the next 12 months, while for overseas trading partners, the loss of earnings will rise to almost $1.7 billion. The damage would rise to €460 million if the dollar were to maintain its current level of devaluation. According to Uiv, as much as 76% of the 482 million Italian bottles shipped to the United States in 2024 are in the “red zone” with an exposure of more than 20% of total shipments. | |
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| | | Wine artisan, noble father of the qualitative turnaround of Verdicchio, one of the founders of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Fivi): Ampelio Bucci, a lifelong farmer and forward-thinking wine entrepreneur who made Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi famous worldwide with Villa Bucci (sold in 2024 to Oniwines, owned by the Veronesi family), has died at the age of 89. This was announced in a press release by Confagricoltura Marche (in more detail, the memories of Fivi and Michele Bernetti, president of the Istituto Marchigiano Tutela Vini).
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| | The women of Langa were “one step behind” their fathers, husbands, brothers, and owners of wineries. Over the last twenty years, something has changed in the vineyards around Alba: more and more female entrepreneurs are now running wineries in Langa. Many of them are the heirs of wine patriarchs, such as Bruna Giacosa, cousins Roberta and Lisa Ceretto, sisters Gaia and Rossana Gaja, Bartolo Mascarello's daughter Maria Teresa, Elio Altare's daughter Silvia, and many other young women who have founded their own companies, such as the “Lalù” of Monforte, Elena Gillardi, the Argamante family of Poderi Ruggeri Corsini, and Giovanna Garesio. The book Barolo Girls: The Pink Revolution of the King of Wines (Gribaudo, 216 pages, €24), written by the Alba-based authors Clara and Gigi Padovani, is dedicated to all of them and many other colleagues. It will be released on Tuesday, August 26. | |
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| | Cristian Specogna, winemaker at Azienda Agricola Specogna, third generation at the helm of one of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s jewel wineries in the Colli Orientali del Friuli, and Tommaso Canella, MD of Casa Vinicola Canella, in San Donà di Piave, in the land of Prosecco but above all icon of the famous Bellini, Venice's iconic cocktail: they are also representing Made in Italy among the “Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemakers 2025”, the personalities who, according to the US magazine Wine Enthusiast's, will influence the sector in the coming years. | |
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