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Issue 671 - March 4th - 8th 2024 - Expressly created for 4708 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | From Gaja (No. 4) to Tenuta dell’Ornellaia (No. 7), from Tenuta San Guido with its Sassicaia (No. 8) to Vietti (No. 31), from Foradori (No. 50) to Biondi Santi (No. 52), from Roagna (No. 59) to Emidio Pepe (No. 64), from Bruno Giacosa (No. 65) to Giacomo Conterno (No. 71), from Giuseppe Quintarelli (No. 72) to G.D. Vajra (No. 98): these are the twelve Italian “jewel” wineries, among the most prestigious of Italy, in the Top 100 by Star Wine List, the ranking that lines up the producers most present, with their products, on the wine lists of top international wine shops and restaurants, with more than 40 countries taken into account along with 2,700 wine lists. | |
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| | If Vinexpo Paris Wine Paris will grow again, as many expect (and as we have reported in the past few days), and become the true international wine fair, ProWein, in Dusseldorf, which has been so in recent years, and is called to redemption after a less brilliant 2023 edition than others, could become again a fair mainly for the German market (which is, in any case very important, for Italy, a leader among importing countries, and not only), and as a privileged meeting point for many northern and eastern European markets. In any case, the German fair, from March 10 to 12, 2024, will still see Italy as the protagonist, with more than 1,190 registered exhibitors (in any case down on past editions), the largest representative by far, followed by France (743) and Germany (708), and many countries from around the world. Then again, the numbers speak for themselves: wine Italy is Germany’s leading country in terms of volume and value among imported wines, with the German country earning €1.1 billion for Italian wineries in the first 11 months of 2023, at +3.7 percent over 2022, according to Istat data analyzed by WineNews. And it is no coincidence that, as mentioned, wine Italy will once again be present en masse, albeit with more collectives and a few more defections than in the past, especially among medium-small companies. In any case, there will be no shortage of the top brands of Italy (many names in deepening). Representations of the Italian wine that, therefore, from ProWein 2024, looks, with particular attention, to the German market that, as the statistical report of “DeutscherWein.de” tells, relating in truth to 2022, has not passed unscathed the scrutiny of the difficult economic conditions that all countries in the world have gone through in recent years. In particular, the report points out, imported wines, which move through distribution at an average price of 3.6 euros per liter, saw a -7% drop in volume and -5% in value, while domestic wines (in 2022 Germany produced 9 million hectoliters of wine, compared to an import of 13 million hectoliters, ed.), which cost, on average, 4.18 euros per liter, lost 14% in volume and 8% in value. Wine consumption, in 2022, stood at 19.9 liters per capita, the first time below 20 liters per head since 2015.
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| | Vinitaly, the princely event of Italian wine, is approaching in stride. Once again, from April 14 to 17, at VeronaFiere (with a preview of “Opera Wine”, on April 13, this year dedicated to opera that has become a Unesco Heritage Site), it will unite “all the made-in-Italy wine from all the Italian regions and from over 30 countries”, in edition no. 56. Where more and more will be the operators from the world, thanks to a major investment in incoming, for 3 million euros, between Veronafiere and Ice Agency (in more detail). Thus a note from Veronafiere, which will officially present the event in Brussels, on March 19, explaining how, as of today, “the fairgrounds of over 180,000 net square meters, is ready to become the international agora of wine business for 4,000 wineries already confirmed”. | |
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| | | “Charismatic”, and above all “obsessed with convincing Americans that Barbaresco wines deserved a place at the table of the world’s great wine classics. He can rest assured today, knowing that he has achieved his goal”. This is how Marvin Shanken, editor of “Wine Spectator”, introduces the interview with “Angelo Gaja, champion of Italian wine”, the cover story of the April 2024 issue of the American magazine (which has nearly 4 million readers worldwide), which, as often happens, talks about Italy in the issue that is circulated around the world during the period of Vinitaly and OperaWine. And that for one of Italy's and the world’s most celebrated producers, it is No. 3, since Gaja had already ended up on the cover in 1985, first ever among Italian producers - when Italian wine-making was still not a great exporting power as it is today - and in 2011. An absolute record, today, that of Angelo Gaja, who, until this edition, counted two covers as another great lord of Italian wine such as Piero Antinori (in 1994 and, with his daughters Albiera, Allegra and Alessia, in 2015), while on the cover, over the years, also ended up Oscar Farinetti (in 2013), and again Lodovico Antinori (in 2016), Marilisa Allegrini (in 2017) and Nicolò and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta (Sassicaia, Tenuta San Guido) in 2018. | |
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| | | After being the muse of internationally renowned directors, from Bernardo Bertolucci to Roman Polański, from Ridley Scott to Tim Burton, actress Eva Green also boasts a label dedicated to her: it is produced in Bolgheri, Tuscany, by Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi, son of Ilaria Antinori (sister of Piero and Lodovico Antinori) and husband of Joy Green, the star’s twin sister. Named precisely “Eva”, the cuvée of Tenuta Le Crocine, founded in 2012, by the young wine manager (who is also managing director of Tenuta di Biserno), together with his wife. | |
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| | That inflation has caused Italians’ overall spending in large-scale distribution to grow, including for wine, though at the cost of a few fewer bottles, is an established fact. This is evidenced by Circana data, analyzed by WineNews, already in the early days of the year. And now, looking at more specific dynamics by channel type (in more detail), also the Wine Monitor report by Nomisma in partnership with Nilsen IQ . Overall, the Report explains, “inflationary pressure does not spare the wine sector, which in 2023 recorded significant price growth (+5%), especially in modern distribution (Iper and super) and discount stores. Sales approached 3.3 billion euros, +2.8% compared to 2022, but with a decline in volumes purchased of more than -2%, to 8.2 million hectoliters, with an average price of 3.97 euros per liter”.
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| | It is Italy’s most valuable territory, the Langhe, where a hectare in Barolo is worth 2 to 4 million euros in the most prestigious “cru” with 10,000 hectares of total vineyards spanning nine appellations. And with Barolo and Barbaresco exporting 80% of production worldwide. A territory, therefore, in good health, which will make its way to the United States, to New York, where on March 19 and 20 it will stage “Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening”, an event wanted, for the third time, by the Consorzio di Tutela di Barolo e Barbaresco, which will bring together 200 producers. | |
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