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Issue 688 - July 1st - 5th 2024 - Expressly created for 4812 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | On the one hand, Tignanello, produced by the Antinori family in Tuscany, among the most iconic wines of Italian enology, which, this year, celebrates its first 50 years; on the other hand, Maserati, a brand synonymous with luxury cars made in Italy. Together they have created an exclusive bespoke “supercar” inspired by Italian tradition, innovation and craftsmanship: the GranCabrio Folgore Tignanello is the first 100% electric luxury convertible. A unique model, with a color inspired by the soil of the vineyard and the barriques, which will be auctioned on July 14 in California at the “Festival Napa Valley”, one of the most important charity events in America.
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| | The indices monitoring the fine wine collectibles market, which is increasingly struggling after years of tumultuous growth, continue to plummet seamlessly downward. With no “territory” being an exception, from Bordeaux to Burgundy, from Champagne to Italy. Data on the first 6 months of 2024 recorded by the Liv-Ex see all indices falling sharply in the first half of the year. The Liv-Ex 100, the platform’s main index (which includes, for Italy, Bartolo Mascarello’s Barolo 2019, Bruno Giacosa’s Barolo Falletto Vigna le Rocche Riserva 2017, Gaja’s Barbaresco 2019, Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2014 and 2015, Biondi-Santi’s Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016, Frescobaldi’s Massetto 2019 and 2020 and Ornellaia 2020, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia 2018, 2019 and 2020, Antinori’s Solaia 2019 and Tignanello 2019 and 2020, and Tua Rita’s Redigaffi 2020, ed.), loses -3.4%. Very few wines in the index are growing, with a good number of Italian labels in the “top 15”, namely Masseto 2019 at +5.6%, Bruno Giacosa’s Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche 2017 at +3.8%, Tignanello 2019 and 2020 at +3.1% and +3.8%, respectively, Masseto 2020 at +3%, as well as Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia 2018. Doing even worse is the Liv-Ex 1000, the broadest index of the “London wine exchange”, at -6.3% since the beginning of the year, trailed down by the performance of the Burgundy 150 (-9.7%), Champagne 50 (-6.6%), Bordeaux 500 (-4.8%) and so on. Continuing to do a little less worse than average is the Italy 100 - made up of Bartolo Mascarello’s Barolo, with all vintages from 2010 to 2019, Bruno Giacosa’s Barolo Falletto Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva (2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017), Pieve di Fontodi’s Flaccianello (vintages from 2011 to 2020), Gaja’s Barbaresco (2010 to 2019), from Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Monfortino Riserva (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015), and again from all vintages from 2011 to 2020 of Masseto, Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Solaia and Tignanello - which stops its decline in 2024 at -2.1% in 6 months. With the top performers being Solaia 2013 (+15.6%) and Masseto 2015 (+12.6%) and 2018 (+9.7%). | |
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| | The world’s second largest importer of wine by volume and value (behind the US, ed.), the UK is a key market for the global wine trade, including Italian wine, starting with Prosecco, the real ruler. So much so that wines from Italy, which exported 891 million euros to the Uk in 2023, and 170 million euros in the first three months of 2024, with an encouraging +7.8% in the twelve-month comparison, was the subject of a focus (with data from the Italian Trade Agency - Ita) in London, in a masterclass on the labels of the Istituto Grandi Marchi (Folonari, Antinori, Argiolas, Ca’ del Bosco, Carpenè Malvolti, Donnafugata, Jermann, Lungarotti, Masi, Chiarlo, Pio Cesare, Tasca d’Almerita, San Guido, San Leonardo, and Umani Ronchi, among others), led by Patrick Schmitt, Master of Wine and editor-in-chief of “The Drinks Business”. | |
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| | | As the wine world looks ahead to an ever-shortening summer break, between the end of the many promotional events and the beginning of an increasingly frequent “August” harvest, Europe’s major trade fairs are beginning to move. And if the French are tying themselves more and more to Paris, with the Vinexposium fair that up to now has been “Vinexpo Paris - Wine Paris” becoming simply “Wine Paris” (in fact freeing itself, even in name, from Bordeaux and its now archived Vinexpo), looking with increasing attention also to international exhibitors, to whom it will dedicate a pavilion, centrally located, with more Italy in the lead, in the 2025 edition (February 10-12), ProWein in Dusseldorf (March 16-18, 2025) is redesigning its spaces, with one less pavilion just for France (which will go to “Portugal and other European countries”), but also the top management of the German fair, with Marius Berlemann becoming the new Managing Director Operative Trade Fair Business of Messe Düsseldorf, who will also take charge of the Wine & Spirits portfolio. While Vinitaly, already working to bring the world trade of Italian wine back to Verona (April 6-9), is firmly aiming to land in the United States, with the debut of Vinitaly.Usa in Chicago on October 20 and 21, 2024 (in more detail).
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| | | Increasingly rich in examples, the union between wine and contemporary art is renewed in Farina Wines, a historic winery in the Valpolicella Classica region, which, with the “Art Ferment” project, born in 2023, in collaboration with ArteRicambi Gallery in Verona, is hosting a photographic exhibition by Roberto Bigano (until September), an eclectic artist of international prominence who ranges from still life to the reproduction of works of art in order to “build” a representation that comes as close as possible to the ideal of universal beauty that is combined with the art of making wine, starting with Amarone. | |
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| | Prosecco, between the historic DOCG of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene and the younger, larger DOC, is the locomotive of Italian wine. Suffice it to say that 2023 exports touched 1.6 billion euros, almost one-fifth of the national total, up 1.5% over 2022. And, in the first quarter of 2024, exports exceeded 368 million, at +7.7% over the same period. This is thanks to the work of the producers, but also to a relentless promotional activity between the U.S., Asia and Europe, which never goes on vacation (in more detail the initiatives already accomplished, those in progress and those to be carried out, ed.), led by the Consortia, that of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Docg, which saw Franco Adami take over as president after Elvira Bortolomiol, and that of Prosecco Doc, now chaired by Giancarlo Guidolin, successor to the long-time president, Stefano Zanette.
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| | It is an absolute record, for an Italian wine, the sum of 100,000 Swiss francs (just over 102,000 euros at today’s exchange rate, ed.) that a collector paid for a unique bottle, a 27-liter Colore 2016, one of the iconic wines of histrionic producer Bibi Graetz. A purchase, moreover, not at an auction, but at a store specializing in fine wines, namely Arvino, in Zurich. A unique specimen, created to celebrate the entrance of the Tuscan winery’s wines on the “Place de Bordeaux” (where today Italy is the most present country, after France).
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