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Issue 654 - November 6th - 10th 2023 - Expressly created for 4633 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Getting to the top of a sector is difficult, but confirming yourself by innovating is even more so. Mission successful, however, for Pasqua Vini, a leading winery and one of the standard bearers of Amarone della Valpolicella and Veneto wines in the world, awarded the prestigious title of “Innovator of the Year” as part of the “Wine Star Awards” of the famous U.S. magazine “Wine Enthusiast”. An award that recognizes the Veronese winery, founded in 1925 and now led by President Umberto Pasqua and his sons Riccardo and Alessandro, for its pioneering role in the vineyard and in the market, summarized in the slogan “House of the Unconventional”. | |
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| | Iconic, rich in history and charm, to be uncorked on truly special occasions, those to remember. But what are the most internationally coveted wine jewels? Leading the way is the “Top 100 Most Searched-For Wines & Spirits” by “Wine-Searcher”, the world’s leading wine price comparison portal. France dominates, but Italy confirms its blazon and a very strong tradition by placing 8 wines in the top 100 worldwide. Leading the way is Bordeaux legend Chateau Mouton Rothschild, then Dom Perignon Brut, Moët & Chandon’s jewel Champagne, and Bordeaux again, with Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Italy takes care of interrupting French supremacy, thanks to a world wine myth, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia, which is once again confirmed as the most popular Italian wine, and No. 7 in the world rankings. In second place among wines from Italy, there is the Antinori family’s Tignanello, at No. 15 in the overall rankings, which precedes the Frescobaldi family’s Masseto, on a great rise, at No. 28 among the most popular wines. In fourth place is Ornellaia, again from the Frescobaldi family (No. 33 overall), followed in fifth by the Antinori family’s Solaia (No. 47) and, in sixth place, Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Riserva Monfortino (No. 75). Seventh Italian position, and No. 92 among the “most popular”, is Bartolo Mascarello's Barolo, with Pieve di Fontodi’s Igt Flaccianello in eighth, and closing out the Italian patrol among the top 100 of the “Wine-Searcher” world ranking. Beyond position No. 100, there is Gaja’s Barbaresco, which is at No. 9 among Italy’s most sought-after wines (and at No. 109 in the overall ranking), then Montevertine’s Le Pergole Torte (at No. 10, and at No. 111), staying in Tuscany at positions No. 11 and No. 12, and precisely in Montalcino, respectively with Biondi-Santi Tenuta Greppo’s Brunello (No. 118) and Gianfranco Soldera’s Toscana Igt Case Basse (at No. 127). Next up again is Biondi-Santi, which returns with Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (at No. 13, overall ranking 171), ahead of Bruno Giacosa’s Barolo Riserva Falletto-Vigna Le Rocche (No. 173). Closing out the Italian top 15 is Tenuta Guado al Tasso’s Bolgheri Superiore from Marchesi Antinori (which, in the overall ranking, is at No. 177). | |
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| | In absolute values, Italy is the country that lost the most hectoliters of wine produced in 2023 over 2022: -5.9 million, with Italy followed by Spain (-5), Australia (-3.1), Argentina (-2.6) and Chile (-2.5). Growing the most, however, was the U.S., with +2.8 million hectoliters. Numbers OIV, the International Organization of Vine and Wine, which, beyond a small “stock market” of who goes up and who goes down in wine production, say that the 2023 vintage, according to estimates, which emerged from the data of the 29 countries that account for 94% of world production, will be the poorest vintage in the last 60 years, around 244.1 million hectoliters, at -7% on the 2022 vintage, already below the average of the last 5 years. But, all things considered, the not-too-abundant production may not be a bad thing, at a time when consumption, globally, is not resplendent ... | |
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| | | Brunello di Montalcino, once again, on the top of the world, with one of its most prestigious brands: Argiano’s Brunello di Montalcino 2018, the winery of the Brazilian entrepreneur André Santos Esteves, and led by Bernardino Sani, is the “Wine of The Year”, wine No. 1 in the world according to the famous magazine “Wine Spectator”. A record that repeats the historic one of Casanova di Neri’s Brunello di Montalcino 2001 Tenuta Nuova, in 2006, and which sees Italy’s wine at the top of the rankings, for the fifth time, after Antinori’s Solaia 1997, in 2000, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia 2015, in 2018, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia’s Ornellaia 1998, in 2001 (now owned by the Frescobaldi group, but at that time by Lodovico Antinori, ed.). With Argiano’s Brunello di Montalcino 2018 at No. 1, therefore, the Italian wines in the “Top 10” rise to three, with Mastroberardino’s Taurasi Radici Riserva 2016 at No. 5, and Antinori’s Chianti Classico Marchese Antinori Riserva 2020 at No. 7. “Excited, happy and proud for this recognition - comments Bernardino Sani to WineNews - after ten years of hard work that began in 2013, with the arrival of the Esteves family, starting from the restructuring of the vineyards, with the mapping of the Brunello vineyards, and continued in the cellar to produce local wines and bring out the strength of this wonderful territory”.
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| | | From the “Wine Star Awards” by “Wine Enthusiast” arrives also the award as “European Winery of the Year” for Ca’ del Bosco, one of the absolute griffes of Franciacorta, led by Maurizio Zanella (but for years under the aegis also of the Santa Margherita Group, ed.). An important recognition, the umpteenth, for the winery among the first, in Italy, to invest not only in Metodo Classico sparkling wine of the highest quality, but also in the successful combination of wine and art. | |
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| | The first goal of a wine producer, is to make quality wines, able to stand on the market and give economic sustainability to the company, without which, social and environmental sustainability cannot become concrete. Yet, more and more wineries are pursuing projects that go far beyond wine production. Projects signed by producers such as Marco Caprai (“Ethical Winemaker” award), business groups such as SoStain Sicilia (“Green Winemakers”) or the Young Canavese Winegrowers (“Young Winemakers”), and associative realities such as “G.r.a.s.p.o” (Enological Research Award) or the Modigliana-Stella dell’Appennino Association (“Winemakers of the Year”), to which are dedicated the “special awards” of the “Corriere della Sera” Guide “I 100 migliori vini e vignaioli d’Italia”. | |
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| | If Italy dominated, once again, the “The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships” 2023 by Tom Stevenson, “the World Cup” of bubbles, thanks mainly to Trentodoc and Ferrari Trento, “Sparkling Wine Producer of The Year”, as already reported by WineNews, Italy has racked up special prizes, awarded in London, in recent days, from Dubl (Feudi di San Gregorio) to Berlucchi, from G. Milazzo to Cuvage (Argea), from Kettmeir (Santa Margherita) to La Montina, (all tops in more detail). | |
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