If this message is not displayed correctly click here |
Issue 753 - September 29th - October 3rd 2025 - Expressly created for 3682 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
|
|
| | | From Conterno to Masseto, from Gaja to Sassicaia, from Ornellaia to Quintarelli, to name just a few of the “top” wines: chef Giorgio Locatelli’s restaurant, Locanda Locatelli in London, which closed in early 2025, not only served extraordinary dishes but also had an award-winning wine list that encompassed the “elite” of Italian winemaking. This magic is being revived thanks to an enchanting wine auction curated by Bonhams, the prestigious London auction house, which is being held online until October 14. It is called “Locanda Locatelli: Iconic Italian wines from a landmark London restaurant” and is a journey through that memorable 40-page wine list (in more detail). | |
|
| | “Imagine waking up to the golden light filtering through a centuries-old olive grove or vineyard, producing your own olive oil or wine from hand-picked fruit and sharing it over dinner under a starry sky”. This is the opening sentence of the paragraph “Vintage value: cultivating lasting returns” included in the “European Lifestyle Report” by Knight Frank, the London-based global real estate consultancy agency. The report, which focuses exclusively on individuals with a net worth of over $30 million available for investment, reveals that by the end of 2025, 46% of the sample analyzed will consider moving to the EU, driven by business opportunities (mainly in the agri-food sector), financial stability, tax incentives, shelter from international geopolitical tensions and climate change, and, last but not least, the phenomenon of overtourism. The preference tends to be for large European cities, but the countryside is also attractive: according to the study, foreign investors (who in Italy are mainly Swiss, American, and British) are particularly attracted to luxury real estate with the prospect of investing in a vineyard or olive grove, which the world’s “big spenders” consider to be tangible assets with a “hybrid” return, i.e., both financial and lifestyle. It is no coincidence that - among the 704 respondents from 11 countries (the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland) and representatives of 30 different nationalities - Tuscany, one of the most famous regions in the world thanks to its countryside, ranks third in the global ranking of the super-rich’s choices for “non-urban centers”, behind the mountain resorts of Chamonix, France, and Verbier, Switzerland. The research explains that 1 in 8 Knight Frank clients ask for information on properties with potential for secondary activities such as viticulture and olive growing: “it’s not just about rustic charm. When done right, it is a combination of passion, business, and a tangible asset that appreciates over time”, says Alexander Hall, head of the agency for international vineyards. The European wine sector is, in fact, attracting more and more investors who see wine not only as a luxury product but also as an asset. | |
|
| | It is well known that the success of Prosecco has been one of the most significant developments in the world of wine over the last 15-20 years, but sometimes the numbers paint a clearer picture. “It now accounts for 31% of the value of all Italian wines sold in the US, with a very high penetration rate across all age groups, starting with Millennials (27%) and the female target market (6 out of 10 users are women). It has also become the symbol of mixed wines made in Italy. The marriage between Americans and Prosecco seems to know no crisis, and 15 years after the redefinition of the production pyramid (Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Asolo DOCG, and Prosecco DOC), has increased the value of the “new” Prosecco appellation from zero to over $500 million”, reports the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory ahead of Vinitaly.USA (Chicago, October 5-6). | |
|
| | | While it is true that the wine market in general is experiencing a slow and steady decline, it is equally true that wine consumption remains high, albeit with an undeniable downward trend. It is also true, however, that among the different types of wine, whites and sparkling wines in particular are performing better than reds. This is one of the reasons why, with a desire to look to the future with confidence and rationality, and also to protect its 5,250 winegrowers who cultivate and maintain 6,350 hectares of vineyards in Trentino (two-thirds of the region’s vineyards), Cavit, a cooperative giant led by CEO Enrico Zanoni and President Lorenzo Libera (with a consolidated turnover of €253.3 million in 2023-2024), has invested €26 million in a new cellar dedicated to sparkling wine production, and in particular to one of the group’s flagship labels, TrentoDoc Altemasi, in Ravina di Trento. This is a significant investment, especially in these times, partly financed by the Ministry of Economic Development through Invitalia, which will result in the expansion of the winery dedicated to sparkling wines, with work on the existing facility and the construction of a new adjacent structure for Altemasi (in more detail, the project explained by Enrico Zanoni himself, to WineNews). | |
|
| | | Wine is also a matter of glassware. Italesse, an Italian crystalware brand that has long invested in promoting local wines, including through specially designed tasting glasses, has launched a glass for Amarone della Valpolicella. The glass for the great red wine from Verona - following those for Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Vermentino di Sardegna e Gallura and Ribolla Gialla di Oslavia - was presented in recent days at the Bottega del Vino in Verona, by the Famiglie Storiche, who collaborated on the project (in more detail). | |
|
| | Romagna’s wine industry seems to have finally left behind the consequences of the “long-flooding” of 2023. After a less generous harvest (albeit only slightly) due to the floods that submerged the vineyards for weeks, and not only that, but with surprisingly good quality, as were the resulting wines, the 2024 harvest fully recovered the average production of previous years, as the 2025 harvest also seems to confirm. This message came from “Vino ad Arte 2025” in Faenza, organized by the Consorzio Vini di Romagna directed by Filiberto Mazzanti, amid tastings (see our best tastings in more detail) and the presentation of the Romagna Sangiovese map by “wine cartographer” Alessandro Masnaghetti. These wines are still mainly consumed locally, but are also growing in popularity abroad. | |
|
| | Exports from Italy to the United Kingdom in the first six months of 2025 were down slightly on 2024 according to Istat data analyzed by WineNews, amounting to €370.1 million in value (-4.5%). However, in a market that is the third largest in the world for Italian wineries, behind the US and Germany, it is essential to invest in promotion, and there is no shortage of initiatives. Such as the 7th edition of “Simply Italian Great Wines UK” organized by IEM - International Exhibition Management by Marina Nedic and Giancarlo Voglino, in partnership with the “The Drinks Business”. | |
|
|
|
