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Issue 641 - August 7th - 11th 2023 - Expressly created for 4.559 wine lovers, professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Among the many leading Italian wine territories moving in the direction of greater possible correspondence between the place from which the wine originates and what is stated on the label (such as Barbaresco and Barolo with the Mga, Chianti Classico with the Uga, Etna with the Contrade or Soave with the “cru”, among others), comes Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: the National Wine Committee has given the green light to the “Pieve”, a version of the Additional Geographical Units (Uga) wanted by the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. After formal steps in the Official Gazette and in the EU, the 12 "Pieve" will be able to go on the label from January 1, 2025, with the 2021 vintage. | |
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| | The vineyards of the most prestigious Italian wine denominations are the most valuable agricultural lands in Italy: at the top of are those of Barolo, whose value ranges between 250,000 and 2 million euros, followed by those of Alto Adige, in the area of Lake Caldaro (between 440,000 and 900,000 euros), and then those of Montalcino, the land of Brunello (where they would start from 250,000 euros to reach 900,000). Followed, now closely, by the Bolgheri DOC vineyards, which are in a range between 240,000 and 750,000 euros. The Val Venosta apple orchards reach the same maximum price (which start between 450,000, and are the only crop, other than the vineyards, in the first few places). Completing the top of the ranking are also the DOCG vineyards of Valdobbiadene, the cradle of Prosecco, ranging from 300,000 to 600,000 euros, then the apple orchards of the Adige Valley, between 350,000 and 500,000 euros per hectare, and again, the vineyards north of Trento, between 220,000 and 500,000 euros per hectare, and the DOC vineyards, still in South Tyrol, of the Val Venosta and the Isarco Valley of Bressanone, between 300,000 and 500,000 euros per hectare, a maximum quota also reached by land dedicated to irrigated horticulture in the Piana di Albenga, in Liguria. A scenario (a broader focus on Italian vineyards is in more detail, ed.) that emerges from looking at data on the Crea - Policy and Bioeconomy website, which has updated its classic “Survey on the Land and Rental Market” in Italy, o data related to 2022 (values to be taken as statistical, since then things in real negotiations, in the market, can change even a lot, often exceeding both the minimum and maximum values, influenced by many factors, from the quality of the vines to the exposure, whether or not they are adjacent to previous and non-previous properties). In general, this shows that the purchase and sale of agricultural land continued to grow, even in 2022, albeit at a slower pace on the previous year (+1.7%, with 150,000 deeds of sale), with spillover effects on land prices as well (+1.5% nationwide), not enough, however, to offset the effects of inflation.
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| | Fewer and fewer stocks are being made on the wine market, “in a sign of increasing caution and a return to “just-in-time”. As was to be expected, the trend now is to lighten stocks to cope with both rising interest rates and visibly slowing consumption. Contextual and therefore uncontrollable phenomena, such as inflationary pressure weighing on families and a certain generalized concern, also due to the persistence of geopolitical issues, combined with weather conditions quite adverse to tourism and beyond, lead us to be cautious in our expectations for the second half of the year”. Words from Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi Agricola, which in the first half of 2023 posted net revenues of €33.1 million (-10.4% on the same period 2022, but, Masi points out, +11% on pre-Covid levels, recorded in the first half of 2019). | |
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| | | Italy, among the world’s vineyards, what role does it play in such a rich and varied, yet competitive context? No one can tell it better than Monica Larner, Italian editor of “Wine Advocate Robert Parker”. “Italian wine still needs to improve in communication abroad, and to make order among so many appellations. We need to offer a more fluid, multidimensional and interactive picture of Italian wine that makes sense to those who do not experience it closely but would like to know it better. From a marketing point of view, it is amazing the great work done by Chianti Classico, with the Uga, a dynamic way of telling the story of the territory, as also done by Barolo and Barbaresco with the Mga”. The future, also from a commercial point of view, is “of Italian whites, a world yet to be discovered, especially if we look at native grape varieties such as Soave, Falanghina, Carricante. There are wines with great terroir, thanks to volcanic or limestone soils”. Among Italy’s strengths, Monica Larner adds, “is the ability to combine wine tourism with the country’s gastronomic culture and cultural and artistic richness. Tuscany has been doing it for many years, Piedmont does it with the exceptional quality of its wineries and cuisine, and Sicily is certainly not to be outdone”. | |
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| | | From Franciacorta, the territory of choice for classic method bubbles, to Oltrepò Pavese, the historic gateway for Pinot Noir in Italy: Guido Berlucchi, a Franciacorta-based griffe founded in 1961 and led by the Ziliani family, expands its reach with the acquisition of Vigne Olcru, a boutique winery in Santa Maria La Versa, which covers 8 hectares planted with vines, mostly Pinot Noir, by the Brambilla family. | |
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| | In the first half of 2023, sales of Italian wine among large-scale distribution and retail shelves in the world’s top 3 markets are back in line: overall, according to the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory, which processed the latest data from Nielsen-IQ, sales of Italian wine production in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. closed the six-month period with a flat trend result in volume (-0.2%), and a slight increase in value (+1.3%, to 2.2 billion euros). The performance - the Observatory notes - is better than in the first quarter (-4% volume and -1% value), but still insufficient to give a break to companies in a sector that is still heavily penalized by a cost surplus that accounts for 10% of the average price. | |
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| | First in terms of export values, the wine supply chain exceeds 1.5 billion euros in the first quarter of 2023 (+5%), with the Prosecco district of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (+12.6%) and the wines of the Langhe Roero and Monferrato (+4.4%) at the top. Slight declines in the Veronese Wines district (-1.7%) and for the Colli Fiorentini and Colli Senesi Wines district (-1.6%). Here are the data from the Italian Agrifood Districts Monitor (updated to March 31, 2023), edited by the Intesa Sanpaolo Research and Studies Department. | |
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