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Issue 705 - October 28th - November 1st 2024 - Expressly created for 4858 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Aiming for the million euro record, the proceeds of the “Barolo en Primeur” charity auction, held by Christie’s at Grinzane Cavour Castle, in connection with New York and London, raised an impressive 987,000 euros, sending under the gavel 14 barrels of Barolo Vigna Gustava 2023, which originates from the vineyards at the foot of the castle that was once the home of Camillo Benso Count of Cavour (under the wine direction of the Enosis Meraviglia Center of oenologist Donato Lanati) and the 1,229 bottles of Barolo and Barbaresco donated by 80 wineries and divided into “communal lots”. The 15th barrel will be auctioned at the World Alba White Truffle Auction on November 10. | |
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| | “Italy is a major player and one of the top players in the world of sparkling wines. The Italian bubbly industry is very “smart”, and it is increasingly important in the market because it is close to the aspirations and expectations of consumers. Italian sparkling wine is a very respectable industry”. Thoughts and words of Richard Geoffroy, guru of bubbles, among the world’s most important oenologists, for many years Chef de Cave of the absolute myth of Champagne, Dom Pérignon, and now in Bellavista, griffe of Franciacorta (Terra Moretti Group), where he arrived after the 2021 vintage, alongside Francesca Moretti (with the first bottles of this “new era” of Bellavista, presented in recent days). Important words, those of Geoffroy, an oenologist who knows the world, the markets, and for whom sparkling wine has no secrets. And that he sees a bright future for bubbles (as indeed confirmed by all the economic analyses of the last few years, and also by projections on the future of consumption, which see reds in decline, and sparkling wines on the rise, as well as fresher and lighter white wines, ed.), and for Italian ones in particular: “the future of bubbles is bright, if there is a category that can emerge best from this difficult phase of the wine market, it is precisely that of sparkling wines. And Italy is one of the most established countries in the category, and the prospects and expectations are very very high. The secret of sparkling wines (Italian and others) is simply “drinkability”, because bubbles serve to bring and share joy and happiness”, Geoffroy goes on to explain, ‘they must be accessible at any level of quality, maintaining their “drinkability”, and the simplicity with which they can be drunk”. A general view on world and Italian sparkling wine, Geoffroy’s is one that fits perfectly on the path of Bellavista”s near future. “For me, Bellavista has the potential to become a leader in the world bubbly scenario. I think that Franciacorta is a vocated territory, a world-class excellence, with a defined, recognizable identity and unlimited skills and capacity for innovation: it does not, therefore, need to imitate other models”. | |
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| | “Wine has become a mighty weapon in the arsenal of Italian “soft power” in the United States”. Words of one who knows the U.S. well, and far beyond wine, namely Federico Rampini, now a columnist, from New York, for the “Corriere della Sera”, in his interesting content (in more detail, with wineries and wines) in the guide “The best 100 wines and winemakers of Italy” by “Corriere della Sera” edition no. 11, signed by Luciano Ferraro and James Suckling, on newsstands with the newspaper, which awarded 6 wines with 100/100 (as anticipated by WineNews, signed by Bertani, Casanova di Neri, Valdicava, Terlano, Petrolo, Bibi Graetz, and awarded 4 special prizes for “The Climate Challenge”, to Mastroberardino (best Winery), Alessandro Ceretto (best Winemaker), Giovanni Manetti and Consorzio Chianti Classico (best Consortium) and Marco Simonti (best Technician). | |
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| | | “If for Americans drinking wine is a matter of lifestyle, for Italians wine is life, so much so that it is integrated into our culture”. Because “wine is consumed at the table in the company of friends, and Italy is the only country in the world where it accompanies the different regional cuisines from North to South”. And because “there is no other drink like wine as rich in culture, rooted in humanity, landscape, history, tradition, religion. It is the cultural drink par excellence”. Thus begins the reflection of Angelo Gaja, the “artisan” of Italian wine par excellence, one of the most admired Italian producers in the world, on his return from the U.S., the No. 1 wine market, and from the “New York Wine Experience” signed by “Wine Spectator”, among the most prestigious wine events in America, which, in recent days, saw him starring on stage (the only producer in the world to climb on it for the eighth time in 43 editions, ed.), for an interview with wine editor Marvin R. Shaken, founder of the publishing group that owns the American magazine, in front of more than 1,500 participants. A reflection that, according to WineNews, clearly explains the value of Italian wine as a “medium” to tell the beauty of Italy through its territories, because of the connection it has with their history, their nature, their culture and their communities.
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| | | “Cavalieri del Lavoro are interpreters of the “social function” of business.. This was said by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who, at the Quirinale in Rome, awarded the 25 Cavalieri del Lavoro 2024. With wine, as is often the case over the years, well represented, in this case, by Matteo Lunelli, Ceo Gruppo Lunelli, president and Ceo Ferrari Trento, a griffe of Italian sparkling wine and Trentodoc, one of the reference names of made in Italy in the world and in the world wine scene. | |
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| | With €2.5 billion in exports and a trade balance in surplus of more than €2.1 billion, 2023 seals the recovery and comeback to pre-Covid levels for the made-in-Italy beverage, winemaking and bottling machinery sector. Indeed, the latest final balance sheet marks a +18.5% over 2022 (a year that had narrowly missed breaking even with 2019) and a +13.2% over the pre-Covid performance. This is revealed by Uiv’s Wine Observatory, which processed the data together with Istat. Leading the way is the U.S., the leading non-European market for Italian wine, which, in the last five years, has expanded its share from 10.5% to 15.5% thanks to a 67.5% jump in sales. Numbers that will be explored in depth at Simei, edition No. 30 (at Fiera Milano Rho, November 12-15), the international exhibition of reference.
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| | 878,754 pounds: that much was raised by the world’s wine excellence, including Italy, in “The Golden Vines Online Auction” by Liquid Icons, the proceeds of which will go to support the charitable projects of the “Gérard Basset Foundation”. Among the top lots, No. 1, which raised £34,000, is the proposal of Opus One (Napa Valley); No. 2, is Italy, with Biondi Santi (photo), the “cradle” of Brunello di Montalcino, whose lot fetched £30,000; No. 3, with £27,000, is the luxurious “package” with harvest experience of the Bhutan Wine Company.
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