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Issue 440 - September 30th - October 4th 2019 - Expressly created for 11.897 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world |
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Investing in fine wine has long been one of the most profitable alternative assets. But now there are those who raise the bar, and propose to invest directly in the most prestigious vineyards in the world, from Burgundy to Bordeaux, from Italy to the Napa Valley and beyond. So the Wsf Sicav group, under the Maltese flag, has now opened the collection of investments for the “Vineyard & Terroir Fund”. The long-term goal is to reach a “Target Assets Under Management” of 50 million euros, and a round of collection with minimum investments of 200,000 euros (to raise at least 2 million euros) is open until April 1, 2020. |
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The 2019 vintage, almost everywhere in the Italian sparkling territories, should turn out to be one of the most memorable ones quality-wise, while quantities are slightly lower. This is the sentiment widespred from Franciacorta, Trentodoc, the UNESCO hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, the largest Prosecco DOC, Alta Langa and Asti. In Franciacorta, the drop in production is around 25-30%, but if for Arturo Ziliani, responsible for the production of Berlucchi “for quality, I think it is a vintage to be considered among the best in the last 20 years”, for Stefano Capelli, enologist of Cà del Bosco, “this is my 34th harvest here, and it is the first time I have made wine from such expressive grapes. The quality is exceptional, extraordinary. This is a year of great vintage wines and reserves”. In Trentodoc, instead, the drop will be 10-15%, “but we are very satisfied quality-wise, and we think there is great potential for aging as well”, explains Matteo Lunelli, at the helm of Ferrari. The same is confirmed by Francesco Giovannini, CEO of Mezzacorona Group: “we have excellent quality sparkling wine bases, and I would say this vintage will be for vintage wines and reserves”. Among the Unesco Hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, Primo Francoat the helm of Nino Franco, talks about “a small harvest in terms of quantity, but quality is extraordinary Franco Adami, at the head of the Adami label, and Elvira Bortolomiol, at the helm of the family winery, expressed the same thought, while for Prosecco Doc, explains the director of the Consortium Luca Giavi, “the grapes ripened wonderfully for sugar content and acidity, both key for our sparkling wine”. Quantity down, but excellent grapes in the cellar and, in perspective, excellent wines, even for Asti Docg, as explains Romano Dogliotti, producer and president of the Asti DOCG Consortium, as well as in Alta Langa, according to Giulio Bava, at the helm of the historic Cocchi and Alta Langa Consortium. |
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Half a win. It is the taste that leaves in the mouth the disclosure, by the U.S. government, of the final list of EU productions ready to end up under the axe of duty, since October 18, after the green light of the WTO, to retaliate in the dispute between Boeing and Airbus, on the Old Continent, for a total of 7.5 billion dollars of new duties, which will not affect Italian wine, and the extra virgin olive oil, while they will weigh, with increases of 25%, on cheeses such as Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano, and on some processed meats. If Italian wine can breathe a sigh of relief, France, has something to worry about, because its wine production, as well as those of Spain and Germany, will suffer an increase in duties of 25%, however limited to bottled wine, up to 14 degrees, excluding sparkling wines |
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The producer Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, with an investment of 2.4 million euros, acquired, at the auction at the Court of Siena, 1.6 hectares of Brunello di Montalcino in the historic cru Montosoli, which thus add to her already important vineyards, which, only in Montalcino, now exceed 150 hectares (62 of which in Brunello and 25 in Rosso), put together with properties of absolute prestige as Caparzo and Altesino. “We are very happy and we are celebrating this new purchase: Altesino has “invented” the crus in Montalcino - comments Gnudi to WineNews - was the first company to believe in cru, in 1975, and for me to add this hectare and a half to the 5 that Altesino already had in Montosoli was a very important thing”. Brunello is an area where, despite the value of the vineyards is estimated at one million euros per hectare, trade has not slowed down. As evidenced by the deal between Biondi Santi, which is about to acquire 6 hectares of Brunello from Alejando Bulgheronior the acquisitions, even of small plots of land and vineyards, which have involved, in recent months, leading realities such as Gaja, Antinori and Casanova di Neri, which have increased their presence in the territory of Brunello. |
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There is only one more step to go and the very first Italian organic wine denomination to be in the production specifications will become a reality: the Tuscan Region has given the green light to DOC Valdarno di Sopra, and has approved the modifications to the specification presented by the Consortium led by Luca Sanjust, and what stands out is the possibility of using the name “exclusively for organic wines”. “we are pioneers of innovation to defend - commented Luca Sanjust - nature, biodiversity, the environmen. This is our “BioRevolution””. |
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It's already time for rankings for the major international wine magazines, and to open the dances, as always, is “Wine Enthusiast”, with its “Top 100 Best Buys of 2019”, dedicated to the best wines for price/quality ratio. There are 10 Italian labels in the ranking: Rosso Silenzio Isola dei Nuraghi 2017 by Pala at No. 17, Ondarosa Organic Rosato 2018 by Masseria Amastuola at No. 27, Il Bianco La Segreta (Doc Sicilia) by Planeta at No. 58, Primitivo Orion 2017 by Masseria Li Veli at No. 75, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2018 by Masciarelli at No. 2. 77, Lambrusco di Modena Brut Piazza Grande della Cantina di Carpi at No. 81, Chianti 2017 di Folonari at No. 84, Rèmole 2017 di Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi at No. 90, Pinot Grigio 2018 di Mezzacorona at No. 93 and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2018 di Fantini at No. 96. |
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According to Istat data, Italian wine exports in the first half of 2019 grew by 3.1% to 3 billion euros. They have a positive sign for both the main destination markets, underlines Qualivita: USA, +1.9% (736 million euros) and Germany, +3.7% (514 million euros), while the UK (-1.9%, 342 million euros) and Switzerland (-0.8%, 186 million euros) decrease. France (+9.3%, to almost 100 million euros), the Netherlands (+14.2%) and Japan (+15.0%) grow. |
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