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Issue 552 - November 22nd - 26th 2021 - Expressly created for 4.302 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world |
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According to the famous US magazine “Wine Enthusiast”, the best Italian wine of 2021 is a great white wine. While Chateau Siran’s Bordeaux 2018 is at no. 1 of “The Enthusiast 100”, Villa Bucci’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore 2019, one of the pearls of the legendary white wine from the Marche, is at no. 2. The ranking of “Wine Enthusiast” (whose Italian Editor is Kerin O’Keefe), has a total of 18 labels from Italy, including two others in the “Top 10”, in the name of the great classics of Italian wine, Barolo Ravera 2017 by G. D. Vajra, at no. 5, and Brunello di Montalcino 2016 by Collosorbo, at no. 7 (all Italian wines in depth). |
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2020 has been the year of consecration for Italian fine wines, captured by Liv-ex’s “Power 100” which, just a year ago, lined up no less than 17 Italian labels, a peak never reached before, which was inevitably followed by the downgrading of the 2021 edition of the “Power 100”, which WineNews is able to anticipate. Actually, things are going well for Italian collectible and investment wines in 2021, with a large number of brands traded and a 15% share of trades, in value terms, on the reference index of the secondary market for fine wines. In the top ten positions, only Sassicaia remains (at no. 8, four less than 2020): a certainty, the seventh most traded label by value and third by volume. Scrolling through the “Top 100”, created by considering the volumes and values moved by each individual brand, the average price, the variation in quotations and the number of individual wines (labels and vintages) on the market (the analysis concerns the period between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021), there are 14 Italian wines in all (3 less than in 2020), with 7 exits (more or less thunderous, but in any case physiological) and 4 new entries. At the top of the podium, however, is confirmed a great name of Burgundy as Domaine Leroy, ahead of Lafite Rothschild and Armand Rousseau. In position no. 4 Dom Pérignon, at no. 5 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, at no. 6 Mouton Rothschild, at no. 7 Petrus, and, after Sassicaia, Louis Roederer (no. 9) and Margaux (no. 10). Returning to the Italian labels, at no. 19 there is Gaja, at no. 23 Giacomo Conterno, at no. 24 Masseto, at no. 26 Comm. G.B. Burlotto, protagonist of an impressive climb of 161 positions. Bruno Giacosa also did well, at no. 35, as did Bartolo Mascarello, at no. 39 and, above all, La Spinetta, at no. 40 from no. 234 in 2020. Going down further, here is Solaia by Antinori, at no. 52, ahead of Ornellaia, at no. 53. Back to the Langa with Giuseppe Rinaldi, who climbed the “Top 100” to no. 60, followed by Tignanello (the second Antinori label in the ranking), at no. 65. The Italian presence is completed by Giuseppe Mascarello e figlio, at no. 82, and Biondi-Santi, at no. 91. |
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The first two studies conducted by the Osservatorio Economico di Federvini “Wines, Spirits and Vinegars: Market Values and Competitiveness”, edited by Nomisma, and “Wines and Spirits in the Out of Home Market”, created by TradeLab, tell the story of record growth in exports of Italian wines, supported also by the recovery of the off-trade on the domestic market, with sales in the away-from-home sector showing at the end of September (NielsenIQ data) growth in value of 6.1% over the same period in 2020 (to 1.947 billion euros), thanks above all to the strong impulse given by sparkling wines (+27.5%). Exports are also growing, with Italian wine flying on the main markets: USA (+14.7%), UK (+6.1%), Germany (+9.4%), Canada (+15%), Russia (+27%) and China (+47.2%). Among PDOs, Champagne is the leader, followed by Bordeaux and Prosecco. |
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Brunello di Montalcino (Le Chiuse, Poggio Landi and Talenti) and Barolo (Cavallotto, Mauro Molino and G.B. Burlotto) above all (with 3 labels each), representing an excellent Piedmont also with Barbera d’Alba (Pio Cesare) and Barbaresco (Giuseppe Nada and Cantina del Pino) and a top Tuscany also with Chianti Classico (Badia a Coltibuono and Rocca di Montegrossi) and Nobile di Montepulciano (Salcheto), for a tour of Italy in the bottle, however, that also rewards Sardinia with Cannonau (Sella & Mosca), Alto Adige with Pinot Grigio (Alois Lageder), the Veneto of Amarone della Valpolicella (Tedeschi) and Custoza (Monte del Frà), Friuli with its Colli Orientali (Bastianich), Sicily of Etna (Graci) and Nero d'Avola (Feudo Montoni), Campania with Taurasi (Salvatore Molettieri) and Fiano di Avellino (Colli di Lapio), and the bubbles of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg (Masottina) and Franciacorta (Guido Berlucchi): this is the Italian excellence, as described in the “Top 100” 2021 by “Wine Spectator”, the most influential wine classification by the most popular American magazine, which includes 23 Italian labels out of the 100 selected from all over the world (see further details). At the top there is Brunello di Montalcino 2016 by Le Chiuse at no. 5, and Barolo Bricco Boschis 2016 by Cavallotto, at no. 8. |
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If Italy, France and Spain are the three most important countries for wine production in the world, it is almost natural that there should be an Italian, a French and a Spanish at the head of the Union Internationale des Oenologues, the world federation that brings together all the national oenologists’ organizations. The union has reconfirmed Riccardo Cotarella (former president of the Italian oenologists) and the French Serge Dubois as president, with the Spanish Santiago Jordi Martin as the third president. |
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It is literally a shower of stars that the Michelin Guide Italy has showered on the vineyards of Franciacorta in the presentation of the 2022 edition, the 67th edition of the “red” dedicated to Italy. There are 329 restaurants with one star, with as many as 33 new entries, 38 with two stars, with two new entries, and 11 three-starred restaurants, all reconfirmed, from Enrico Bartolini’s Mudec in Milan to Mauro Uliassi’s Uliassi in Senigallia, from Norbert Niederkofler’s St. Hubertus in San Cassiano, Enrico Crippa’s Piazza Duomo in Alba, the Cerea brothers’ Da Vittorio in Brusaporto, the Santini family’s Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio and Niko Romito’s Reale in Castel di Sangro, Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde’s Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena, Heinz Beck’s La Pergola at the Rome Cavalieri and the Alajmo brothers’ Le Calandre in Rubano. |
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Christmas holidays will be less sparkling for Champagne in Italy, but certainly not for the market - which is soaring - but because, most likely, uncorked bottles will be missing in Italy for the year-end celebrations. Italian restaurateurs and distributors have sounded the warning bell, but the confirmation, as Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) has noted, comes from France: there are no corks, glass, paper and muselets to package the bottles. For the festive season, then, it is better to focus on Italian sparkling wines (with the volume imported into the main countries up 31% from January to September). |
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