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Issue 659 - December 11th - 15th 2023 - Expressly created for 4651 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | In the world of Italian wine critics, at least one Italian wine has captured the highest awards of the 8 major Italian wine guides (Gambero Rosso, Veronelli, Bibenda, Cernilli, Ais, Slow Wine, Touring Club Italiano and “Corriere della Sera”): the Venetian Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2013 by Bertani, a gem and the history of Valpolicella, now under the aegis of the Angelini Wines & Estates group. Among the wineries, agreeing with the 8 guides selected by WineNews, albeit with different wines, are Vietti, Cantina Terlano, Ferrari Trento, Inama, Pieropan and Speri, as well as, of course, Bertani.
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| | With the same volumes exported, i.e., 1.5 billion liters, exported values continue to fall, stopping at 5.6 billion euros, with a loss of -1.9%: this is the balance, still negative, of Italian wine exports in the first 9 months of 2023 (over the same period 2022), which emerges from data updated by Istat, analyzed by WineNews. Data that turn sharply for the worse, compared to the timid signals recorded on the data updated in August 2023, which seemed to improve, albeit slightly, compared to the immediately preceding period. Looking at individual countries, and starting as always with those closest to Italy, in Europe the good news comes from the most important markets such as Germany, which makes +3.7% in value, at 865.6 million euros, and the United Kingdom, at +3.5 %, for 602 million euros. France also continues to grow, surpassing 234 million euros, with a robust +13.8%, as do the Netherlands, at +4.5% for 171.7 million euros, Sweden, at +1% for 149.9 million euros, Austria, at +4.4% for 101 million euros, and Russia, which at +13% is just over 106 million euros. And here, in the panel of countries analyzed, which put together 4.7 billion euros in exports, more than 80% of Italian wine exports by value, the positive signs end. Because if in Europe, Switzerland, at -1.4% (298 million euros) and Belgium, at -3% (166.1 million euros) lose something, and Denmark (-11% at 104 million euros) and Norway (-8.8%, at 74.9 million euros) mark sharply in the negative, things get worse, even, going outside the continental borders. The U.S., which remains nevertheless and by far the leading market for Italian wine by value, incurs a -9.9% that brings the bill to a halt at 1.3 billion euros, and does even worse in Canada, down -17.4%, to 286.6 million euros. And the trend does not change from the East: Japan, which remains the backbone of Italian wine exports to Asia, does -11.2%, to 140.4 million euros. Trend in line with (much larger) China, still down -11.5%, to 69.7 million euros. And while it also loses -2.8%, Hong Kong, which had so far held its own while weighing in at just 19.2 million euros, South Korea, which had shown great signs of growth in the recent past, now collapses -34.5%, to 37.8 million euros. | |
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| | Italian sparkling wines are just short of surpassing 1 billion bottles consumed in a year. The year 2023 will stop at 936 million bottles (of which 7 out of 10 abroad), with a substantial hold in consumption, in volume, compared to 2022 (and a +24% on 2019), with 333 million caps that will be uncorked, in the world, in the festive period of the end of the year alone, of which more than 95 only in Italy, with Italians that for Christmas and New Year will also toast with 6 million bottles of foreign sparkling wines. Thus the traditional analysis of the Osservatorio Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) - Ismea. But if they hold consumption in quantity, they will focus on cheaper products to cope with the high cost of living, with Charmat Method also varietal and vintage (+7.5%), compared to Italian “flagship” appellations such as Prosecco and Asti Spumante, or to Classic Method at -3% (727 million pieces). | |
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| | | Allegrini, a historic name in Italian wine and Valpolicella, among the most famous and important brands in Italian oenology, redefines its ownership and governance structure, still under the aegis of the Allegrini family, with a new path that, a note states, is “aimed at the constant expansion of the entrepreneurial activity in the wine sector”. Specifically, an initial agreement was concluded “the final result of which is intended to procure the division of the main assets”. In detail, Francesco, Giovanni and Matteo Allegrini, heirs of Franco Allegrini, will acquire the majority of the Veronese companies Allegrini and Corte Giara, based in Valpolicella, and will be at the helm together with Silvia Allegrini, heir of Walter Allegrini, while Marilisa Allegrini, Cavaliere del Lavoro, and her daughters, Carlotta and Caterina, will retain ownership of the Tuscan estates, Poggio al Tesoro in Bolgheri (rising to 100%) and San Polo in Montalcino (already held in its entirety, as well as of Villa della Torre in Fumane in Valpolicella, an architectural jewel of the area (acquiring, from what WineNews learns, also ownership of the land, both vineyard and non-vineyard, related to the villa itself, ed.). | |
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| | | The Liv-Ex 100 down -13.2% since the beginning of the year, in 2023, and -13.4% between November 2022 and the same month 2023; the Liv-Ex 1000 following the exact same trend, while the Italy 100, the absolute “best” index in this year, stops losses at -6.4% in 2023, and -6.9% in the last 12 months. Summary data, those of the leading platform for the secondary market for large investment wines, tell of an abrupt stop after years of growth, due, perhaps, also to a bit of speculation ... | |
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| | Italy’s best Piwi wine? It is the white Weinberg Dolomiten Solaris Igt 2022 from Weingut Plonerhof. Cantina Trezero excels, on the other hand, among red Piwi, with Olympus 2022, Gianni Tessari takes first place among Orange with Rebellis 2021 Igt Veneto, Zero Infinito Cremesi 2022 by Pojer e Sandri is first among sparkling wines, in the Charmat Method sparkling wine category the best is 4,07 Organic Spumante Brut from Cantina Montelliana and Colli Asolani and Champenoise Method is Brut Nature s.a. from Cantina Sociale di Trento, and, finally, top step of the podium for Nove Lune with Theia 2022 for wines from dried grapes. This is the verdict of the “Vini Piwi” 2023 event, promoted by the Edmund Mach Foundation (Fem), in San Michele all'Adige, in collaboration with the Vine Innovation Consortium (Civit) and Piwi International, and dedicated to wines from “resistant” grapes. | |
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| | 144.1 million euros for vineyard restructuring and reconversion, 98 million euros for promotion in foreign country markets, 57.6 million euros for investments, 19.2 million euros for by-product distillation, and 4.8 million euros for green harvesting: this is the allocation of the 323.8 million euros of European funds available for Italy, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s decree on the Allocation of the 2024/2025 budget for the National Support Program for the wine sector. | |
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