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Issue 699 - September 16th - 20th 2024 - Expressly created for 4839 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | The “Star Revelation” of the Michelin Guide 2025 will be in Modena on November 5th (where the reconfirmation of the three stars for Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana is already official) with Franciacorta which, after three year of successful collaboration as “Destination Partner”, becomes “Sparkling Wine Partner”, and continues to support the “Best Sommelier” award, in the wake of the three-year partnership, that the Consortium of Franciacorta made with the Michelin Guide in the United States in June 2024. The announcement in Turin, during the celebrations for Michelin’s 70th anniversary in Italy, confirms the WineNews rumors.
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| | Italy triumphs once again in the “world championship” of sparkling wine, thanks mainly to the mountain bubbles of TrentoDoc, with 29 gold medals out of the 70 total for Italy (and out of the 167 total in the competition), and those of Franciacorta, with 23, with the two territories led by two outstanding wineries, Ferrari Trento of the Lunelli family, the most awarded overall, with 13 golds, earning the Trentino winery yet another “Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year Trophy” in its history (fourth consecutive and seventh in total, for the griffe that is also in nomination for the title of “European Winery of the Year” by the American magazine “Wine Enthusiast”, a title it had already won in 2015), and Guido Berlucchi, of the Ziliani family, with 8, and with the two Italian territories that, alone, have put together almost the same number of gold medals, 55, as the whole of France, with its Champagne. This is WineNews’ analysis of the medal table of the “Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships”, the “sparkling world championship,” the competition considered to be the world’s most authoritative and prestigious in the bubbly scene, founded by Thomas Stevenson, and which saw more than 1,000 wines competing from 20 countries around the World, judged over 11 days of tastings at Goodnestone Park in Kent, England. Italy has, once again, topped the list for the most medals, triumphing with 70 gold and 123 silver medals. As mentioned, if the two most awarded Italian wineries are Ferrari Trento and Guido Berlucchi, for Italy, also distinguished themselves are Trentino’s Rotari, again from TrentoDoc, of the Mezzacorona Group, and Sicily’s G. Milazzo, both with 4 golds apiece, while another of Franciacorta’s iconic wineries Ca’ del Bosco, and fellow countryman Fratelli Berlucchi, also scored hat tricks. Two gold medals, however, for wineries such as Altemasi, Col Vetoraz, Cuvage, Fontanafredda, Kettmeir (of the Santa Margherita Group), Lantieri de Paratico, Maso Martis, Terre d’Aenòr and Terra del Lagorai. And while the top territories are TrentoDoc and Franciacorta, there is no shortage of awards for bubbles from Asti, Alta Langa, Lambrusco, Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, Alto Adige, Etna Doc and beyond (in depth). | |
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| | Soave, one of Italy’s most important white wines, aims to communicate its characteristics clearly and simply, to buyers and consumers. Not an easy path, considering also the 7,000 hectares of vineyards divided among 13 municipalities in the eastern Veronese area and the 40 million bottles produced on average each year, and the 33 Uga (Additional Geographical Units), most of which end up abroad. But a fundamental path, also to ride the positive wave that has brought white wines into a position of pre-eminence over reds in consumer choices. Landscape, freshness and longevity will be the key words of this path, to which a talk was dedicated at “Appuntamento Soave”, an event organized by the Consorzio di Tutela del Soave, in recent days in Verona. | |
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| | | A relatively young territory such as Franciacorta, which today puts together 3,000 hectares of vineyards, 123 wineries, for 20 million bottles, and an estimated turnover of 500 million euros, has become a point of reference for Metodo Classico sparkling wines in Italy. With a territorial reputation and of the Franciacorta brand that is becoming more and more established, in Italy, but also in the world, where it is growing, also thanks to a communication strategy that sees on the one hand investing in major events, of the territory and not only, anchored of course to wine, and on the other hand partnerships with major events of international caliber. As well recounted the concomitance of the “Festival Franciacorta”, in the territory, and the presence in Los Angeles for the “Emmy Awards” of which Franciacorta is “Official Sparkling Wine”. A success which is not accidental, “that comes from a very vocated territory that we inherited, and for this we have no credit, but also from the great work that in this land of farmers and entrepreneurs has been done to enhance our products, to grow quality, but also to tell what this extraordinary land has to offer”, as said Silvano Brescianini, president of the Consortium of Franciacorta, in celebrating 25 years of the “Festival Franciacorta” (in depth). | |
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| | | An 8% increase in the harvest compared to 2023, defined as a “disastrous” year, despite the bad weather and drought that continue to weigh on the “Italian Vineyard”: these are the first estimates of the 2024 harvest according to a Coldiretti/Centro Studi Divulga survey, which speaks of a wine production of between 41 and 42 million hectoliters, well below the average of recent years. A survey (in depht) presented ahead of the G7 Agricoltura on the island of Ortigia (September 21-29) for a grape harvest, Coldiretti writes, that has now entered its prime and continues to see Italy split in two. | |
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| | In addition to excavations and amazing discoveries, the vines in Pompeii will now continue to be cultivated as they had been for centuries. WineNews has learned that a leading wine group in the Campania Region, Feudi di San Gregorio, will be taking care of the vineyards of the most visited Archaeological Park in the world. The official announcement of the new partnership between the Italian Park and the Group led by Antonio Capaldo, for the fascinating and exceptional Azienda Agricola Pompeii’s winemaking project, combining agriculture and culture, and the dream of reviving “Pompeian wine”, is expected in the next few days.
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| | “Just like Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, women have long been acknowledged and celebrated for the role they play as custodians of the earth and biodiversity. It is women who feed the world”, said Maria Canabal, founder of the “Forum Parabere” and “Prima Donna” of the “Casato Prime Donne International Award” 2024, received in Montalcino, with Alessandro Regoli and Irene Chiari founders of WineNews, Loredana Sottile and Gianluca Atzeni, writers of “Tre Bicchieri” - Gambero Rosso, and the Italian Rai 1 program, “Linea Verde”. | |
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