If this message is not displayed correctly click here
|
Issue 630 - May 22nd - 26th 2023 - Expressly created for 4.515 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The wine galaxy of the historic Marchesi Frescobaldi is still growing, returning to invest in Maremma, where it already owns the magnificent Ammiraglia estate designed by architect Piero Sartogo. To which are now added the 27 hectares of vineyards and the cellar of the Poggio Verrano estate, acquired by the Bolla family. “I am very pleased with this acquisition, which is complementary to our vision of the Maremma, because if with Tenuta Ammiraglia, over the years we have obtained a good positioning on rosés and whites, now we can go back to focusing on Maremma reds as well”, comments Lamberto Frescobaldi (in more detail) to WineNews. |
|
|
|
|
The alert is not over, nor is the fear, but after three days of rain, Emilia Romagna and Marche are trying to get their heads out of the mud and assess the damage. Difficult because vast plains remain under water and areas are extremely difficult to reach, with landslides fragmenting the normal road network and bridges collapsing under the force of the floods. The dramatic situation has clearly not spared any productive sector, including wine, with plains vineyards submerged under more than a meter of water and hills vineyards struggling with landslides and washouts. In a situation, to say the least dramatic, destined to worsen again over the weekend, fear for vines may appear of secondary importance, but in the territories, everything holds together, and everything is interconnected, from hydrogeological stability to the stability of the economy. By limiting the focus to our area of expertise, wine growing, the map of damages and concerns takes on different hues depending on the territories considered, with some elements common to all, particularly in the plains: first and foremost, with vineyards submerged for hours and hours, there is a risk of root system asphyxiation. The greatest concern, however, is the total impossibility of accessing the vineyards with agricultural vehicles to ensure the plant’s proper phytosanitary defence during a critical period such as pre-flowering. In fact, under these conditions, the vine is more vulnerable than ever to fungal diseases, particularly downy mildew, which the low temperatures are slowing down. To make the point of the situation, WineNews heard from some of the protagonists of the wine sector of Emilia Romagna and Marche, such as Gianmaria Cesari, at the helm of Umberto Cesari, Filiberto Mazzanti, director of the Consortium Vini di Romagna, which embraces the DOC Colli d’Imola, Colli di Faenza, Colli Romagna Centrale and Rimini, among the most affected areas, Claudio Biondi, president of the Lambrusco Consortium, and Alberto Mazzoni, director of the Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vini, which brings together all the denominations of the Marche, where the damages have been more contained, but the concern is still great (in more detail). |
|
|
|
|
Although increasingly market- and quality-oriented, at the core of wine cooperatives is, firstly, the remuneration of the members. And, considering that a large part of cooperative production is destined for large-scale distribution, it is not surprising that on private wineries, cooperatives have lower economic performance in terms of profitability. Nonetheless, the cooperative model, which is fundamental for the maintenance of vast wine-growing areas, increasingly looks to capital companies owned by the cooperatives themselves, but which allow greater freedom of action than the cooperative. This is the picture that emerges from the analysis of Luca Castagnetti (Studio Impresa). The major differences, as mentioned, are in economic performance: first of all, in margins, with Ebitda of 5.4% for cooperatives against 12.8% for private wineries (in more detail). |
|
|
|
|
|
In the UK, after Brexit, many things have changed, and more than half of the British, according to the latest YouGov survey, consider it a failure. But certainly, at the bureaucratic level, the newfound “liberty” allows the UK government to move with much more autonomy in every economic and productive area. Including wine, at the center of an epoch-making reform proposal, presented in recent days by the British Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which will have to give the sector back the freedom to flourish, eliminating European bureaucracy and thus freeing up resources for 180 million pounds. There is important news on the table, especially for importers and bottlers, which potentially concern millions of hectoliters of wine imported from every corner of the world, including from Italy. First, the requirement that imported wines must be labeled by an importer rather than a food business operator will be removed, reducing costs and red tape for consumers. The blending of imported wines will therefore be allowed, but not only: in terms of the transformation of products in the wine sector, it will be allowed to carbonate, sweeten or taking the alcohol for imported wines, with the aim of strengthening the national industry (in more detail)…
|
|
|
|
|
|
Already among the first territories in Italy to be recognized as a “Landscape of Historical Interest”, the Vineyard Hills of Soave are now officially an “Agricultural Heritage of Global Importance”, with entry among the “GIAHS” sites (Globally Importance Heritage System) officially approved in the “inauguration” ceremony, in recent days, at the FAO in Rome, with the dg of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Qu Dongyu, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Luigi D’Eramo and the Consortium of Soave. |
|
|
|
|
In the world of wine there are acquisitions tout court, but also partnerships as equals, where those who enter do so with an investment that is above all a coming alongside those who open their doors. And the partnership that sees Tommasi Family Estates, a historical name of Valpolicella - but today one of the most important companies of Italian wine, putting together more than 780 hectares of vineyards passing through Tuscany, Puglia, Lombardy, Basilicata, Umbria and Sicily - enter as a partner, 50% of the Nicolis winery, another historical name of Valpolicella. From what WineNews learns, however, the Nicolis family winery will not enter the orbit of Tommasi Family Estates, but will continue its path of relaunching, after a corporate and family restructuring, completely under the autonomous and independent leadership of the Nicolis family. |
|
|
|
|
Among the wines featured in one of the most watched TV series in the world, there are also two Italians: the Brunello di Montalcino 2005 Poggio di Sotto and the Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2001 Luciano Sandrone, the only labels from Italy to enter the “Drops of God”, taken from the famous Japanese manga “Kami no shizuku”, signed by Tadashi Agi, broadcast on Apple TV +. At the centre of the story, two brothers, both obsessed with wine, trying to track down some of the most valuable bottles in the world, called “The 12 Apostles”, to have access to the millionaire cellar of their late father. |
|
|
|
|
