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La Massa: Dream of a lifetime

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The history of Tenuta La Massa can be summed up in one name, Giampaolo Motta. With his twin passions viticulture and winemaking formed in France then definitively rooted in Italy, he was on an adventuresome search of a dream terroir. Not a family patrimony, then, but a terra electa decided upon with love, a true lieu-dit. That finally came to fruition in 1992, when Motta, Neapolitan by birth but Tuscan by adoption, found La Massa. That encounter cemented an indissoluble bond between man and terroir.

Lying in the magnificent Conca d’Oro of Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico, the wine estate extends over 25 hectares of southwest-facing vineyards. In the 1990s, Motta launched an impressive, lengthy vineyard reclamation project, followed by an in-depth zonation study, and then construction of a wine cellar. All these tesserae were designed to give definitive shape to his dream, to make La Massa a compact paradise, whose quintessence would be shared with the world through its wines: Giorgio Primo, Asiram, Carla 6, and La Massa.

The viticultural and oenological pathways La Massa adopted “break” with traditional Tuscan practices, inasmuch as the sapient hand of the winemaker shapes what Nature gifts each year and ensures that the wines convey the interpretive force of the estate soils, which are the true genius loci.

La Massa, the first wine produced, is a symbol of the estate’s growth and research. It is a fitting representative of the emphatic character of a rugged area like Panzano, but at the same time it displays the elegant oenological personality of its creator-winemaker. Here Sangiovese dialogues with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Giorgio Primo, in memory of his grandfather, is the Grand Vin, the essence of the estate. It is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that synthesises the estate as well as its uninterrupted, near- obsessive striving for perfection, both in the vineyards and in the winecellar.


From La Massa’s viticultural heritage comes the collection of the crus: Carla6 and Asiram. Carla 6: dedicated to the daughter Carla and to plot number 6, 100% Sangiovese, it is a tribute to a grape variety that embodies the Tuscan land. Asiram: an expression of Merlot, which will debut in 2023. Dedicated to Giampaolo’s mother, Marisa, it derives from vineyard number 4, where this grape variety gives its unique and singular result.

Soils and their crucial role, fulcrum of growth and creation of wines


“After 15 years spent in walking my vineyards, only now do I feel that I am at the beginning of an enormously long process of understanding. Knowing the relationship of each separate soil complex to the local climate and weather is the absolute foundation of putting together a faithful interpretation of a great terroir. In order for any great terroir to fully express itself, one must possess a deep humility and have the willingness to do everything possible/ give one’s utmost to influence as little as possible what nature must bring to completion. That is a marvellous challenge that repeats itself afresh each year. We must never forget that we are “fruit producers”, and that without great grapes there can never be a great
wine.”
— Giampaolo Motta

Wines: A touch of Bordeaux in Chianti Classico


“I wanted to make a wine that would be the expression of my passion for the land, which I first experienced in France, a passion free from pre-conditioned directions and formulas. This wine would be an offspring of a land that welcomes its children and shapes them. I achieved just that, working together with a smoothly-functioning team that believes in our common project, namely, wines that are international in spirit while speaking the language of their Tuscan land.”
— Giampaolo Motta

La Massa is the estate’s eponymous and initial wine a cuvée of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet and Petit Verdot. Born rebellious but classic in essence, La Massa was the first wine produced in 1992. Today, the 2020 vintage is on the market, while the 2021 vintage will debut in a few weeks.  In these days, “La Massa” 2019 was awarded the first place in the “Best Tuscan Wines 2024” ranking for value for money from Wine-Searcher, the international platform comparing ratings and prices of wines worldwide.  Giorgio Primo is the quintessence, the matchless summation of the study and consequent understanding of this unique locus. Here, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon seamlessly complement each other, in a multi-layered, refined symphonic score expressed in aromas. These two wines and their vineyards gave birth, in turn, to two soloists, a collection of cultivars: Carla 6, a Sangiovese 100% that pays eloquent, and dignified homage to the
grape that embodies the Tuscan terroir and Asiram, a monovarietal Merlot from a vineyard whose interpretation of that variety is so one-of-a-kind that its wine is perforce equally unique.

A Red for Summer, Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC

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Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC celebrates this season’s joie de vivre.

A grape variety classic to the Alto Adige and increasingly planted and appreciated, the Schiava found its ideal habitat on the hillslopes around Lake Caldaro, and its quality here has won for it the designation Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC.

Cantina Kaltern, boasting 590 member-growers cultivating 440 hectares of vineyards, is Alto Adige’s largest and most dynamic cooperative winery. Eloquent interpreter of the environmental equilibrium that the lake and its microclimate gifts to the local vineyards, it is the acknowledged ambassador of the Schiava, an intriguing, energy-laden variety that yields vibrant wines with supple tannins and lively drinkability that makes them delicious partners to a wide range of dishes. It is no wonder, then, that Kaltern’s Kalterersees are known as “brilliantly versatile,” loved by the younger generations who with uninhibited ease enjoy them at happy hour, with formal dinners, and convivial, spur-of-the-moment get-togethers.    

Served cool at 12-14°C, the shimmering red Kalterersee Classico Superiore is the classic way to celebrate that summertime joie de vivre, according to Thomas Scarizuola, Kellermeister of Cantina Kaltern.

The winery presents wine-lovers with three distinctive styles of Kalterersee, all on the market with the new vintages: Kalterersee DOC in the Classica line, Leuchtenberg among the Selezioni, and, finally, portfolio leader Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOCQuintessenz.  

Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC 2023, part of the Classica line, is the perfect entry portal to the Kaltern Schiava universe. This shimmering, light-bodied red brings its fans immediately to the lakeshore: “It is the purest expression of both the grape variety and of the terroir represented by surrounds of the lake,” explains Scarizuola.

Leuchtenberg Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC makes its debuton the market with the 2023 vintage. Full-bodied and almost electric in its energy, yet elegantly floral and with a full-flavoured finish, it perfectly embodies the genius loci of its terroir. “Here is a Selezione that is bursting with character, wondrously complex, yet pure pleasure to drink. It is made from the finest, hand-harvested grapes, ripened on low-cropped legacy vines in our historic vineyards,” commented Kaltern winemaker Scarizuola.

The very acme of quality achievable with the Schiava is represented by Kalterersee Classico Superiore DOC 2022, in the Quintessenz line. True icons of the winery’s winemaking philosophy, “the Quintessenz wines,” explained Scarizuola, “are made exclusively from the finest grapes we can raise in our best-quality vineyards, with vineyard yields far below those allowed by DOC production codes.” Elegance, finesse, and structure are the hallmarks of this Kalterersee, contributing to making it a thoroughly contemporary wine amazing its fans with its energy and thrust.  

FERRARIS AGRICOLA : SIXTY YEARS OF RUCHÈ

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In 1964 Don Giacomo Cauda redesigned the modern history of Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato by planting “La Vigna del Parroco”, today the only Cru of the denomination enhanced thanks to Luca Ferraris

A modern and extraordinary story that begins with a parish priest, Don Giacomo Cauda, the mastermind behind the rediscovery, in the early 1960s, of Ruchè, a small oenological gem that knows no crisis.

A figure somewhere between Dom Pérignon, who legend has it was the man behind the birth of Champagne, and Don Camillo, because of his eccentric personality, Don Cauda gave new hope to a small area of Monferrato that was in danger of being abandoned.

This is the story that Vigna del Parroco Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG – a wine from the appellation’s only Cru, recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, spreading over just over 1 hectare – is celebrating today. Celebrating this milestone is Luca Ferraris, who inherited it almost “as a dowry” in 2016 with a promise to carry on and continue to enhance this vineyard.

<< If it were not for Don Giacomo Cauda, Ruchè would not exist today. – Says Luca Ferraris, owner of the winery of the same name – This wine has a growing success and knows no crisis, despite the moment of reflection for the wine sector. Today a little more than 1,000,000 bottles are produced and sold all over the world at an ever-increasing price. Merit also goes to the introduction of the Riserva type, which as producers we strongly wanted>>.

Today, Vigna del Parroco is a complex wine whose bottle reproduces the original shape of Don Cauda’s one. To celebrate the 60th anniversary, this year, it will be sold in a special box containing a vertical of 4 vintages: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

Don Giacomo Cauda was an experimentalist priest. Upon arriving in Castagnole Monferrato, he found as a “dowry” to the parish a few rows of a vine that was rough at the time but which, over time, he transformed into an extraordinary product, unmistakable for its spicy and floral notes. The beginnings were not easy so much so that, upon purchasing the Vigna del Parroco, he made parishioners promise that, if necessary, they would have bought ten vintages of the grapes so as not to bankrupt the church. Working hard, even getting on the tractor on Good Friday, and devoting every spare moment to the care of the vineyard, he was able to build services for the local community with this wine, making the village flourish again. A commitment that led him to go all the way to Rome, to the Ministry, to apply for the DOC, which evolved into DOCG in 2010 thanks to the Mayor of Castagnole Monferrato Lidia Bianco.

Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato is a small DOCG that covers seven municipalities in the Asti area-Castagnole Monferrato, Grana, Montemagno, Portacomaro, Refrancore, Scurzolengo and Viarigi-included in the roster of appellations managed by the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato. A special denomination because Ruchè is one of the rare grape varieties that can only be produced and listed on the label in the territory authorized by the DOCG.

Siddura, Sardinia in purity

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Siddùra is not just a place: it is a story of love for wine, which begins centuries ago. Evolved winemaking techniques intertwine with ancient Sardinian traditions, creating an indissoluble bond between past and present, telling a story of knowledge, commitment and taste, to be savoured in purity.

SPÈRA

The proximity to the sea, the Mediterranean climate, the granite of Gallura, and the mistral wind are the ingredients that give rise to Spèra, a fresh and fragrant white wine, moderately alcoholic, that is best appreciated served as an aperitif, but also as an ideal accompaniment to delicate seafood dishes.

Vinification takes place with grapes harvested by hand in small baskets. After a gentle pressing, the must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.

Straw yellow with characteristic greenish reflections. Fine and intense nose. Delicate fruity notes of citrus fruits and Mediterranean scrub. In the mouth it is dry, savoury and fresh, with a good balance of taste and pleasant persistence.

NUDO

The result of years of research and experimentation, a Cannonau rosé with heady aromas and an attractive colour that entices you to drink it. New packaging enhances the aesthetics of the bottle and the wine as never seen before in Siddùra. A perfect blend of tradition and innovation in the field of viticulture and oenology, where all the experience and strategies are put into action to enhance the aromas first in the grapes and then in the wine, giving a young and fresh product to be tasted right away.

In the vinification process, the whole grapes are pressed immediately after the harvest and then vinified in white. After soft pressing, the must rests at a low temperature for a few days in stainless steel tanks before fermentation begins.

The wine has a soft pink colour and is intense, characterised by notes of exotic fruit, pink grapefruit and pineapple. Slightly citrusy and characterised by hints of small red fruits. Dry, with a fresh, savoury character. well balanced, moderately warm and persistent.

FÒLA

Fòla is the essence of Cannonau. Vineyards that the winery follows directly from an agronomic point of view, monitoring the ripening of the skins and the gradation through sensory and laboratory analyses. This vine has found its ideal habitat in Sardinia and only in this land does it achieve the aromatic and polyphenolic richness that make it the prince of all the island’s reds. A complex wine, warm and rich in extract.

The hand-picked grapes are selected, destemmed and macerated for a medium-long period. Subsequent barrel ageing completes the rich organoleptic picture.

Ruby red in colour, it has a rich bouquet of ripe fruit, plums and sour cherries that blend with spicy notes and a finish of cherries under spirits Warm, soft and harmonious. With good aromatic persistence and a silky tannic texture. Goes well with stewed lamb and roast meats. Medium and long matured sheep’s milk cheese with honey.

ORNELLAIA REACHES BEYOND WINE

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Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista project continues to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum.

This year’s Vendemmia d’Artista project is concluding with a donation in favour of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Ornellaia estate, with the support of the charity auction organised by Sotheby’s, has donated 325.000 dollars to the Mind’s Eye program, which increases accessibility to art for people who are blind or have low vision through multisensory exploration.  

A series of large formats of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2021 La Generosità created by Marinella Senatore, have been sold during a dedicated charity auction organized by Sotheby’s. The Italian artist has used the language of collages and light to interpret the character of the 2021 vintage.

She says: “The sense of care and belonging that is implicit in generosity is the bedrock of what becomes cohabitation. Generosity and cooperation, coexistence and, lastly, participation: these have always been the core concepts of my research. For the labels”, she continues, “I used the collage technique that I love so much and that enables me to organize many details, images, energy flows and thoughts on a piece of paper. The labels were conceived as a set of collages, which describes the land, the generosity of its traits, and the relationship between the land, energy and human beings.”

The President Lamberto Frescobaldi remarks “I would like to thank both Sotheby’s, which has been a partner of this project for years, and all the collectors who took part in the auction. We are proud to support Mind’s Eye and to see this project grow year after year, involving more and more people from all over the world.”

Mind’s Eye program is now active in the Guggenheim museums in Venice, New York and Bilbao. Cyra Levenson, Deputy Director, Education and Public Engagement, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, explains: “With Ornellaia’s Global Partnership and support, the Mind’s Eye program is now an international initiative, providing a way to experience the Guggenheim’s one-of-a-kind architectural sites and inspiring collections in the digital space for anyone anywhere. “

Art and wine share a multi-sensorial experience. By donating the funds raised by Vendemmia d’Artista to the Mind’s Eye program, Ornellaia underlines the shared value and importance of having an active stakeholder in today’s cultural and social community.

Scriani, a philosophy, a way of life, a truth

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Scriani speaks another language: that of the vineyards, of gestures and attention, of daily work. Because the earth never lies like Scriani’s wine.

We are talking about wines born from the best grapes. But also from intuition, courage and that pinch of madness that drives us to search for the ideal blend to find the right balance between personality, cleanliness and linearity.

In an area that makes the historicity of its cellars a source of pride, Scriani stands out as a winery in Valpolicella because it speaks with simplicity and honesty. Everyone is involved and participates, everyone lives according to the rhythms of wine, everyone respects what they do best.

Fumane, the heart of classic Valpolicella: this is where Scriani tends its most precious vineyards, at Monte S.Urbano and La Costa. Situated at an altitude of between 250 and 400 metres above sea level, Scriani’s soils are bordered by the typical vaios characteristic of the Valpolicella landscape. The vines are rooted in medium-textured soils with strong components of basaltic tuffs and grey limestone.

Each vineyard is cared for respecting and preserving the surrounding environmental balance, a basin of biodiversity that adds complexity and character to the grapes.

The ‘Ronchiel’, ‘Mandolari’, ‘Bosco’, ‘Carpanè’, ‘Tondin’, ‘La Costa’ and other small plots contain vines between 9 and 40 years old with traditional planting layouts and trained to the pergola system (single and double). This system allows for an ideal density, with a production of around 8/10 tonnes/ha of very high quality grapes, harvested by hand according to the concepts of the best and most consolidated vine-growing tradition.

The philosophy

Stefano, the oenologist and owner, follows with great attention every phase of the delicate and fascinating process of transforming grapes into wine, from the work in the fields to the blending of the grapes, up to the ageing process, which takes place in French and Slavonian oak barriques.

Amarone della Valpolicella Docg Classico

After a period of natural over-ripening in the fruit cellar of between 90 and 110 days, pressing takes place in 50 hl truncated oak barrels. Fermentation (where the must is in contact with the skins for 30-40 days) takes place without the addition of yeasts thanks to the integrity of the grapes. It has a deep ruby red colour tending towards garnet; very clean aromas of berry fruit, jam and cherries under spirits; flavours of vanilla, spices, liquorice and bitter almonds. On the table, it goes wonderfully with robust dishes such as game or roasts, very mature cheeses, but it is also an excellent meditation wine.

Valpolicella Ripasso Doc Classico Superiore

Wine made using the ‘Ripasso’ method; this process consists in re-fermenting Valpolicella Classico on the marc of Amarone and Recioto to acquire additional aromas, colour and body. It has an intense ruby red colour with aromas of undergrowth, black cherries and plums; on the palate it has a robust and complex body that stimulates the olfactory sensations. At the table, it pairs wonderfully with savoury dishes, mixed grilled meats, roasts and medium-aged cheeses.

Infinito Rosso Veronese Igt

Vinification takes place with drying for approx. 40 days, fermentation takes place in steel, 2 years ageing in American barriques and a minimum of 6 months in the bottle. The nose has hints of spices, herbaceousness, persistent raspberries and blackberries. Rich in aromas, tannins and colour. Perfect to accompany robust dishes such as roasts, game, mature cheeses or red meats in general. Also excellent as a meditation wine.

Carpane’ Corvina Veronese Igt

After a period of natural over-ripening in the fruit cellar of approx. 30 days, fermentation takes place in 50 hl truncated conical oak casks for approx. 25 days. It harmoniously expresses the diversity of Valpolicella, in which it was born, enhancing the emerging ‘irregularities’ with respect to the organoleptic canons of the area’s products. A decisive ruby red colour, a bouquet of flowers and berries; on the palate it offers pleasant herbaceous sensations with flavours of spices and bitter almonds. This wine goes well with red meat dishes and long matured cheeses.

Henry Borzi

Tenuta di Trinoro debuts its 2021 vintage

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Each vintage is a new, tailor-made splendour

The Tenuta di Trinoro lies in the Val d’Orcia, near Sarteano, in a landscape that is picturesque yet mysterious. The Trinoro wine estate has always striven to express its personal point of view through its wines. At the helm of Tenuta di Trinoro today is Benjamin Franchetti, second generation owner. “For the very first time, Tenuta di Trinoro stands on its own, without the hand of my father, who for over thirty years guided its growth. Trinoro 2021 is far from shy, however; rather, it is almost too self-confident, explosive, as though it wants to shout to the world, ’Here I am!’ What pleases me most about this wine is that it is a quintessential Tenuta di Trinoro: strong and fierce, but also delicate and elegant. It’s as though my father’s soul lives in the grapes that produced it, and this thought is reassuring”. 

Fruit of the creative vision of Andrea Franchetti, Tenuta di Trinoro has the mission, vintage after vintage, of embodying the highest quality possible of the wine estate which carries the same name. Thanks to the estate’s multitude of micro-parcels, its cuvée composition may change, even significantly, but Trinoro remains fundamentally true to its original idea, serving as the perfect interpreter of its land and of its time.

“The style and quality that we are looking for are always clear in my mind”, continues Benjamin, “and the fact that we put on the table as many as 50 different microvinifications every year and have no predefined recipe means that each new Tenuta di Trinoro is really tailor-made, springing from our terroir with its distinctive soils and from the traits of the vintage. This way we can create something truly exceptional each year”.

Trinoro 2021 is the offspring of a growing season that presented many challenges. High temperatures in March awakened the vines from their winter slumber at least two weeks early. Then April brought a freeze that hit the entire country, forcing the team to carpet the vineyards with 4,000 anti-frost candles which illuminated the vine rows and surrounding hills for two nights in a row. Later in the year, exceptional summer heat called into play emergency irrigation and significant cluster-thinning to ensure successful ripening. September brought fresh evening breezes to the valley, bringing relief to the vines, and the cold nights of the final part of the harvest period contributed to forming the vertical character this year’s Tenuta di Trinoro.

The harvest, which saw extremely low yields, took place in multiple phases from September 21st through October 21st. Following the fermentations and 8-month ageing in barriques, Lorenzo Fornaini and the winemaking team took measure of the vintage and finally dressed Tenuta di Trinoro 2021 with a cuvée of explosive, high-altitude Merlot (600 meters) and crisp, fragrant Cabernet Franc, revealing a bold, embracing character with dark fruit and flinty notes and a superb elegance in the glass.    

“One of the characteristics of the 2021 that particularly struck me” commented Lorenzo Fornaini, “is its immediacy. It is clear that this wine is obviously destined for long ageing, but it is already very seductive. True, it is a powerful vintage, but the balance between tannins and acidity gives it a marked gracefulness as well”.  

Tenuta di Trinoro 2021 is flanked by its second vin Le Cupole 2022, whose cuvee also dips its pen into the many estate microparcels. The 2022 Le Cupole expresses itself with an exuberant, energy-laden personality in which structure co-exists beautifully with easy approachability.

Tenuta di Trinoro 2021 and Le Cupole 2022 have been available in the markets since April 2024. 

***

Tenuta di Trinoro is located in Sarteano, in Val d’Orcia, at the foothill of the small fortress of Castiglioncello di Trinoro. Founded over 30 years ago by Andrea Franchetti, Tenuta di Trinoro is a true icon worldwide, with wines whose identities continue to transcend their creator. Its 22 hectares of vineyards, lying at 400-620 meters elevation, are planted in various types of soil, but the common denominator is blue clay, in various percentages through all the parcels. Cabernet Franc and Merlot predominate, but Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are also cultivated, in addition to a small amount of Semillon, creating a range of excellence. The estate portfolio includes: Tenuta di Trinoro and its second vin Le Cupole; Palazzi (Merlot); I Campi (a collection of 3 single-vineyard Cabernet Franc); and Bianco di Trinoro. Directing the estate today is Benjamin Franchetti, who, assisted by a well-established and passionate team, carries on the dream cultivated by Andrea Franchetti.

Cepparello 2021: impeccable elegance

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Roots, memory, and terroir 

April 2024. Isole e Olena presents the latest vintage of the estate’s legendary wine, Cepparello 2021.

This wine best represents the search for excellence that has always characterized Isole e Olena. A project that today continues along the same philosophical and qualitative lines with the new ownership, the French group EPI, which has helmed the estate since 2022.

“Cepparello was conceived as an audacious departure from tradition when it was considered impossible to produce a monovarietal Sangiovese. Today Cepparello remains what it has been, not a single-vineyard project but a quality project-selection of grapes from our finest vines. That painstaking selection process has been, and will always be, as a continuous dialogue with our estate vineyard, which, of course, is itself in a state of constant growth and evolution”, remarks Isole e Olena CEO Giampiero Bertolini.

“Our dynamic relationship with the vineyard”, continues Giampiero Bertolini, “and with the vinification process has characterised and guided Isole e Olena through its entire history. Today, that tradition constitutes a privileged vision essential for de-codifying the present and for building the future”. Its totally artisanal methods and concept of terroir linked to the hand of man have always enabled Isole e Olena to gaze deeply into the future and to move ahead of its times, to become a pioneer of innovation while remaining at the same time a guardian of tradition.

Cepparello, which debuted in 1980, matures 18 months in French oak barrels, new and used in a proportion of one to two, then rests in the bottle an additional year before release. 

The 2021 growing season started off with two significant challenges, low temperatures in spring, followed by heavy rains. These phenomena influenced both budbreak and flowering, resulting in a decreased production. But generous groundwater reserves from the spring rainfall helped the vines cope with the summer heat and develop normally. September brought warm, sunny days and crisp, cool nights, ensuring a gradual, consistent ripening, with lively acidities and complex, refined aromatic expression of the berries.  

“Cepparello 2021 is striking for its shimmering ruby appearance”, comments Isole e Olena Director Emanuele Reolon. “The nose is redolent of wild red berryfruit, followed by nuances of earth, sage, and violets, an authentic interpretation of its terroir. The palate is vibrant, rich with pronounced aromas that are tangy and sinuous, leading to a rising finish”.

Cepparello’s impeccable elegance is a tribute to Sangiovese’s ability to express its terroir, which at Isole e Olena is an interrelated complex of elevation, distinctive soils, and human brilliance. 

***

Isole e Olena, one of the truly historic brands in Chianti Classico, with distinctive character. Unfettered visionary Paolo de Marchi was the public face of a winery whose hallmarks are elegance and anti-conformity; that heritage is now borne by Director Emanuele Relon, who carries forward the same production philosophy and striving for quality. The estate, which since 2022 is a member of the French group EPI, lies in San Donato in Poggio, in the western area of Chianti Classico, and comprises 56 hectares of vineyard planted at 300-500 metres’ elevation. The portfolio standard-bearer is the all-Sangiovese Cepparello, whose inaugural 1980 vintage, a pioneering Super Tuscan, significantly shaped the history of Italian wine. This innate dedication to innovation has always marked winegrowing research at Isole e Olena, which over the decades has adopted “quality evolving” as its operative mantra. Pursuing this goal, the producer has intensified the authentic character of its own Chianti Classico, crafting an ultra-aromatic, magisterially-balanced Isole e Olena eloquently expressive of its high-elevation terroir. But Isole e Olena is reaching even further, striving to showcase the quality potential of international varieties through a cadre of monovarietal Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon labels. The estate offers a Gran Selezione too, produced in very few bottles and only in the finer years, as well as a Vinsanto, prized by connoisseurs of this Tuscan tradition.

Wine & Vinitaly: without wine Italy would lose 1.1% of gdp and annual revenue for the country of 45.2 billion euros

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Taking wine out of the equation in Italy would be equivalent, in terms of GDP, to cancelling almost all Italian sport, including football. This claim was made by Veronafiere which, together with the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory, presented the results of the project today on the eve of the 1st National Made in Italy Day at the start of the wine event: If you take away wine from Italy A plunge into a half empty glass.”

The project, conceived in the light of frequent attacks targeting the “national drink”, includes an economic impact analysis commissioned from Prometeia and a focus by the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory on three of the many symbolic territories with wine-making drive: Barolo, Montalcino and Etna. The results of the impact analysis confirm and quantify the economic contribution assured by the sector: should the wine supply chain “disappear”, 303,000 people would have to find another job and the country would lose an asset capable of generating (from direct, indirect and allied impact) annual production worth 45.2 billion euros and added value of 17.4 billion euros. A shock for Italy & Co. equal to 1.1% of GDP (sport, according to estimates by Istituto Credito Sportivo, is worth 1.3%). In this day after context, we would lose an economic multiplier capable of generating a contribution of 2.4 euros of production (and 0.9 of added value) for every 1 euro of expenditure set in motion by the wine industry. Lastly, every 62,000 euros of value generated by the supply chain ensure one job.

Without wine, as can be seen from Prometeia’s analysis, the balance of trade of the agro-food sector would drop by 58% (from +12.3 to +5.1 billion euros in 2023), but even if the perimeter is widened beyond the food sector, it is very clear that Made in Italy would lose a vital factor for success. Last year, wine took second place in the positive balance of trade generated by Italian flag-bearers, behind jewellery/goldsmiths – which unlike wine benefited from a significant “price effect” – and ahead of leather goods, clothing, packaging machinery and footwear. Wine tourism makes a substantial contribution to the overall economic impact of the wine supply chain which, while making a marginal contribution to the tourist economy of large cities, is often fundamental (even over and above strictly economic aspects) for many small towns and rural communities with a wine-growing vocation. According to the findings of the Cities of Wine Association, ever year wine tourism involves around 15 million people (including travellers and excursionists) with daily budgets (124 euros) 13% higher than those of average tourists, for total expenditure of 2.6 billion euros. Starting from these data, the impact analysis highlights how losing this component would cause the loss of 15% of the overall added value generated by the wine supply chain.

These are the immediate, tangible economic impacts. In a closing section, Prometeia then analysed the global interest in Italian wine in qualitative terms through a web sentiment analysis. This highlighted from the search volumes over the last 12 months extracted from Google trends that wine – after pizza and pasta – ranks third in the world among the food products most associated with Made in Italy.

BAROLO, ETNA & MONTALCINO: THREE TERRITORIES SYMBOLISING ITALIAN WINE TRADITIONS

THE CONTRIBUTION IN LOCAL AREAS IS WORTH UP TO 10 TIMES THE VALUE OF THE BOTTLE

The slopes of a volcano, a medieval village and the most famous hills in Piedmont. Wine is the trait d’union between the Etna, Langhe and Montalcino areas – territories blessed by socio-economic development with a minimum common oenological denominator whereby every bottle of wine produced and consumed locally is capable of generating impact (direct, indirect and allied) that can be quantified as 117 euros per bottle for Montalcino, 109 euros for Barolo and 82 euros for Etna. A return of wealth into these area which, in just one year, corresponds to approximately 153, 131 and 123 million euros respectively – making them emblematic case studies of a multiplier effect attributable to a sector found all over Italy. The study carried out by the Uiv-Vinitaly Wine Observatory as part of the project “If you take wine away from Italy. A plunge into a half empty glass” was presented at the Veronafiere Show on the eve of the National Made in Italy Day. Montalcino, Barolo and Etna stand out not only for average prices per hectare and production yields well above regional values: in the last decade they have also managed to ensure higher growth in per capita income, by generating work and employment.

Inasmuch, in the Tuscan village where one hectare of Brunello vineyard is worth almost 8 times an equal plot in other parts of Tuscany (1 million euros compared to 129 thousand), the per capita income is much higher than the regional average and has grown over the last 10 years by 37.9%, compared to a national average of 11.1%. This is also seen in the Barolo wine district (with the highest land value), where the average per capita income, applying the same values as Montalcino, has grown by 23.7%. The booster effect for Etna may be evident yet is still detectable, standing at 12.6% over the decade compared to the average in Sicily of 9.9%. It is precisely here, on the slopes of the volcano, that land values 5 times higher than the regional average have encouraged young generations to return to their grandparents’ fields, despite the difficulties of mountain wine-growing, with 2,000 hours of work per year for the bush-trained terraced hectares, for a total of 250,000 working days per year. This drive over the last 10 years has seen a 70% increase in vineyard areas (1,550 hectares, with average plots of less than one hectare for half the producers) and quadrupled bottled volumes (almost 6 million bottles in 2023).

These territories, with their pertinent protection consortia, have been able to identify in the virtuous relationship with wine – also a faithful guardian of the landscape against building and commercial speculation – an identifying vocation which finds its maximum (and most profitable) expression in wine tourism. According to the findings of the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory, Montalcino – with just over 5,000 inhabitants and 16% of the workforce employed in the hospitality field – has around 80,000 official tourists – a huge flow met by more than 300 accommodation facilities and 3,000 bed places. The small town of Barolo – around 700 inhabitants – welcomes 20% of the 90,000 tourists who arrive in the area delimited by the Barolo DOCG regulations (11 towns), and has posted growth of 60% compared to pre-Covid values. In Etna, over and above the already magnetic charm of the volcano, wine has added a touch of masterly craftsmanship, helping to profile a more highly qualified and refined tourism, especially from abroad – so much so that today around 60% of the 150 companies in the wine supply chain also organise guided tours and tastings.

COMMENTS

Lollobrigida: “Italy without wine would be a poorer country.” Bricolo: “Wine helps create value even outside its own sector. It is a duty of Vinitaly to highlight these concepts.” Danese: “Wine is a component of the country’s identity. Vinitaly aims to be the global testimonial for Italian wine-making.”

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida, added: “Wine is one of Italy’s most significant strategic products. This is also highlighted by the data in the Uiv-Vinitaly and Prometeia Observatory Reports which emphasise how the wine sector is such an important driving force for Made in Italy around the world. Events such as the OIV International Wine Conference, hosted this year in Franciacorta and Verona, not to mention Vinitaly, are useful opportunities for underlining how Italy is once again the beating heart of the entire European and global wine sector. Without wine, Italy would be a poorer nation, not only in cultural and environmental terms, but even on an economic level, since the wine sector is a strategic asset for employment and Italian exports. Wine is a valuable asset that must be protected in terms of its integrity and quality. Our task, alongside entrepreneurs, is to make it increasingly better and attractive. The Meloni Government immediately understood the importance of this sector and associated supply chains. This why it stands at the centre of its agenda, to promote it and make it increasingly competitive and recognizable around the world. This the right way ahead and for this reason we will continue in this direction.”

Federico Bricolo, President of VeronaFiere, said: “Thinking about an Italy without wine was not a simple undertaking, not the least numbers alone are not enough to demonstrate the damage of a hypothetical loss of a part of Italy’s DNA. Yet we were determined to turn on the spotlights, not the least on the occasion of the National Made in Italy Day, because wine is a socio-economic heritage that must be defended and protected. This is demonstrated by the focus on flagship denominations – Barolo, Etna and Montalcino – which like many others confirm the extent to which a wine-driven economy is capable of generating value even outside its immediate sector. By way of example, wine leads the way for all other agro-food products: as highlighted by the research, every percentage point of growth achieved by wine on a new market corresponds, two years later, to a similar growth for other food products. Vinitaly acknowledged its duty to reiterate these concepts on behalf of a supply chain that has placed its trust in its reference fair right from the outset.”

Maurizio Danese, Managing Director of Veronafiere, said: “The impact study we presented today clearly demonstrates that wine is a fundamental resource for the Country System: calculating in terms of subtraction, without wine Italy would not lose ‘only’ 1.1% of its GDP. Since the “value” of wine is much greater than its economic contribution: wine is part of Italy’s identity and is perceived as such abroad. An intangible yet equally qualifying asset of the Italian lifestyle and its values to which Vinitaly seeks to promote by being a sounding board. Vinitaly helps drive for the business of companies around the world yet also seeks to be a global testimonial of wine, its rural territories and culture, as symbolic elements of Made in Italy”.

Marcella Caimi

Marinella Senatore interprets the character of Ornellaia 2021 “La Generosità”

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From 22 May to 5 June 2024, Sotheby’s will auction large-format bottles with Vendemmia d’Artista artwork labels.

The profits will support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s Mind’s Eye program.

“La Generosità” (Generosity) is the character of Ornellaia 2021. The theme is in harmony with Marinella Senatore, an Italian artist who works all over the world, conveying the dynamics and poetics of communities. The pride and dedication of the people who make Ornellaia, inspired the artist, who designed a set of labels as unique artistic prints of the original collages, a sculpture for the Salmanazar (9 litres) and a site-specific work for the 16th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista.

In the works dedicated to Ornellaia 2021 “La Generosità”, Marinella Senatore used her artistic motifs and translated the character of the wine into a universal language. Collages and “luminarie” can be seen in the labels for the 750ml bottles, the 100 double magnums, 10 imperials and the sculpture dedicated to the one and only Salmanazar. “I observed and studied Ornellaia at length. The energy of the natural elements, like the sea, wind and stars found here, merge with the energy of the people who work here and create correlations that are declarations of awareness: it’s human empowerment,” explains the artist.

The “La Generosità” character filters through the artist’s beloved concept of care and giving, which is where hands come into play, one of Marinella Senatore’s defining features. Outlines of the hands of the people who work every day to craft the excellence of Ornellaia were included in the collages made for the labels and become both a portrait and a feeling. Dance is another important motif. Dancing is an archetypical gesture whereby the community celebrates itself and Marinella Senatore wanted to show this ancestral movement, citing the harvest festival, through an original score and dancing figures.

Lamberto Frescobaldi, President and member of the family that owns Ornellaia, reiterates: “Our identity is based on the place, our work and being a team. The 2021 character is centred on the generosity of the land and Marinella Senatore’s interpretation revealed additional meaning: the generosity of the land creates an ecosystem, to which we all belong and it is also significant for me that the harvest celebration is part of her work.”

The light sculpture created for the Salmanazar forms the zenith of Marinella Senatore’s artistic process.

On the 9-litre bottle, the artist installed one of her famous “luminarie”, which were used in the past to unite people in temporary places defined by light and colour. The work for the Ornellaia 2021 Salmanazar is inspired by a Baroque rose window. It is made from innovative cold neon (so as not to have any heat impact on the wine) and contains no mercury out of respect for the environment. The Salmanazar also bears an important message: “I contain multitudes”, in the words of the American poet Walt Whitman. “The distinguishing phrases of my works are not based on personal taste, but on the collective. For me, it is interesting to bring together different communities connected by invisible threads.”  

Some of the 110 large formats embellished by Marinella Senatore’s art and the sole Salmanazar will be sold by Sotheby’s in an online auction held between 22 May and 5 June, 2024.

For the sixth consecutive year, the profits will be donated in their entirety by the owners Marchesi Frescobaldi to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to support the Mind’s Eye program, which increases accessibility to art for people who are blind or have low vision through multisensory exploration.  

The original collages, handcrafted by the artist, will form the site-specific work that will be added to Ornellaia’s priceless art collection. Finally, with the aim of sharing Vendemmia d’Artista with its community of collectors, in every case containing six 750ml bottles of Ornellaia 2021, one will feature a special label styled by the artist, as in previous editions.

Ornellaia 2021 is on the market since 1st of April.

Link to the auction page:

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/ornellaia-vendemmia-dartista-2021-la-generosita-marinella-senatore

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