By PATRICK DU GENESTOUX

The Portuguese wine industry has undertaken a powerful communications effort in Europe to explain that their rise in the world ranking is key to an increase in importance of of Portuguese wines, even if costly during the crisis years in 2008 and 2009. At last in 2010 their exports increased of more than 16% in value and 9% in volume with an average price increase of 7%.
The media were invited to international meetings in Porto last December when the Portuguese wine industry strategies was becoming to be beneficial, and also in March in Celorico da Beira, to be briefed on Portuguese wine export and individual region potential.  We attended both.

MY LOOK AT PORTUGUESE WINE EXPORT STATISTICS

The opening session of the 1rst International Wine Meeting and Tasting Event held in Northern Portugal on the 17th of March was introduced by an interesting presentation of Doctora Edite Azenha, Chairperson of the Portuguese Vine and Wine Institute, commenting on the performance of their wine trade balance in 2010.

Dra Edite’s presentation was full of optimism. According to her Portuguese wines and wine firms are increasingly recognized worldwide on the quality aspects, some of them among the “ World’s best 100” or 200 of various classifications, with notes frequently above 90.  Then she came to an in deep discussion of the Portuguese foreign trade figures for 2010, providing material for stimulating thoughts on the wine market segmentation.

In 2010, Portugese wine exports grew 9% in volume (2,6 million hectolitres) and 16 % in value  (€650 million). The increase was good with PDO wines (Protected Designation of Origin, the equivalent of the French AOP, Appellation d’Origine Protégée) which grew 12 % in unit value, reaching a “psychological gate » of €3.00 per liter (€2.25 per bottle).

Port Wine Institute Inspectors on the Porto waterfronts during the forties.

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From the INDIAN WINE ACADEMY Newsletter — 28 March 2011 11:40

Whereas the European and high-end Californian producers are still persuaded that wine is a food product
and needs to be part of our meals, a recent study in the US claims that no more than 40% of Americans are drinking wine with meals, a majority of them drinking it away from the dinner table (preferring off dry or slightly sweet wines).

According to a report from Napa Valley Register which says this study confirms that a majority of wines is drunk in the US without food, the USA include about 77 million wine consumers.
The study was conducted by Wine Opinions of about 800 wine drinkers selected from their 5,500 consumer panel members — from the 29 million Americans who drink wine daily or several times a week. Read More »

ROCCO LETTIERI

Boschi, campi, vigneti e oliveti si estendono sui 142 ettari del Podere Forte, fra le sinuose colline della Val d’Orcia che abbracciano il Monte Amiata a sud di Siena, fra il fiume Orcia e Montalcino.
Qui, Pasquale Forte ha ricreato il clima genuino ed autentico di una vecchia fattoria, nella quale si producono vini, olio, farina, miele, spezie e salumi in modo naturale.

Il pensiero di Pasquale sulla qualità dei suoi vini e relativi vigneti.

“Per noi, al Podere – ha risposto Pasquale – il vino è il prodotto principe e lavoriamo intensamente per capire il territorio e quali sono le parcelle migliori, quei vigneti che, alla francese, chiamiamo Grand Cru, classificati e selezionati all’interno del Podere in base alle analisi chimico-fisiche e biologiche e in relazione dei prodotti che si sono ottenuti in questi dieci anni. Le uve per i vini PETRUCCI e GUARDIAVIGNA provengono quindi dai migliori terreni aziendali, con buona permeabilità e forte presenza di calcoscisti fessurabili che donano mineralità al vino… Read More »

ROCCO LETTIERI

Due parole in generale sulla storia aziendale.

Boschi, campi, vigneti e oliveti si estendono sui 142 ettari del Podere Forte, fra le sinuose colline della Val d’Orcia che abbracciano il Monte Amiata a sud di Siena, fra il fiume Orcia e Montalcino.

Qui, Pasquale Forte ha ricreato il clima genuino ed autentico di una vecchia fattoria, nella quale si producono vini, olio, farina, miele, spezie e salumi in modo naturale.

Al Podere Forte “lavoriamo i campi come 2000 armi fa e in cantina siamo 2000 anni avanti. Coltiviamo il Sangiovese con una densità d’impianto come solo i Romani sapevano fare, produciamo internamente i nostri fertilizzanti e il nostro compost utilizzando la ramaglia di potatura e i legni provenienti dai nostri boschi.

Le nostre “Cinte Senesi” mangiano ghiande e castagne nei boschi ove sono libere di scorrazzare, mentre le api impollinano i fiori e le erbe aromatiche del giardino botanico presso il quale abbiamo sistemato le loro arnie. Cuociamo in un vecchio forno a legna, il pane fatto con le farine provenienti dai grani rari e antichi che coltiviamo su 10 ettari di seminativi. Ma in cantina usiamo gli strumenti più sofisticasti e la tecnologia più avanzata: all’unico scopo d’interpretare e valorizzare al meglio i segnali che ci provengono dalla natura… Read More »

From the INDIAN WINE ACADEMY 28 February 2011 11:07

Following the success of the maiden edition of the 2-day festival held in April 2010, the second edition of the Bangalore International Wine Festival is being organised at Palace Grounds in Bangalore from March 11 for 3 days with around 30 wine companies expected to be present for tasting by the general public along with several wine related programmes.
The event includes the staple activities such events, namely wine appreciation seminars and guided tasting sessions, grape stomping, fashion shows, music bands and seminars on wine tasting.

B. N. Nanjundaiah, Managing Director of Naka wines, one of the promoters of the Festival, claims that in the previous edition in 2010, more than 25,000 people had visited the festival held at White Petals.  This time, the event is expected to attract around 45,000 visitors, which would make it the most popular and attended wine festival in India. Read More »

DANIEL J BERGER

La forteresse est assise sur le haut d’une colline mais en contre-bas d’une autre, on la voit de loin, bloc de pierres aveugle au toit presque plat, un peu asiatique, socle silencieux dominant la vallée et les 500 hectares de forêt, d’oliviers et de vignes du domaine.
Nous sommes au coeur de l’appellation Morellino di Scansano (Grosseto), au château de Monte Pò, propriété depuis toujours de la famille de Jacopo Biondi Santi (photo ci-dessous), qui nous accueille avec chaleur, en tenue de chasse, les autres chasseurs vont arriver et se préparer pendant qu’il va nous présenter l’histoire du lieu et de sa famille, allons là-bas à droite sur le promontoire aux petits chênes.

« Nous faisons du vin ici depuis 1300 et quelques. C’est mon grand oncle Feruccio Biondi Santi qui a « créé » le Brunello à la fin du XIXème : il a réussi à sélectionner le clône de sangiovese grosso BBS 11, toujours en place aujourd’hui et qui reste notre marque de fabrique. Mon père, Tancredi Biondi Santi, a continué avec la sélection massale (*), et moi j’ai mis en œuvre une sélection clonale plus poussée, pour mieux prendre en compte le niveau qualitatif du vin et j’ai généralisé la sélection parcellaire. »
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DANIEL J BERGER

Le Consorzio Val di Cornia DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) nous reçoit pour un diner-dégustation à Gualdo del Re, un gîte à proximité de la petite ville de Suvereto, composé de plusieurs maisons séparées, restaurées ou neuves et installées en appartements autour d’une piscine.

L’œnotourisme, ici « agriturismo », qui se développe de plus en plus en Toscane et bien ailleurs, a permis à cette ancienne ferme de devenir gîte rural, accolé à l’exploitation viticole (20 ha), l’hébergement et la restauration venant en soutien des ventes de vin. Tenu par la famille Rossi père, mère, fils et fille, qui le tient elle-même du grand-père, l’ensemble est situé légèrement en hauteur face à l’Ile d’Elbe. Ils ne sont professionnels du vin que depuis 1986, aidés par l’œnologue Barbara Tamburini.

La jeune appellation Val di Cornia se cherche et veut s’affirmer, convaincue des qualités de son sous-sol et de ses terroirs, en concurrence avec Bolgheri, proche du lieu de naissance des supertoscans. On s’organise,  le consorzio ou syndicat d’appellation cherche à imposer sa région comme un vrai pays de vin. Read More »