Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

At the beginning of spring, we hear the Chianti Classico Black Rooster’s joyful crowing, after a very good experience at the latest two top wine fairs, Prowein in Dusseldorf and Vinitaly in Verona.

WeChianti has had a chat with Carlotta Gori, general manager of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium: “It was my first time at Prowein, and I immediately got a sense of a very well organised event with a great selection of wine producers and names among the participants. We are talking about a fair that has an international appeal and for the Chianti Classico, which is export driven, is of great interest”.

PROWEIN 2018

“We were very satisfied – she continues – because we had good feedback from our 46 companies that took part in the fair. They were all very busy with the tasting tables, organising appointments, so much so that our stand, which was quite spacious, felt too small for our needs”.

“At Vinitaly – continues Gori – the participants were mostly Italian. Around 100 wine producers from our Consortium usually take part in the Verona fair, with over 200 wines offered for tasting. There are fewer stands compared to Prowein, and a completely different approach: at Vinitaly we organise many activities, and various tastings with buyers from all over the world. In short, our work there is strictly aimed at the Chianti Classico designation”.

VINITALY 2018

Even in this case, the balance is positive: “At Vinitaly we’ve had a 20% attendance increase, and those who stop at our stand to taste our wines spend 50 minutes on average with us. This means that they are expert, and really interested in our products”.

We ask what this year looks like so far for the Consortium: “We don’t have negative news. The prices are under control, and have gone back to a level that looks reassuring, we think this is going to carry on like this. There has been a slight natural decline in the prices of bottled wine. We hope to have a report on export data in June regarding quantities and destinations”.

And the 2017 vintage? “We confirm that there’s been a 27-28% quantity reduction – concludes Gori – Although we’ll need to wait for 2019 to see what happens once it is put on the market. Regarding the quality, the preview has given us good expectations, and this shows the exceptional skills of our wine producers. It was a year that required to be handled with great professionalism: and in the Chianti Classico we’ve no shortage of that”.

Matteo Pucci

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