2013 IS POSITIVE FOR ITALY’S GREAT REDS IN SALES AND PRICES, THANKS TO EXPORTS. WINENEWS REVEALS THE FIRST SEMESTER SALES TRENDS FOR AMARONE, BAROLO, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO, CHIANTI AND CHIANTI CLASSICO

The wine world is increasingly focused on the 2013 harvest, but attention to the markets is still foremost. And judging by how things are going for some of the most important Italian wines, the future looks quite good. WineNews talked to the Consortiums that confirmed sales trends in the first half of the year and the prices of "blue chip" Italian wines: Amarone, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Chianti Classico (in alphabetical order).
The situation is stable (which is a positive sign in times of economic recession) for Amarone, explained the Valpolicella Consortium of Wines (www.consorziovalpolicella.it), with 80% of the top wine of the appellation going abroad and bulk going for 8-900 euros/ hectoliter.
The situation is very good for the king of Piedmont wines, says the director of the Consorzio Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Roero (www.langhevini.it), Andrea Ferrero: "We are in line with 2012 and 2011, in terms of sales, and that is good because on the one hand it means that we have recovered a definitive position on terrible 2010 and secondly, that the production level of 13 million to 14 million bottles of Barolo is right, because every year we bottle the entire production . And bulk wine is stable too, at 6-700 euros per hectoliter. Exports are key, as 80% of Barolo goes abroad". Brunello di Montalcino, instead, is down in sales this year but it was calculated, "since the 2008 vintage on the market now was a poor harvest - almost 1 million bottles less on average were produced”, says the director of the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino (www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it), Stefano Campatelli, “but Brunello is fine. Bulk wine, which is practically gone, is at 750-800 euros per hectoliter, so we are satisfied”.
The situation is optimistic also in Chianti, the largest Tuscan denomination, where sales "up to July 31st are in line with 2012”, says the director of the Consorzio Vino Chianti (www.consorziovinochianti.it), Marco Alessandro Bani, “at least judging by data on large-scale distribution in Italy, which distributes 60% of our product on the domestic market (although 70% of total production has been going abroad), and the quality labels. The good thing is that the price of bulk bounced back from 90-100 Euros / hectoliter in 2012, to 140-150 today, and we sell more than we produce, so the gap between sales and inventory is reduced”.
Chianti Classico (www.chianticlassico.com) is also quite happy: “we have recorded a 2-3% growth on an already positive 2012”, explained the director of the Consorzio del Gallo Nero, Giuseppe Liberatore, “especially thanks to exports, which represents 80% of our market, the U.S. in the lead, although we will invest heavily on the Italian market. And the price of bulk is about 180-200 euros per hectoliter”.