2020 did not close tragically in Monferrato, and bottled wine grew +0.4% compared to 2019

Lockdown, no traveling and substantially blocking the HORECA channel were the measures that in 2020 inflicted heavy blows on the wine sector. Wine consumption is tightly linked to occasions for meeting and exchanging ideas, as statistical surveys and analyses have revealed. A disastrous economic decline in the sector has been registered including drops in consumption and uncertain forecasts regarding the economic and productive future of the sector. There are exceptions, though, which besides showing the state of health of some companies, remind us how important it is to start again with new impulses and new perspectives. One of these is the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato, whose numbers at the close of the year 2020 have shown an encouraging scenario for Monferrato del Vino. In 2020, the bottled production grew +0.4% over 2019, to 66 million bottles, while the numbers of the harvest remained practically unchanged, with a potential of 536.393 hectoliters of wine produced. Bottling depends on the market and its demands - both have resisted well, as proven by the corresponding decrease in stocks – while the harvest has been confirmed stable in relation to the climatic conditions of the period prior to the harvest itself.
The Barbera d’Asti Superiore bottling production has shown an increase of +2.1% plus an increase of 1 million bottles in five years, the sign of a more and more popular product that has substantial shares in the US and Northern Europe, where the refined products continue to attract great interest. Nice (+ 4%) and Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato are also doing well, at one million bottles. “Our forecast proved to be correct. Monferrato del Vino, despite the huge challenges linked to the health emergency, has shown excellent resistance”, comments Filippo Mobrici, President of the Consorzio Barbera d'Asti e Vini del Monferrato, “and the numbers confirm the strength of our reference sector. It has stood up against the impact in recent months, thanks to the skill and work of the companies that are now well positioned on markets and consumption, as they have paid much more attention to guarantee the highest quality profile of the wine. Our DOCGs - Barbera d’Asti, Nizza, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato and Terre Alfieri - are stable and, in some cases, have registered major increases. This result embodies the path we have taken in recent years. Established companies as well as young producers have comprehended the value of our territory and our wine, which represent a guarantee for investments that affect our entire world. Furthermore, it launches a message of hope that we are taking to renew our objectives; that is, ensuring income and value to winemakers, but also continuing to tell about our territory and its many excellent products”.