GRAPE SELECTION, PRODUCTION AND LABELLING TECHNIQUES FOR “CUSTOM-MADE WINE” … THE “WINE ATELIER” PROJECT TO ADOPT A VINEYARD AND WATCH IT GROW HAS NOW ARRIVED

The first vineyards have been “adopted”. Vineyards that, for a small compensation, will produce custom-made wines according to the needs of its consumers. Restaurant owners, commercial operators, and enthusiasts will now be able to choose their grape blends, production techniques, packaging and even the label, by working in close contact with the winemaker.

Coldiretti points out the success of the “Wine Atelier: Your Custom-Made Wine” project that is now being promoted and experimented for the first time in Italy. An operation that is an innovative way to sell and which also makes it possible to realize the dream of making one’s own unique bottle of wine to share with friends and clients.

Those who do adhere can see the vineyard they have adopted, visit it when they want to, thus enriching their enological knowledge by following first hand all of the phases of their custom-made wine. And after the harvest and the ritual ageing in barrels, the product is finally bottled, complete with personalized label, the owner can collect it for his own wine cellar collection.
The costs for becoming an adoptive winegrower – sustains Coldiretti – does not exceed that of a season pass to the stadium or a latest generation mobile phone: prices start at 480 euros for an area of 120 square meters of land that can produce about 120 bottles per year.

It is an opportunity for all that follows on the heels of the trend among the rich and famous who have decided to invest their money and free time in Italian viticulture. In his vineyard in Pantelleria, for example, the actor Gerard Depardieu produces excellent Zibibbo and Moscato, just as Lucio Dalla produces red and white Stronzetto dell’Elba, at his home in Milo, Catania. And then there is Mick Hucknall, the singer of Simply Red, who produces wines from Etna in Sant’Alfio (Catania). Nils Liedholm, the historic coach of Roma and Milan whose winemaking in Cuccaro Monferrato has become a passion and an art. And the mythical Sting, ex leader of The Police, who produces great wines in Tuscany at his estate Il Palagio, 300 hectares of vineyards just 30 kilometers from Florence.

The innovative formula of “custom-made wine” – continued to note Coldiretti – represents a jump in quality in the new trends geared towards bringing winemakers and consumers closer together with direct buying, which is also favored by the need to save on acquisitions, of guaranteeing safe foods, and spending more time outdoors in contact with nature and, not lastly, for acquiring local products at zero kilometers which ensures freshness and a lesser environmental impact. It is a “refined” version of “pick your own”, a very popular phenomenon in the U.S.. In fact, the site www.pickyourown.org counts over three million contacts thanks also to its useful tips for enterprises and consumers, such as the indication of which products to pick according to the season, a map of agricultural companies in every state, and even meteorological forecasts.

Entire families, with children in tow, have decided to spend their free time working next to farmers in order to learn the tricks of the trade and to return home with their own tasty products picked and harvested by their own hands.
In Italy – concluded Coldiretti – the total annual value of wine, fruit and vegetable, olive oil, cheese and other specialty foods sold directly from agricultural outlets reached 2.4 billion euros, that’s a record increase of 25 percent over the past 5 years.