QUALITY, FASCINATION, RELIABILITY: GAJA IS THE NAME THAT BEST PERSONIFIES THESE CHARACTERISTICS. THE TOP TUSCAN NAMES, ANTINORI AND SASSICAIA, ARE A CLOSE SECOND. FOLLOWED BY SICILIANS, PLANETA AND DONNAFUGATA

Quality, fascination, reliability: Gaja is the name that best represents these three characteristics in the collective imagination of the eno-nauts who participated in the study promoted by www.winenews.it, in collaboration with Vinitaly (www.vinitaly.com). The “roi” of Barbaresco, Gaja, took an indisputable first place in the classification of wines that guide and condition our acquisitions in virtue of their names because they are a symbol of and synonymous with a series of certainties.
A close second and third went to the Tuscan winemakers Antinori (the prestigious historic Florentine label that recently celebrated its 500th anniversary) and Tenuta San Guido (that makes the Super Tuscan archetype, Sassicaia).
A fourth place tie went to two grand wines from Sicily, Planeta and Donnafugata, who also responsible for the rebirth of the region’s wine on a global scale. There was a three-way tie for fifth place between the Tuscans, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia and Castello Banfi (the biggest name of the Brunello territory), and Umbrian Caprai (the winery that re-launched Sagrantino di Montefalco). And closing out the classification is Biondi Santi (at Tenuta Il Greppo, the winery that “invented” Brunello di Montalcino), Feudi di San Gregorio from Campania, Bellavista and Ca’ del Bosco (both from Franciacorte), and, finally, the Tuscan winemaker Frescobaldi.
The Winenews survey was sent to 10,150 eno-nauts (receiving 2,550 responses), and asked, “Quality, fascination, reliability: which winemaking companies best personify these characteristics?”. And the results tend to reveal a tendency that has already been noted in the western world: they are the brands and labels that are a point of reference in our daily lives. The philosophy of the brand, the identity of a label, is fundamental even in the land of Dionysus and appears to be a leading element for the wine market. The preferences of eno-nauts demonstrates, however, that a brand name is significant only if, beyond its image, it possesses intrinsic characteristics (like history and quality) that conquer the trust of wine enthusiasts. From this point of view, it is significant that Gaja, Antinori, and Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia) are also the three “symbols” of “made in Italy” wines throughout the world, as well as being the main protagonists of the Italian wine “Renaissance”.
Following the 13 companies that snatched the top ranks of the classification were other important names in Italian winemaking: Allegrini, Tasca d'Almerita, Berlucchi, Mastroberardino, Firriato, Felluga Livio, Ferrari, Ceretto, Castello di Brolio, Zonin.
There were also, obviously, the dissident voices by eno-nauts who noted that they had not succumbed to the fascination of big name labels, but who rather preferred smaller and lesser known wines that satisfy the most essential element: the pleasure of the palate. As the saying goes, "de gustibus non disputandum est".