ITALIAN WINE AS SEEN BY “WINE SPECTATOR”: IT IS TOP IN THE U.S.A. AND HAS THE KNOW-HOW TO MEET THE EVER CHANGING TASTES OF FANS, SAYS THOMAS MATTHEWS, EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE MOST FAMOUS MAGAZINE IN THE WINE WORLD, AT VINITALY

How does “Wine Spectator” see Italian wine? It is still top in the U.S. and has the know-how to meet the ever-changing tastes of wine fans, says Thomas Matthews, executive editor of the most famous magazine in the world of wine, who participated in Vinitaly with Bruce Sanderson, the new chief editor of the magazine for Italy, in Verona for “Vinitaly in The World”. “Italy is a big country and offers so many wines that we are simply trying to better understand the differences in quality of Italian wines. What I see is a world of wine that looks towards diversity. People are tired of the wines that are all the same, with high levels of alcohol, woody and fruity taste. Today people want a different taste, different tastes. And Italy is absolutely in the right position to offer this kind of product. Tuscany, of course, will continue to be a leader for Americans.

The Piedmont region, instead, is proving to be the Burgundy of Italy, which is important for Americans. That said, let’s have a look at the rest of Italy: Wine Spectator did tastings with wine producers from Liguria, Emilia Romagna, Campania and Sicily, to better understand what these regions have to offer. And, I think that the Americans are curious and want to learn more about these new wines. The important thing in our research is to find authentic, traditional, territorial and, of course, good wines”.