TUSCAN WINE PLAYS THE LEADING ROLE IN OR OUT OF THE HOME. WHY? WINENEWS ASKED “GURU” JAMES SUCKLING WHO HAS CREATED “FORMULA DIVINO TUSCANY”: A NETWORK OF TOP WINERIES IN THE MOST UNIQUE TERRITORY IN THE WORLD

“The future of Italian wine is also in the conquest of emerging foreign markets, from Asia to South America”, says James Suckling, interviewed by WineNews at “Divino Tuscany”

Tuscany - land of dreams and international benchmark of a sophisticated Italian life style, thanks to its history, culture, monuments, landscape, identity, fashion, cities, territories, art, cuisine and food - with its great wines, is one of most popular destinations in Italy of tourists from all over the world. The crisis has been felt more here than in other areas (though here the added value factor remains higher than elsewhere) but the passion of one of the most influential wine critics in the world is taking Tuscany by the hand to conquer the world (Asia and Latin America, markets that will open a brighter future for wine worldwide), creating a network of companies (small, medium and large) that are the image of Tuscan wine in the world, putting aside historical rivalries, (perhaps now pushed aside due to the crisis in the markets), collaborating instead of arguing over a few customers (for a few bottles in this or that store) and “planting seeds in the markets of the world”.
These seem to be the ingredients that led to the creation of “formula Divino Tuscany” that is out to conquer the world by establishing a network of excellent Tuscan wines, directed by James Suckling, senior editor and former European bureau chief of the U.S. magazine “Wine Spectator” and one of the best-known wine critics in the world - who explains how and why to WineNews. Img (www.imgartists.com), one of the leading organizations of festivals in the world of art, entertainment and lifestyle, focuses at home (Florence) and abroad (consolidated, new or emerging markets) and targets top customers for the wineries participating in the project (which, of course, you have to pay to access: the entrance “fee” is 10.000 euros, net of the cost of other expenses borne by the wineries). There are 50 wineries (the most famous and renowned, historic and modern, niche, rustic and aristocratic), of which at least 30 are very high-profile: Antinori, Ornellaia Estate, San Guido Estate, Felsina Farm, Frescobaldi, Ricasoli, Castello Banfi, Ferragamo, Principe Corsini, Mazzei, Petrolo, Casanova di Neri, Biserno Estate (Lodovico Antinori), Sting’s Il Palagio, Poliziano, Tua Rita, Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Valdicava, Siro Pacenti, La Brancaia, Eredi Fuligni, La Massa Farm, Poggio Antico, Allegrini (including its estates: Bolgheri and Montalcino, Poggio del Tesoro and San Polo), Barbi Farm, Ruffino, San Filippo Estate, Tenimenti d’Alessandro and Castellare of Castellina. This unique combination of wine, food, history and culture can be experienced in Italy or in the world, where the image of Tuscany on strong markets is so important that it is on the same level as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Therefore, we wish them good luck on a project that WineNews will monitor with interest, sparing no constructive criticism. Will this combination be able to make “Divino Tuscany” one of the most memorable and exclusive wine events in the world? We shall see. Edition number zero has already given a small, but positive indication (starting with the top 350 collectors worldwide who paid 1500 euros, to the events in the event, from locations to the approval of the 53 Tuscan producers for the project “Divino Tuscany“).

Focus – “Divino Tuscany”... Florence (because it is the maximum expression of Tuscany in the world, Ed) Florence is one of the most popular international destinations and the center of Tuscany, a region considered the international benchmark of a sophisticated Italian life style. Every year the titles of the major tourist guides place Florence at the top of the charts of international travelers: a new series of openings of prestigious hotels, restaurants and galleries have set the stage for a new quality of tourism. In comparison to other cities that the international food & wine fans visit, Florence is well connected to the world, with direct flights from the U.S.A. (to Pisa, 50 minutes from Florence) and from the major cities in Europe and the world, via hubs: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris or Zurich. High-speed trains connect Florence to Rome in 1 hour and 35 minutes, Milan in 1 hour and 45 minutes and Venice in 2 hours. Florence is virtually placed in the center of Italy. The style and quality of life expressed in Tuscany are often treated as forms of art like its capital city, Florence. Internationally famous personalities in the fields of cinema, art and culture, seeking a new balance to their hectic lives, find their second homes in Tuscany. Florence is a very manageable sized city that has locations of unique beauty, palaces, secret gardens and great craftsmen. It is the ideal location to create a new type of event related to the wine and culture of the area, elevating it to a modern form of cultural expression.
Florence is home to some of the oldest family businesses, the same that traded and haggled with the Medici family over five centuries ago, next to new companies that have recently redesigned the international history of Italian wine. Montalcino, Bolgheri, Chianti and Montepulciano wines are synonymous of extraordinary and great ambassadors of Italy in the world.
With the election of the new mayor Matteo Renzi, 36 years old, the city is experiencing a dynamic new “momentum” and attracting the attention of international media that describe it as a little “new renaissance”.
Source: Divino Tuscany