GANCIA SPEAKS RUSSIAN: ONE OF THE HISTORIC BRANDS OF ITALIAN SPARKLING WINES IS ABOUT TO BE BOUGHT BY THE RUSSIAN TYCOON RUSTAM TARIKO (RUSSKI STANDARD VODKA) FOR 150 MILLION EUROS. ITALIAN WINE IN RUSSIA

Gancia, one of the most famous wine companies in Italy, founded in 1850, is learning to speak Russian like its new owner Rustam Tariko (owner of Russki Standard vodka and bank). The purchase of the company, which has made a lot of noise in the sector, both for the importance of the brand and for the amount of the purchase: 150 million euros for 100% of the group. The Piedmont Company has written key pages about Italian winemaking over the past 165 years, especially about the Classic Italian Method. 

Gancia’s properties are located all up and down Italy and very soon from, Piedmont to Sicily, they will all be flying a Russian Flag. Many sources have confirmed the news, despite a “no comment” from Gancia headquarters: they are just waiting for the official passage of yet another Italian wine gem into the hands of a multinational. The Russian medias, above all the newspaper “Kommersant”, have already considered the deal done, though the official news hasn’t come through yet. Another Russian media “Vedomosti” says that the quantity of stock purchased, the amount and the modalities of the transaction are not yet finalized. Details that do not represent a serious obstacle to the passage of the Piedmont company into the hands of a wine distributor to Eastern Europe: the Polish firm CEDC, which Tariko also purchased recently.

Focus – Russia loves Italian wine…
With a 41% record increase of bottles of sparkling wines exported, Russia is in fourth place after Germany, the U.S. and the U.K., reveals a Coldiretti, the Association of Italian Farmers, study. We estimate – highlights Coldiretti – that by the end of the year at least 25 million bottles of Italian sparkling wine will be consumed in Russia, where Prosecco and Asti are highly appreciated. Russia is the Country where sales of Italian sparkling wines have increased the most and exports have increased on a global scale by 25% thanks to a 33% increase in the U.S., 7% in Germany and 24% in England. After Parmalat ceded to the French company Lactalis in April of this year, Italian food and agriculture – says Coldiretti- is confirmed once again a very appetizing conquest for foreigners. This trend, however, might have a delocalizing effect in a sector where quality and added value of Italian agricultural products – concludes Coldiretti – has allowed big brands to reach excellent goals.