GAETANO MANTI, EDITOR OF THE MAGAZINE “IL MIO VINO” SENTENCED TO PAY 15.000 EUROS DAMAGES. IN 2004, HE USED OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE IN HIS CRITIQUE OF PAOLO SCAVINO’S BAROLO ROCCHE DELL’ANNUNZIATA RESERVE 1997

The editor of the magazine “Il Mio Vino” (My Wine), Gaetano Manti was sentenced by the Court of Padova to pay 15.000 euros damages for using offensive language when he critiqued Paolo Scavino’s Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 1997 Reserve in 2004, in the column “big disappointments”, in his monthly magazine. “Frankly, they exaggerated,” said Enrico Savino, head of the Barolo company, “and I’m glad that the court agreed with me.
Criticism is legitimate and we producers accept it readily, when motivated. This time, however, I didn’t think it was right to let such a massacre just slip by”. “We have published more than 100 articles in the column “big disappointments”, said the editor of “Il Mio Vino” magazine, “using even harsher words and never had any problems. Putting a gag on freedom of press and opinion is a loss rather than a victory, but we respect the sentence and will not appeal it.”
Source: La Stampa (Roberto Fiori)