Quality growth and style definition: the first goals of the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie

It put an order in the production panorama of 230 million bottles, has linked its identity to one of the most famous Italian places in the world, such as Venice, and has traced a well-defined style. Four years after the recognition of the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC, thanks to the work of more than 50 tasting commissions of the certification body, the identikit of the first Italian still white wine for production and export is increasingly clear. The action of the Consorzio Vini Doc delle Venezie focused on market governance to guarantee value along the production chain, as underlined at the first international conference dedicated to the values of Pinot Grigio coordinated by the Consortium (and organized by Civiltà del Bere) yesterday in Venice. “We have used storage for the 2018 and 2019 vintages- and temporary plant shutdowns until 2022. The drop in the price of the grapes was actually small, equal to 5-10 cents per kilo, compared to the media coverage that aroused”. According to the lists of the Chambers of Commerce of the provinces of Treviso and Verona, it has gone from 60 euros per quintal in 2018 to 50-55 this year. The numbers well describe the importance of the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC, the first interregional Italian denomination involving Veneto, Friuli and the autonomous province of Trento. It represents 85% of Italian Pinot Grigio production (26,000 hectares), 42% of world production, with a remarkable propensity to export (North America 44%, England 27%, Germany 10%). An Italian wine-grape that excels in many markets around the world, starting from the USA, as told by Ettore Nicoletto, in Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo, the winery that opened the market for Pinot Grigio in the States, and Sandro Sartor (Constellation Brands and Ruffino), and Alberto Marchisio (Cantine Vitevis). Now, Armani explains, more work will have to be done on promotion and positioning, also to consolidate the growth already recorded in bottling “on average 10% year on year and 30% month on month”. Starting from the main markets, such as the UK and the USA, where there is a lot of space especially in the premium category, as the Master of Wine Emma Dawson and Christy Canterbury mentioned, but also from Italy, where only 5% of the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie is consumed.