The prices of Amarone resist, but not on the shelves: the alarm of the Consorzio Valpolicella

The wine market, both domestic and international, is facing the worst consumption crisis since the Second World War, yet, so far Consortia and Denominations have managed to resist both in terms of volumes sold and prices. With some creaking, due to necessity and fear, but also to aggressive commercial policies that do not take into account the long-term consequences of a sudden drop in prices. This is the case of Valpolicella, where Amarone and Ripasso, on the shelf, in many cases record a worrying drop in prices to the public, despite certain stability of prices: According to the Chamber of Commerce of Verona, as we wrote in the analysis of WineNews a few days ago, Amarone della Valpolicella runs substantially in the norm, between 700 and 750 euros per hectolitre, with stocks which, according to Icqrf data, at 1 July are maintained at the levels of last year (-0.4%).
“We are concerned about the increase of aggressive trade policies and attitudes involving our denomination. For this reason, we can only blame any obvious attempt to undervalue our products beyond the threshold of sustainability, in a supply chain that makes quality and durability its strong points”, says the president of the Valpolicella Consortium, Andrea Sartori, commenting on what has been found in some points of sale, where there has been a drop in prices to the public of some Amarone (even up to 7.29 euros per bottle) and Ripasso (4.5 euros per bottle).
“In a very delicate economic phase for high-end wines - explains Sartori - we are focused on keeping the fundamentals of the denomination healthy: stocks and average price for Amarone remain below the line of alarm and the values of last year, besides, the assembly has adopted measures to protect the entire supply chain, also in view of the next harvest. Now - concludes the president of the Consorzio della Valpolicella - the attitude of a few people risks provoking a chain reaction in which the whole denomination and, in the long run, consumers will pay the price”.