Cavit, 26 million euros of investment for a new cellar for TrentoDoc sparkling wines

While it is true that the overall wine market is experiencing a slow and steady decline, it is equally true that wine is still widely consumed, although with a clearly downward trend influenced by attention to health, economic factors, competition with other beverages, especially among younger consumers, and so on. However, among the various types of wine, white wines and sparkling wines, in particular, are performing better than reds. Also for this reason, and with a desire to look to the future with both confidence and rationality, while also protecting its 5,250 winegrowers who cultivate and care for 6,350 hectares of vineyards in South Tyrol (representing two-thirds of the region’s total vineyard area), Cavit, the cooperative giant headed by Ceo Enrico Zanoni and president Lorenzo Libera (with a consolidated group turnover of 253.3 million euros in 2023-2024, as previously reported), has launched a 26 million euros investment in a new winery dedicated to sparkling wine production. This facility will focus particularly on one of the group’s flagship labels, TrentoDoc Altemasi, located in Ravina di Trento. This significant investment, especially in today’s times, is partially funded by the Ministry of Economic Development through Invitalia. It will involve expanding the existing sparkling wine cellar and constructing a new adjacent facility exclusively dedicated to Altemasi (while the Cesarini Sforza brand, another sparkling wine excellence of the group, will remain in its current “home”, with 75% of its production dedicated to gdo channel, ed).
“We will expand our current sparkling wine cellar and build a new section in place of an old industrial warehouse we purchased and demolished, which will be exclusively dedicated to Altemasi - explains Cavit Ceo Enrico Zanoni to WineNews, and which will be connected underground to the existing structure, bringing several advantages. First, we’ll have two dedicated spaces, one solely for the Charmat Method, mainly for our Müller Thurgau, and one for the Classic Method, which is Altemasi. Additionally, we will improve logistics management and, most importantly, increase storage capacity for Altemasi, both for aging and end products”.
This important investment is especially meaningful during a challenging phase for the wine market, with generally bleak prospects. Cavit is taking a long-term view, aiming to further enhance its sparkling wine production, particularly with Altemasi, a premium line exclusively dedicated to the horeca channel, which also offers the highest added value. With the awareness that, in Italy and globally, there is still room for growth in quality sparkling wines, and that the occasions to toast with a fine bubbly will not miss in the future.
It’s a courageous investment, but “not a leap in the dark - underlines Zanoni - because we have thoroughly assessed the sustainability of the investment, even in a more difficult scenario than in the recent past. We trust in the growth potential of Trentodoc and Altemasi sparkling wines, and we believe that even in times of consumption contraction, companies like ours must continue to think long-term, with balance, without panic. This is an investment which is not a gamble, but a well-reasoned one, we must not stop in the face of current challenges: we’ve been in the market since 1950, and we intend to stay for many, many years to come”.