Fine Wines, Piedmont and Tuscany the fastest-growing regions (after Burgundy) in 10 years

Falling prices, hidden gems, the wines that, in different vintages, have improved the most over time, the labels to invest in, the producers to follow most closely and more. There are many insights that come from the “Wine Leagues” 2023 analysis by “Wine Lister”, the famous English portal dedicated to fine wines (acquired in 2020 by Groupe Figaro, publisher of one of France’s most important newspapers, “Le Figaro”, and one of the most successful French sites dedicated to wine, “Figaro Vin”). Which, to begin with, looked at price trends. From which it emerges that, after six years of consecutive growth, the negative sign has arrived for several territories, with Champagne down -13% in prices, Burgundy at -12% (but after +47% in 2022).
Data that, however, bring the 10-year performance of Burgundy to +371, followed by the two most important Italian regions when it comes to great wines, namely Piedmont (+313%) and Tuscany (+245%). That also defended in 2023, according to Wine Listers, at +2%, with Italy the only country in the positive, on the price front, behind Spain (+5%). Looking at the level of “popularity”, based on online searches for 20 top wines from the different regions over the past 2 years, shows that Burgundy and California are at the top, Champagne has grown +11%, Tuscany has grown +2%, while Piedmont’s popularity continues to decline, among the big boys, despite positive reviews about the 2019 vintage, Wine Listers continues.
That also analyzed the labels that grew the most, in quantity, according to the “Quality Score” based on reviews and scores by such signatures as Jancis Robinson, Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin of Vinous, Bettane+Desseauve, Jeannie Cho Lee. Well, the one to have grown the most, percentage-wise, overall, is Cupano’s Brunello di Montalcino (with a rating increase approaching +15%), on the podium along with Giacomo Borgogno e Figli’s Barolo, and Luigi Oddero’s Vigna Rionda, and then with rating increases between +5% and +10%, in order, Domenico Clerico’s Langhe Arte, Tenuta Sette Ponti’s Oreno, Lisini’s Brunello di Montalcino, Cordero di Montezemolo’s Barolo Vigna Enrico VI and Giacomo Fenocchio’s Barolo Villero.
Another interesting aspect, emerging from the interviews with more than 50 managers and heads of fine wine companies around the world, that of “memorable wines” and labels that cannot be missed in a “dream cellar”. In the first case, concerning the wines to remember tasted in the year, alongside several vintages of the greats of France such as La Tâche, Haut-Brion, Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Figeac, Mouton Rothschild and so on, there are also two of the most famous names of Brunello di Montalcino, namely Biondi Santi, with the 1999 and 2008 Riserva, and Soldera Case Basse, with the 1993 and the 2019 vintage. Soldera, which, among other things, is also among the Italian brands that have grown the most in the number of searches, and therefore in popularity, along with Petrolo, Bruno Giacosa and Quintarelli. While among the wines that should be part of a dream cellar, experts, looking at Italy, point out only one big name, which is now the absolute reference of Italian investment wine, namely Barolo Monfortino Riserva by Giacomo Conterno, particularly with the 2002 vintage.
And if, according to Wine Lister, among the best “value picks”, or the wines with the best value for money, there are, for Italy, Pelissero’s Barbaresco, Azelia’s Barolo Bricco Fiasco and Renato Corino’s Barolo Arborina, among the “buzz brands”, or the ones that are talked about the most, for wine Italy there are great classics such as Masseto, Sassicaia and again Soldera, from Tuscany, and G. B. Burlotto, from Piedmont. Among the Italian wineries selected among the 20 “Hidden Gems” of 2023, on the other hand, Piedmont dominates, with Fenocchio, and classics that are resurfacing such as Elio Grasso and Produttori del Barbaresco, while Pieropan, a reference griffe of Soave, also stands out.
So many Italian brands, then, on Wine Lister’s radar, of which we have also selected the “Must Buy” wines, i.e., those in which to invest, according to the “Wine Lister Score”, formed by an algorithm that takes into account several parameters, including quality, vintage evaluation, price trends and so on. And so, for Italy, at the top with 100 points out of 100 is Castello dei Rampolla’s Alceo 2013, ahead, with 99 points, of Fontodi’s Flaccianello della Pieve 2015, and many other wines with 98 points, such as Masseto 2010 and 2007, Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Cascina Francia 2006, Antinori’s Tignanello 2016, Castello dei Rampolla’s Sammarco 2006 again, San Giusto a Rentennano’s Percarlo 2013 and 2015, Isole and Olena’s Collezione Privata Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (which, like Biondi Santi, is owned by the Descours family’s Epi group), Castello di Ama’s Apparita 2013, and Vietti’s Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2014.