Gelardini & Romani, auctions and wine: the appeal for the top Italian names, and not only, grows

Three magnums of Sassicaia of the legendary year 1985 sold for 13.000 euros, 6 bottles of the iconic Masseto 2004 sold for 4.850 euros, 12 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1961 of the “cradle” of the great red, Biondi Santi, sold for 4.400 euros. These are the three “top lots” of “The Italian Sale”, the auction conducted by Gelardini & Romani Wine Auction, on April 14th, in Hong Kong, where 90% of the lots were sold at an average increase per lot of 40% on the auction basis, and the total reached half a million euros. "This number might seem small, but actually for an auction of only Italian wines, it is a record”, commented the Italian auction house headed by Raimondo Romani and Flaviano Gelardini, where 97% of the wines under the hammer in the catalog were Italian.
“The catalog represented all the Italian wine making companies, not only Tuscany with Bolgheri and Brunello, and Piedmont with Barolo and Barbaresco, but also Chianti, Taurasi and Etna (which in our opinion, is the most promising international denomination in terms of collection and revaluation in the medium-long term), in addition to Lazio, Lombardy, Sardinia and Abruzzi. Obviously, the most successful wines were the ones that won the highest awards. While instead, the less well-known wine names to the general public, as well as the rarer vintages or formats of the big names registered the biggest increases”, pointed out Gelardini & Romani.
The two major increases recorded were the lot of 12 bottles of Taurasi Riserva 1968 of Mastroberardino brand from Campania (+500% over the auction base price) and the lot of three bottles of Argurros 1998 (+218%), the reference winery in Sardinia. These signals, emphasized the Roman auction house, which is now based in Hong Kong, “bode well for the future of our flagship wines that are produced in small quantities”. The feedback from the great tasting was more than positive, including over 50 top Italian wines, and many old vintages (such as, Uccellanda 1986, 1987, and 1989 Bellavista, Barolo 1967 by Pio Cesare 1967, Chianti Riserva 1970 de Il Poggio, Taurasi Reserve 1968, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1961 and 1967 by Biondi Santi and Tignanello 1985 by Antinori), which were tasted before the auction, together with the menu by chef Valentino Ugolini of “Ciak - In The Kitchen", to demonstrate “that great Italian wines can age just as well as the great wines of France, on a market where the aging capacity defines much of the value and collectibility of a wine”.