Italian wine is also “contending” the “top of the world” in the America’s Cup by Louis Vuitton

The finest wines have conquered salt water, too. The LVMH Group, in addition to high-level brands in the fashion, jewelry, watchmaking, leather goods, perfumery and many others sectors, brings together a great many excellent fine wine Maisons worldwide, including Moët-Chandon, the official sparkling wine of the the 37th edition of the oldest International sports trophy and the most prestigious sailing race in the world, America’s Cup. The journey of the Louis Vuitton Cup is coming to an end now, in Barcelona, and the winning challenger will have the opportunity to therefore challenge, during the America’s Cup (also under the patronage of the Louis Vuitton brand, ed.), the current title holder (the defender); that is, the Emirates Team New Zealand. It is a long series of boat races, whose excited fans are in great suspense, and that will continue until October 21st.
The challenge encompasses the entire globe, while instead, choosing to toast with Italian wine. The Sicilian team of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and its official partner, Ferrari Trento, icon of Trentodoc and Italian sparkling wines, and the Swiss team, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, whose “Official Wine Supplier” is ColleMassari, a winery in Montecucco (and leader of the Group that also includes Grattamacco, in Bolgheri, and Poggio di Sotto, in Montalcino). They are competing against each other as well as against the NYYC American Magic Teams for the United States, the Orient Express Racing Team for France, and Ineos Britannia for the United Kingdom.
There are actually quite a few rituals that connect the sailing and the wine worlds. For instance, smashing a bottle on the bow of boats when they are launched, for good luck, as Claudio Tipa, head of ColleMassari Wine Estates, explained to WineNews during the announcement of their partnership with the Swiss sailing team. He said, “in sailing, just like in producing wine, you need to be profoundly in touch with the environment that surrounds you. Observing the changing weather conditions, making decisions in adverse situations and following nature are common traits in the work of the winemaker”. The relationship between wine and sports is certainly not new, as we have said many times. In sailing, the partnership between the America's Cup and Moët-Chandon has lasted for more than 30 years (and it is definitely not the only case of commitment of one of the most beloved Champagne Maisons in the world, and in the sporting universe).
The relationship is a true mission for Ferrari Trento, which has always been dedicated to “supporting the great excellence in the sports world”, said Matteo Lunelli, its CEO and President. In addition to its partnership with the Italian sailing team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, it has repeatedly been the star of top-level sporting events, such as the Formula 1 championship, as it is the official sparkling wine, or the long-standing collaboration with the Italian football team, Juventus (thanks to this partnership, in 2023, it created the Ferrari Sparkling Club inside the Allianz Stadium, home of the Turin team, where other products of the Lunelli Group are also served), or with the team holding the title of Champion of the 2023/2024 Serie A1 (among others) of basketball, AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milano, at the top of the Euroleague, and the most successful Italian team ever. In the other lane, ColleMassari is racing with its partner Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and, as mentioned, it is its“ Official Wine Supplier”.
The challenge cannot be summed up as simply a race between 5 contenders for the most important sailing title in the world, against the current defender. It is instead, a sort of challenge within a challenge of two important Italian wine companies competing alongside their respective partner teams for the highest position in the sailing world. The only certainty is that, once again, Italian wine will emerge victorious.