ITALY’S ANTI-CRISIS TRENDS: THE RETURN TO CLASSIC GOODS IN FASHION, DESIGN, FOOD AND WINE. CHIANTI CLASSICO AT THE TOP OF THE HIT LIST FOR TIMELESS WINES- SOCIOLOGIST COLUSSI: “CONSUMERS? LESS GLAMOUR AND MORE VALUE”

The timeless charm of a dress that never goes out of style, or an Italian wine produced by a company with centuries of experience: in these times of economic hardship, Italians are rediscovering the excellent and timeless products of their country, and have confirmed that at the top of this list is Chianti Classico wine. This trend has been confirmed by sociologist Marilena Colussi, head of the Food and Retail Area of the GPF Research Institute founded by Giampaolo Fabris.
Colussi explained: “the difficult economic downturn has brought back a critical behavior toward acquisitions: consumers look less for glamour and more for value, a new synthesis between image, authenticity, and quality. Our society, though it remains profoundly linked to image and representation, is evolving towards sustainability and, today, when a product is bought, the value and significance are weighed with greater attention. The authenticity, security, and guarantee are the most reassuring assets”. Banned, therefore, are acquisitions that may be too original and destined to go out of fashion by the next season. Today, it is cool to buy less, a trend that is dictated by the economic situation but also by an ever growing desire to rediscover forgotten values that call for good taste, the search for harmony, and respect for the time and quality of life. Chianti Classico, which will be offering a premiere of its latest harvest on February 17 and 18 in Florence at the “Chianti Classico Collection” (info: www.chianticlassico.com), ascribes itself perfectly to the rediscovery of these values: its name is synonymous worldwide with an unmistakeable lifestyle, and incomparable mix of excellent wines, top level olive oils, centuries-old castles and landscapes that have remained the same since the Middle Ages.
The wineries of the Chianti region have among their strongest points a tradition rich with quality that has been passed down through the generations, a contrast to the many wineries that have been created out of nothing in recent years and which have bloated prices to a stratospheric level but who are now feeling the weight of the economic situation. “If there is a good side to the crisis” – stated Marco Pallanti, president of the Chianti Classico Consortium – “we can see it in the end of compulsive acquisitions and shopping that privileges quantity: Italians are once again buying prudently, evaluating attentively the quality, whether it is clothing, planning a trip, or choosing a bottle of wine. It is not by chance that the data for Chianti Classico sales in Italy speak of a substantially positive trend for our 2008 labels: today, the national market absorbs 27% of production”.
In the Chianti Classico area there are 597 producers, of which 345 are also bottlers, who work a total 7,200 hectares of vineyards under the DOCG denomination to produce a total of 37 million bottles of wine each year. The main importing country is the U.S. with 29%, followed by Germany (10%), Great Britain (9%), Switzerland (7%), Canada (6%), Japan (6%), Russia, Austria, and Holland. Annual earnings for Chianti Classico are, on average, around 270 million euros.
Eleonora Ciolfi