PIERO ANTINORI, PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF “MAJOR BRANDS” QUALITY ITALIAN WINE: “CRISIS? MAJOR BRANDS HOLD THEIR OWN”

"Crisis in consumption? Not for the major brands wines. Excellent productions continue and the year 2009 will close with the same values as the previous year”, commented the president of the Institute of “Major Brands” quality Italian wine on the economic situation of the Italian enological market. The negative trend does not have a decisive influence on the 17 icons of Italian name brands. All together they are worth a turnover of over 500 million euros, with an export share of 60% of sales.

“The demand on high-end wines - said Antinori – is resistant to the changing winds of crisis by virtue of a solid image built over the past 30 years and absolute leadership positions in many major markets. It is true that orders have declined, but for the last quarter of the year there are positive signs of recovery. In the U.S. - continued Antinori - where stocks are kept to a minimum, orders are in fact starting up again. Shipments have resumed to Russia and also to Canada, two other key target markets.”

The comments of the President of the Major Brands Institute are in contrast with the recent alarmist tendency.
According to Antinori, there is a basic fact so far rarely observed: “Consumption of wine on world wide levels continues to have a positive trend and this is fundamental to understanding how the crisis is cyclical. There is a greater focus on value for money, but the consumer has remained loyal to the product wine. Moreover, compared to other areas more heavily affected by the crisis, quality wine has the advantage that it can be stored in the basement, perhaps to be sold even after a couple of years, when it will have increased in quality and value. For this reason - Antinori concluded - it is not true that nothing will be as before” like we hear continually. It will instead serve to clean up a hobbyist market and force the companies to be more efficient in order to strengthen their competitiveness.

The Major Brands Quality Italian Wine Institute counts the highest quality Italian wines: 17 top companies from around the country (Franco Biondi Santi, Michele Chiarlo, Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, Pio Cesare, Tenuta San Guido Ca’ del Bosco, Umani Ronchi, Carpenè Malvolti, Lungarotti, Masi, Mastroberardino, Alois Lageder, Rivera, Jermann, Donnafugata, Marchesi Antinori, Tasca d’Almeria).