The future of Signorvino is ... in wine. After Lazio, two new projects in Sardinia and Trentodoc

Looking at the progress of the last interview Luca Pizzighella gave to WineNews a few weeks ago, it was already clear that Signorvino, the chain of wine shops he directs alongside general manager Federico Veronesi, after ten years of existence, 27 points of sale throughout Italy and the target, at the end of 2022, of 1.5 million bottles sold for 45-50 million euros in sales, has important plans for the future. Which start from expansion in Italy (with 20 more stores in the next three years) and abroad, primarily from Paris, and arrive directly in the vineyard. The adventure, supported by 20 million euros of total investment, as Federico Veronesi himself told “Il Sole 24 Ore” today, will obviously start from Lazio.

Near Velletri, in the Castelli Romani, there is in fact Tenimenti del Leone, the estate purchased by the Veronesi family in 2021: 30 hectares planted with vines, in Cesanese, Malvasia Puntinata, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah, and 20 of olive groves, all organically managed. The first vintage was 2017, and the ambition is to revive the image of an appellation, that of the Castelli Romani, which, in recent times, has given more than a few signs of vitality.

The real news is that there are two other projects on track signed by the Veronesi Group, which, with brands such as Calzedonia, Intimissimi, Falconeri, Tezenis and Atelier Eme, invoices a total of 2.5 billion euros a year. The first in Sardinia, in Alghero, a stone’s throw from the Guardia Grande Natural Park: 16 hectares recently bought, in a single body, and others just planted, focusing only on native varieties: Vermentino, Cannonau, Bovale and Cagnulari. 2022 will be the first harvest, affecting only 6-7 hectares, while the winery will have to wait until at least the end of 2023. The second, however, concerns the bubbles, which are a must. They will be those of Trentodoc, where as of today there are 6 hectares planted, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but soon they will become 12, divided into two lots, one at 600 meters and the other at 1,000 meters above sea level, also to meet the challenges of climate change.