WINE COMMENTARY
A BRIEF RECENT HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN WINE INDUSTRY - March 04, 2007
A Brief Recent History of the Italian Wine Industry For those just beginning to discover the world of Italian wines I want to provide a brief look at what has transpired on a macro basis in the Italian wine industry. Although Italy has for decades enjoyed the position and distinction as the biggest wine producing country in the world, it is only in the last two decades that Italy has emerged as a leading wine producing country speaking both quantitatively and qualitatively. The 80s and 90s were pivotal decades in Italy’s wine industry that began the transformation from Italy as a respected high-volume wine producer to Italy as a quality driven wine producing country. The 80s: Italy’s Wine Revolution Begins The 80s was a pivotal decade for the Italian wine industry. It showed the global wine community what the “cognoscenti” already knew; that Italy could produce wines capable of standing toe to toe with any of the best wines from France and California. Wines such as Conterno’s Monfortino barolo, Gaja’s Sori Tilden barbaresco, and Fontodi’s Flaccianella were making global strides in bringing Italy to the forefront of the world stage. These wines made it clear to wine drinkers that Italy could grow grapes native to its soil that merited the attention of the international wine scene. Many shrugged off these limited “success stories” by saying that any great vintage could produce these wines with a bit of luck. However, it did not take a genius to realize that these classics showed a depth of character, a level of class, and a sense of place that had the potential to grow into international wine icons. These wines were no fluke or freak of nature. The producers of these wines and many others traveled to Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and Champagne to observe what other leading producers were doing in the vineyards to grow healthier grapes. They invested in the best new equipment that would produce the wines they desired. They studied winemaking techniques in foreign cellars that they could apply back home. They studied their own winery notes, however limited, that their parents had scripted to see what they could improve upon and what techniques should not be touched. These producers did their homework and made sacrifices early on because they had a vision. They believed their hard work and rigorous study would pay off in the bottle and it did, even in poorer vintages that would have previously yielded undrinkable wines. By the late 80s, the top growers in their respective zones were not afraid to give “the eye” to their neighbors that continued to pride themselves on making mediocre wine. While the beginning of this revolution was moving forward, the Italian government’s wine laws that were supposed to guarantee wine quality were being called into question by the growers themselves. The laws were established to set guidelines for production yields, mandate grape and aging requirements, and define geographic growing limits for certain areas. However, these “quality” laws soon became just another reason for many producers to charge more money for the same old stuff. Let’s take a look at chianti classico, one of the more well known DOCG appellations, and one that is subject to fairly stringent laws. When the laws for chianti classico proved too confining for the more creative growers in the historic zone, producers started making wines called SuperTuscans, which allowed the producers to work around the chianti classico laws and make wines they deemed more interesting. Most of these new creations were wines that were based on or contained a large percentage of grapes other than sangiovese (usually cabernet sauvignon or merlot) and used smaller aging vessels such as “barrique” imported from France and Slavonia. As long as the wineries did not label these new, cutting-edge wines chianti classico, there was no violation of the law. Many SuperTuscans received grand praise from the international press and foreign wine community. Seeing big dollar signs (or Lira signs as it were), droves of producers were quickly inspired to craft their own SuperTuscans. Regrettably, however, many chianti classico producers started taking their best grapes and using them as the base for their SuperTuscans. This shift of attention dropped the overall quality of many chianti classicos thus effecting the overall image of the chianti classico name. However, producers such as Fontodi and Isole e Olena did not miss a beat and continued to show the world that they could not only make chianti classico by the book that merited serious attention but also SuperTuscans that could be just as impressive when made with 100% sangiovese. By the end of the 80s, chianti classico began to fall out of favor and consumers, with a lot of help from the international press, starting paying more attention to the more internationally accepted SuperTuscans instead. Consumers paid through the nose for wines that, with some acceptance and understanding by the local Italian government, could have been chianti classicos all along! By the end of the 80s, the world press had recognized a handful of Italian producers from Tuscany and Piedmont for making distinctive and noteworthy wines; wines that also fetched a lot of money. This was motivation enough for many more producers to want to share in the spotlight. The 90s: Growing For Greatness Or Grappa? Many growers “started to believe” in the 90s which became a pivotal decade in the period of the Italian wine revolution. Growers were forced to make critical decisions, sometimes very financially tough ones that affected their family’s future. Should they mortgage their house to invest in a winery and vineyards that would grow for greatness or would they contribute to the Italian “lago di vino” and over-crop grapes, making thin bulk wine for distillation but guaranteeing income? Families were literally torn apart over which path to choose as a growing number of producers quickly realized that the future would demand more quality than quantity from their products. Even the Italian government knew that bigger was not always better when it came to wine production. It began to offer incentives to land owners to pull grape vines from their land and replant them with other crops to help decrease the amount of cheap wine that was produced in gargantuan proportions in the mid 80s through early 90s. Many of those that decided to pull up grapes got out of the wine business all together, while others decided to replant with better clones and with different, more cutting-edge techniques to inspire quality. But what else happened to get the fire started? The rest of the world began to take note that countries like Australia and Chile were making very drinkable wines for very reasonable prices, the foundation on which Italy had previously built its reputation. These countries from below the equator began to pump very drinkable wines into the world market via what seemed to be an endless pipeline straight through the ocean. Chilean merlot retailing for US$3.99 was on par with more expensive basic chianti and chardonnay made with the consumer in mind was finding much more favor than Galestro. As U.S. Italian wine importers had to constantly defend Italian wines’ place to U.S. retailers and restaurateurs, the discussion turned back to the producers. “Get it in gear or forever grow for grappa!”, chanted the importers and distributors. Italian wine importers demanded more from their producers and let them know that Chilean merlot and Australian chardonnay were fast becoming popular with consumers, which, in turn, meant important cash flow for their business. The message in Italy was heard loud and clear. In the early 90s, consulting enologists such as Riccardo Cottarella and Franco Bernabei were called upon primarily in Tuscany to help style wines that would be more appealing to foreign markets. New-world wine drinkers now demanded cleaner, more modern wines and more up to date winemaking would need to be employed to meet those demands. A young upstart wine broker based in Florence named Marc De Grazia prodded, poked, and convinced his producers to truly believe in their vineyards and began shipping thousands of cases of stunning nebbiolo and sangiovese all over the world that made consumers’ jaws drop. Increased interest in Italian cuisine around the world also helped expose millions of people to wines that previously almost never left Italy. The best Italian restaurants in major cities began exposing previously unheard of Italian wines to their guests. By the end of the 90s exotic white wines that once never left Friuli began to show up on the tables of the best Italian restaurants in New York. Shelves at the best retailers in Tokyo had 30 chianti classicos that would make anyone’s list of wine all-stars. By the end of the 90s many Italian winemakers had achieved rock-star status in wine circles and the international press finally realized that Italy was more than a two-trick pony. Not only did the growers believe; they started to act on their beliefs. 2000 & Beyond: The Rest of Italy Takes Notice By the beginning of the new millenium the message had clearly been disseminated to growers from Friuli to Sicily. Growers from all regions began to make more approachable and marketable wines by green harvesting, experimenting with new varietals, and investing further in their wineries by hiring consulting enologists, buying the most modern winemaking equipment, and replanting their vineyards with better clones. Key wine producing regions were enjoying an unparalleled string of outstanding vintages, providing the market with ample quantities of outstanding wine to build and grow new markets. As important, is the fact that wines from all corners of Italy began to show the world that Italy’s greatest wines did not just come from two regions but from all 21 in Italy. Leonardo LoCascio and a host of other quality driven importers continued to bring in mouthfilling wines at reasonable pricing from Puglia, Sicily, Umbria, and the Marche. This has proven to be critical timing given the influx of inexpensive, consumer friendly wines being produced in and imported from Australia. The Veneto, Alto-Adige, and Campagna also made giant qualitative leaps in their winemaking capabilities, which started to show up in the bottle and on the best wine lists around the world. Now in the 21st century, there are droves of chianti classicos, brunello di montalcinos, vino nobiles, barolo, barbaresco, primitivo, nero d’avola, and so on that consumers can easily reach for. As we move deeper into the 1st decade of the new millennium, the quality of winemaking in Italy continues to improve. While most of Italy has enjoyed a string of amazing vintages from 1996 to 2001, growers are also learning that sometimes it does not pay to produce wine in a vintage where there is not sufficient raw material from which to work. In addition, better wineries are learning to carefully select grapes in poor vintages to make very solid wines. Producers are cooperating with one another unlike never before to craft better wines for the good of the entire zone not just their own wallets. The future is oh so bright for Italian wine growers and enthusiasts.
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