-
Italian police smash wine-trafficking ring
Italian police in Puglia last week broke up an illegal wine trafficking ring in the province of Lecce.
-
Thieves steal award-winning Amarone
Technically advanced thieves struck top Amarone producer Masi last weekend, stealing 12,000 bottles of the cult classic Vaio Amaron 1999.
-
‘Pioneer’ Veronelli dies
Italy’s most celebrated wine and food critic Luigi Veronelli died at his home in Bergamo yesterday after a long illness. He was 78.
-
California cooper to close
A leading California coopers has just announced it is closing in March next year – because of the increasing popularity of oak staves.
-
Constellation buys 40% of Ruffino
A month after its purchase of the Robert Mondavi Corporation, drinks giant Constellation Brands has just bought 40% of Tuscan Chianti icon Ruffino for approximately US$80m.
-
Italian wine culture in danger of outsiders and ‘vultures’: Tachis
Giacomo Tachis, the most celebrated Italian winemaker, has outlined a bleak future for corporate-owned Italian wines – and says those who inflate the price of the top wines are ‘vultures.’
-
Bollinger buys Ayala
Champagne Bollinger announced yesterday that it has just purchased smaller Champagne house Ayala.
-
Mondavi brothers unite
Robert Mondavi, 92, and his brother Peter, 90, have surprised wine lovers by announcing their first collaboration in 40 years.
-
Michael Mondavi creates new luxury wine company
Former Mondavi CEO and chairman Michael Mondavi has just launched his own luxury wine business, with the aim of eventually setting up a new winery.
-
Italian and other producers turn back to large casks
Orders for traditional large wooden barrels are sharply increasing in Italy and abroad, as barrique imports fall dramatically, according major cooperage Garbellotto.
-
Frescobaldi now in full control of Ornellaia
Tuscan producer Frescobaldi has bought the remaining 50% shares of Ornellaia from Constellation and now owns the elite Bolgheri estate outright.
-
Frescobaldi investigated for fraud
Half a million litres of red wine from two Frescobaldi properties have been confiscated and 12 members of the company are under investigation for alleged fraud.
-
Tuscan producers outraged by wind turbine development
The building of ten giant wind turbines in one of Italy’s most fashionable wine regions has just been approved – to the outrage of local wine producers.
-
Sassicaia launches Mini version
Top Italian wine producer Sassicaia has resprayed the Mini Cooper S sportscar to produce 12 limited-edition ‘Mini Sassicaias’.
-
Mondavi brothers plan ‘other joint ventures’
Peter and Robert Mondavi are planning more joint ventures after the success of their recent collaboration which ended a 40-year estrangement.
-
Union calls for Gallo boycott
The United Farm Workers union is appealing to the public to stop buying Gallo wine.
-
Talking wine label to be released this autumn
Italian label manufacturer Modulgraf has just announced its latest venture – the talking wine label.
-
Antinori hires top architect for new cellar
Lodovico Antinori has just announced that his projected avant-garde wine cellar at the Campo di Sasso estate near Bogheri will be designed by Milanese architect Gae Aulenti.
-
Castello di Ama rejoins Consorzio
Premier Chianti Classico estate Castello di Ama will rejoin the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico – and will have the right to put the Black Rooster symbol on its bottles.
-
Vino Nobile confiscated in fraud probe
Italian officials have confiscated 12,000 litres of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
-
Italian wine fraud ‘witch hunt’ spreads to San Gimignano
The blitz on Tuscany’s top appellations has spread to San Gimignano as producers accuse the Italian press of mounting a witch hunt.
-
Avignonesi sold to Belgian businesswoman
Top Vino Nobile di Montepulciano estate Avignonesi has been sold to a Belgian shipping director for an undisclosed sum.
-
Drastic EU reforms will eliminate Italy’s DOC and IGT denominations
New EU wine reforms will destroy centuries of winemaking tradition and cause market chaos, say industry professionals in Italy.
-
Fake Amarone confiscated
Italian police at the Port of Livorno have confiscated 30,000 bottles of red wine labelled as Amarone.
