Grandi Crus d'Italia formed

Published: 23 July, 2008

It's called Grandi Crus d'Italia, its president is Piero Antinori and it represents those Italians who have for at least 20 years been producing wines of excellence, recognised as such by the market and by critics.

The model is that of the French Conseils des Grands Crus Classs du Mdoc. The Committee will boast some 300 members, but is the brainchild of 12 of them: Antinori, Biondi Santi, Ca' del Bosco, Castellare, Ceretto, Marco Felluga (the only Friulian represented), Ambrogio Folonari, Frescobaldi, Rivella, Tasca d'Almerita, Castello di Volpaia, Zonin.

The membership will be representative of all the principal Italian wine-producing regions. The committee will take in hand the promotion of the image of Italian wine, and among its activities will be an annual conference in the course of which will be awarded a special prize for wine journalism.

About time, it might be said, that someone is doing something to promote the image of Italian wine. The only worry might be that the Comitato will gear its efforts too much in the direction of the establishment, which it represents, whereas some of the most interesting wines out of Italy today are coming from rebels and iconoclasts.

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