Posted on: 22-03-2021 om 14:55:25
| Karina Imschoot
"The bet of wine is won in distant markets.
The export model in the world is that of Barolo-Barbaresco. The growth of Italy and Piedmont has been exponential in the U.S.
Northwestern wine is primarily Piedmont. The quality of some products from Liguria and Valle d'Aosta is really high, but the numbers that weigh the most are those of Nebbiolo in all its forms. The past twelve months have been for the world, for wine and even more for Piedmont wine, the strangest year ever. A period of identity crisis, even before the economic crisis. Even if the shock of Barolo ending up in the supermarket for 7 euros a bottle will not be easy to overcome.
The Covid moment is well summed up by Matteo Ascheri, president of the Consortium "Piedmont land of perfection" the heart of the Piedmont grape variety. "We are experiencing a contingent and unexpected moment. The world has collapsed on us. The pattern we had invested in for the past 40 years has collapsed." The scheme is called "growth in quality and identity," which translated means conquering the market with very good products that can only be found in Piedmont. Exclusive. The Barolo-Barbaresco scheme successfully applied to an entire region. The scenario in which this scheme came into its own was the "hospitality sector": the bar, hotel and restaurant sector. Thousands of businesses have been closed for almost a year.
Yet consumption has not collapsed as feared. "We have seen - Ascheri further explains - that consumption has changed. Large-scale distribution has grown. The raw numbers are positive". But here the Consortium president puts his finger on the big fear: "We have lost the value that we have been trying to build over all these years. When the storm passes, we have to pick up where we left off. A 40-year journey.
The problem is that certain channels, such as large-scale distribution or online sales, decide based on price, and that's a race to the bottom. Now this market is fortunately there and helps us, but after that we have to resume our journey, otherwise it becomes a problem. A point of view that shows how some companies, even important ones, were not prepared for this crisis because digital offers solutions where price is not the first element but where the strengths are those exclusive features of Piedmont that Ascheri emphasizes: traditions, history, uniqueness and ability to stand out.
The redemption of Piedmont wine began with the methanol scandal and has never stopped. An unstoppable, but perhaps fragile growth, which began with Barolo and Barbaresco, but also managed to bring the small vintages, as Roberto Paris testifies, who sells $18 million worth of wine each year at the "Buco" in New York. "The growth of Italy and Piedmont in New York has been exponential. This is the reference market because more Italian wine is sold in Downtown Manhattan alone than in all of China, and this is the market that determines how successful the path of uniqueness embarked upon by Piemonte has been. Those who are involved in wine in New York today are between 20 and 30 years old and know the rarest grape varieties. They have, for example, Erbaluce by the glass.
It is knowledge and professionalism that are moving the Italian market forward. In the wine store, quality and identity have held up; in the restaurant, it was a different film. For example, we sold as much in 2020 as we did in December 2019, but we can only look to the future and we must be prepared for that." The message is: we will return to the figures of the past, but the market will be different. And Paris strongly emphasizes this: "I tell the people of Piedmont never to give up on quality. Once upon a time people said here that quality didn't count, that Americans didn't understand anything about wine. Today everything has changed, in New York there is money and the ability to distinguish and consume. Here, quality and identity are well paid for. Retail sales have exploded in America and the most attentive producers have managed to maintain and in some cases increase volumes. Promotional investments have been indispensable, but must be directed toward new customers and new sales strategies. Retail transactions take place largely online and the need for new digital tools offered by companies is vital. The elimination of face-to-face interactions has led to the rise of virtual experiences, which must become increasingly emotional and engaging. And it's up to companies to create them."
Lunardi points out the central theme. Structuring oneself and accepting the challenge of new markets. To demonize online sales is a mistake; even worse is to see the world of wine delivery as the only possible solution.
Online tasting can become an experience that reinforces the uniqueness that is so important to companies in the Northwest and can do so abroad in those export markets that account for nearly 70% of Italian wine. "New York and the United States remain the reference market" - said Lunardi - "and the prospect of restaurants reopening with the desire to return to normal lifestyles points to a growth opportunity that is parallel to the growth of retail. However, there is a need for great focus, flexibility, creativity and the ability to provide the necessary resources at different levels in a sector undergoing major changes."
Clear words that mark an inevitable path. Yet there are also positive signs, as Alessandro Locatelli of Rocche Costamagna, one of La Morra's historic wineries, notes, "At the beginning of the pandemic, I thought that quality wine was a voluptuous commodity that we could do without in times of economic crisis. I soon realized that good wine is a comforting commodity, that it unites people around the table at home, and that the choice was not to give it up. From all the countries of the world came the same reaction: wine is part of our lives, it helps us to make this extraordinary moment a little more normal." Through this power, wine, that of the entire Northwest, must learn to look to the future with more ambition. A future that is also digital.