Wine buyers from all over the world descended upon Verona recently for the renowned Vinitaly show. It was like opening a honey jar for a swarm of bees but the nectar to sample was of the wine variety. And what a show it was, with 12 halls bursting at the seams.
There is great price sensitivity in these hard times- Caroline Crutchley
This is a showcase to the world of the very best that Italy has to offer and seeing that they dominate the world of wines, this was the place to be: there were no fewer than 4,164 exhibitors and 156,000 visitors (50,000 of them from overseas) came to taste and buy. There were over 2,600 journalists too to get an insight, taste and find a story to tell back home.
What happened during those four days will influence the trends, the selection of wines on your table and the livelihood of the wine producers.
With the prospect of a great 2011 vintage, it was an opportunity for me and everyone else to be the first to sample the newly bottled wine before it fully blossoms in the bottle.
In Hall 6, stand C4 of Casa Vinicola Serena, I had the chance to catch my breath and interview a very busy Stephan Cassar, the wine manager of the Farsons Group.
We shared champagne, no better way to conduct an interview except the lack of a view that the winery has in the hillsides near Conegliano, Veneto.
Cassar has held this position for one and a half years. He was previously restaurant manager at the Golden Sands Radisson Blu. He has a level 4 WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) diploma, obtained in the UK from the International Wine Centre. His wish is to further this to degree level.
Cassar knows that his choices will influence what you will find on the shelves of the shops and on the wine menu at restaurants in Malta and Gozo.
He told me that about 60 per cent of Farsons’ sales are Italian wines; this is to be expected as the Maltese especially appreciate Italian wines and share a Mediterranean diet with Italians. The most popular type of wine in Malta is Gavi, which, Cassar says, “is not always the best wine to choose. I just wish Maltese wine drinkers would be more adventurous and try something completely new.”
However, Sicilian wines, such as Nero D’Avola, are popular too.
Last year, European wineries experienced a great growing year, and Cassar agrees that the new 2011 vintage available now is of a quality not seen for many years.
Since it is a growing market, Farsons are importing and supporting small-scale wineries, new wineries and new grape varieties. “Value cannot be judged on price alone,” he said.
One thing he would like to change is the taste of the Maltese drinker, which he judges as “conservative he explains that people should be given the chance to be adventurous.
Wines, however, have become fashionable in Malta, especially with the younger generations. While rosé was the summer drink last year, Cassar thinks the drink for 2012 is “Prosecco, Prosecco and more Prosecco” – anything from €5 upwards. “There is great price sensitivity in these hard times – we are all feeling it,” he said.
I asked Cassar what he thought of Maltese restaurants’ mark-up on wines.
“In the rest of Europe, they have learnt to have a good wine at a fair price so that more wines are purchased,” he replied. “Diners look at the total cost of an evening out: food with wine and water.”
I agree with that whole-heartedly. More people are eating at home and enjoying top quality wines to complement them. The only loser is the restaurant.
Cassar describes the task of managing a wine portfolio as “a balancing act of profit against satisfying the clients who have to keep the end user (that is you and me) happy.”
With a chink of glasses, it was time for us to move on to the next stand. Prosecco is the one to look for on a shelf near you – it will be clear, cool and a great drink for this summer.
With top quality bubbly Prosecco hitting the shelves it should go a long way in cheering us all up in this time of doom and gloom.