Monthly Archives: February 2024

George Clooney to produce and sell French wine

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Hollywood actor George Clooney is about to release French wine from the Provence estate he originally acquired in 2021, reports claim. According to local newspaper “Var Matin”, Clooney will release a wine from his Domaine du Canadel estate (set between Marseille and Saint-Tropez) that he acquired with his wife, and which already had a small vineyard of around 4 hectares. The Domaine has vineyards, a lake, olive groves, a swimming pool and tennis courts, making it a golden retreat in South France. The garden is said to be one of the most stunning in Provence.
Before this latest news, it was understood the grapes were sent to the local cooperative, where they were blended with those from nearby properties. Hence, there was no specific wine brand associated to Domaine du Canadel until now.
Wine consultant Laurence Berlemont is reportedly working with Domaine du Canadel. He previously worked at the Pitt-Jolie’s Miraval estate until 2015, and also at George Lucas’ Château Margüi estate. A Hollywood stars’ winemaker!
According to the newspaper, lovers will be able to buy in spring a rosé and a white associated with the appellation Var Coteaux Varois en Provence from the vineyards of the Canadel estate in Brignoles. Such vineyards are planted mostly with Vermentino.
The 2023 cuvée is expected to be the first on sale. The release has been a carefully guarded secret, but buzzes arose as George Clooney and his wife Amal have been spending more time at the estate in recent months. The paper quotes Berlemont, who claimed that Clooney had taken part in blending sessions. She reportedly stated: “He gives us his thoughts, he’s got a good palate, he’s a very humble person.” Moreover, Berlemont claimed the label will be called “La Bastide Saint-Georges”.
A review of American movie stars property in Provence lists alongside Clooney’s: Pitt-Jolie’s Château Miraval, (nearby Domaine du Canadel, between Aix and Cannes), John Malkovich and his wife’s estate in Vaucluse, George Lucas’ neighbouring “Skywalker Vineyards” at Château Marguï.
George Clooney is acquainted with the drinks industry, having sold his super-premium “Casamigos Tequila” brand to Diageo in 2017, for an amazing amount: US$1bn; plenty of cash to fund the purchase of Domaine du Canadel and its wine business.

Update regarding Château Miraval
Clooney’s wine news come as the long running clash over the ownership of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Château Miraval continues. Most recently, Pitt preserved a 60/40 split in his favour, while the final decision on proprietorship is up for negotiation.
Pitt and Jolie bought Miraval together before their marriage, with the former owning 60% and the latter 40%, but when they tied the knot, Pitt gave another 10% to his partner (hence balancing ownership). The paper cited an anonymous source that said: “For now, he retains a 60/40 (split in the estate). He keeps control in this way until probably another year, or more.” The matter has risen after Pitt argued that he should have a controlling share in the vineyard following Jolie’s sale of her shares to Russia vodka magnate Yuri Shefler, owner of Stoli.

Italy suffers export distress in key wine markets

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The head of Italy’s wine trade body has called on the country’s producers to diversify their export marketplaces after total shipments to the five primary markets plunged in 2023: the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Japan and Canada account for about 56% of Italian wine exports combined.

Vinitaly joint promotion throughout 2024

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At the end of 2023, Vinitaly’s call to institutions and wine companies was as follows: develop a shared promotion strategy for international markets and foresee their evolution, streamline resources with a view to positioning and new business opportunities in a geopolitical and economic context with several challenges and uncertainties.

This was a guideline inspired by a unity of purpose emerged during the opening session discussing “Export Maps. Vinitaly’s efforts to promote the internationalization of Italian wine. Focus on USA, Asia and Eastern Europe” based on the sector check-up presented by the head of the UIV-Vinitaly Wine Observatory, Carlo Flamini. The Observatory’s estimated a drop in 2023 turnover compared to 2022 (-2.9%). According to the report, the downturn in operating overheads following the partial reduction in energy and raw material issues was not enough to protect the fundamental aspects of a sector which, like others, is suffering in particular from doubled interest rates as well as an increase in insolvency rates in the Horeca sector and a declining market which is having an impact on stock costs. In this regard, the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory estimated a less drastic than expected end of last year set against the hypothetical scenario of a global recession.

The recipe Veronafiere envisaged in the strategic business plan for 2024-2026 is to strengthen Vinitaly all the more as a business vehicle, not the least in collaboration with ICE Trade (public) Agency, on behalf of a sector where promotional activities are historically fragmented into too many initiatives.

As farv as the next Vinitaly tradeshow (14-17 April 2024) is concerned, the objectives of top management at Veronafiere particularly highlight the increasingly international traction of buyers and the consequent renewal of the percentage of foreign operators attending the event, which was achieved for the last edition (31.8 %), as well as the growing impact of qualified domestic demand. The qualitative-quantitative selection of international demand will also move forwards, even through Show Previews, i.e. “buyer hunter” promotional events for Vinitaly which began in Lugano at the end of October followed by a world tour (until March 2024) taking place in Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and the UK. At the same time, international B2B trade fairs and events are also planned. After the Vinitaly-IWE event in Chicago last October 2023, we had on November 16th Vinitaly Wine Vision by Open Balkan, where the “Italy Area” is being coordinated by the Vinitaly trade fair brand and ICE Trade Agency, and will continue in March with Vinitaly USA Roadshows in Houston and New York (4-7 March) and Vinitaly China in Chengdu (17-19 March).

After Vinitaly itself in Verona (14-17 April), Veronafiere’s 2024 international promotion calendar for Italian wine returns to Shenzen with Wine to Asia (9-11 May), Vinitaly China Roadshow, Wine South America (3-5 September) and Vinitaly Canada Roadshow (Toronto and Montreal), while Vinitaly USA in Chicago is confirmed 12-14 October 2024.