Close Menu
News

Sicilian wine to sell through La Place de Bordeaux for first time

A wine from the slopes of Etna in Sicily will become the first wine from the island to sell via Bordeaux’s network of distributors.

Giovanni Rossi’s enologist Andrea Delpiano in the Montedolce Contrada vineyard on Mt Etna

The wine comes from Giovanni Rosso, a Piedmontese producer with vineyards in Sicily, and it is the 2018 Etna Rosso, made primarily from Nerello Mascalese, that will sell through Bordeaux’s historic distribution system – known as La Place.

According to information sent to db this morning, Giovanni Rosso’s Etna Rosso will be available through five of Bordeaux’s négociants, with Joanne, DIVA, Barriere Freres, Louis Vialard and LD Vins being responsible for this exclusive release.

This handful of distributors will have access to approximately 18,500 bottles of the Sicilian red wine at a retail price of €35.00 each.

Davide Rosso, who is the owner and winemaker at Giovanni Rosso stated, “We are extremely proud to be represented in this historic moment by some of the worlds most renowned négociants. We take such pride in the wines that we produce, and we know that this care and attention to detail is shared by our négociant partners. We are very excited for this next step on the global stage.”

The wine itself, 2018 Etna Rosso, is made from Nerello Mascalese and small amounts of local native grape varieties from the same DOC.

The Giovanni Rosso property was acquired in May 2016 and resides within Castiglione di Sicilia, which is just a few kilometres from the revered Passopisciaro, at the foot of Montedolce, an extinct crater at 850 meters above sea level, bordering the Etna volcano.

As previously reported by db, a growing area of business for Bordeaux’s négociants is the distribution of wine from outside the famous fine wine region where they are based.

However, such wines are sold as bottled products during a short period in early September.

This is in contrast to Bordeaux, which is primarily sold in the spring after the harvest, or ‘en primeur’, when the wine is still in barrel.

Read more

New World wine icons bolster La Place de Bordeaux

Giovanni Rossi’s vineyard in the extinct crater of Montedolce, which is now covered in vegetation

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No