Barolo’s Vietti sold to US investors

ITALY Piedmont’s historic Vietti winery has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Barolo enthusiasts the Krause family, owners of convenience stores in the US.

The 143-year-old estate in Castiglione Falletto, with 34 hectares of vines, is the family’s second winery acquisition in Piedmont in the past year, following the purchase of Enrico Serafino from Gruppo Campari in June 2015.

Both Luca Currado, oenologist and chief executive of Vietti, and sales and marketing director Mario Cordero, will stay in their posts, with Currado saying: ‘Nothing at Vietti will change, if only for the better.’

He added: ‘With this alliance, Vietti will have access to an additional 12ha of cru vineyards in Barolo that were recently purchased by the Krause family. These vineyards will allow us to make our Castiglione and Perbacco bottlings even better. Over time, we will explore the possibility of using one of their many properties to produce a new cru bottling.’

‘Our family has the utmost respect for what they and their families have built over five generations and do not plan to change anything,’ said Kyle Krause, who emphasised his Italian-American roots and his love for Barolo wines.

Krause added that he sees potential for Vietti and Enrico Serafino to work together in the future. Currado and Cordero will both consult for Enrico Serafino, which is based in Canale d’Alba.

Currado added that the Barolo landscape was ‘changing rapidly’ and that he was pleased to have secured the family legacy.