PROSECCO THE BUBBLY DARLING OF GLOBAL SPARKLING WINE SALES
The Vancouver International Wine Festival is in the rear-view mirror, but not before the Italians left their mark on the city.
The week opened with a gala dinner and auction that raised $165,000 for Bard on the Beach. Interestingly, the choice of a Prosecco dinner reception featuring Tommasi Filodora Prosecco and Vini Tonon Camúl Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore celebrated one of only two wine categories that showed any strength globally in 2023.
According to Sipsource, which tracks wholesaler depletions in the U.S., Prosecco was up 5.3 per cent yearly in volume and was the only sparkling wine to show a sales increase.
On-premise general wine sales began the year down 10 per cent from the same time in 2022 and never recovered, with December sales down 3.5 per cent compared with December 2022.
I wonder who will step up and support the arts while the wine community — the perennial giver — is licking its wounds for the next few years.
Urs Vetter, commercial director of Vietti, acclaimed Piedmont producer, enthralled the crowd at Il Giardino with a rich selection of wines seamlessly matched to Umberto Menghi’s menu.
If you want to know why Il Giardino has aged gracefully and is still packed every night, book a table and watch the hospitality and artistry unfold around you. The Vietti selection, all from Piedmont, was stellar. The surprise was an outstanding white wine, Vietti 2021 Timorasso Derthona Colli Tortonesi, that opens with exotic floral and citrus notes that play throughout a savoury, mineral, high acid finish; some consider Timorasso the white Barolo.
The Gull Liquor Store and Marquis Wine Cellars have a few bottles in the $70 to $85 range. There are some less expensive bottles in B.C.
Inside the tasting room, there was plenty of vintage talk in the Italian section among Brunello di Montalcino and Barolo producers. Both have enjoyed some magical years in the last decade.
There is some consensus for buyers looking for the best — in Barolo, 2016 and 2019 are tops, with 2017 and 2018 not far behind. As for Brunello, 2015, 2016 and 2019 topped the best years. Despite climbing prices, you will find a much-improved selection of Barolo and Brunello in monopoly and private stores.
A large contingent of local winemakers attended the festival, taking advantage of 100 foreign wineries to recalibrate their palates, which can get tired of tasting the same wines every day for long periods of time. Many take inspiration from other wines, and after speaking with several of them about the current challenges in the Okanagan, I know they will need a lot of inspiration to make it through the next three years.
What is clear is that 2024 will be a completely normal year for most wineries in the Okanagan in terms of the front of the house. What happens in the vineyards while foreboding is yet to play out. More on that in the coming weeks.
Visits and tastings are highly encouraged, and unless you are in a wine club or two or three, plenty of wine will be available on-site to buy or order online, mainly from the plentiful 2022 and lesser amounts from the winter-damaged 2023 crop. As they regroup and prepare for next year, you can expect to see some older releases available for sale from the cellar. From all accounts, it should be a normal year for tourists.
As for the 45-year-old festival, it looks tired and could use a refresh. The wines and the principals in the room are still the main draw for enthusiasts, but with the World Cup on its way to Vancouver next year, production values need attention.
The room and view are not enough to carry the show — it needs an injection of pizzazz, a new wardrobe, more pop-up food stands, maybe a cocktail bar featuring drinks made from wine, more than one central theme, the ability to order or buy wine on your phone at the booth, and so much more. It’s been a great show, but it’s time for a new look, more tech and some new ideas.