By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino

Fine wines are investment wines, managed like stocks, diamonds, or stamps. They’re wines that aren’t drunk but rather stored in safes to be resold at a higher price. This market is currently experiencing significant difficulties, especially for French wines, which traditionally dominate the market.

THE DRINKS BUSINESS IN SEARCH OF THE DARK EVIL OF FINE WINES

The Drinks Business interviewed some of the leading experts in this sector, first and foremost Liv-ex, a British portal similar to Nasdaq. The latter provides real-time charts, technical analysis, components, and quotes for stocks, while Liv.ex does the same for fine wines. I quote Max Lalondrelle’s exact words: “There’s something fundamentally wrong with the way we sell fine wines right now.”

What is this mistake? Those who buy a wine on reservation and then see it arrive on the market at a lower price get angry and realize that paying in advance isn’t worth it. This is why the speculative system has broken down and investments have fallen.

END OF THE SPECULATIVE BUBBLE, GENERATIONAL CHANGE, AND FEWER RICH WILLING TO SPEND SO MUCH

The point is that many investors have a good number of bottles of fine wines in their cellars—safes while the number of investors willing to buy them has declined.…

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By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino

Today, critics are no longer the only ones who pass judgment on wines; there are sommeliers, wine educators, influencers, retailers, algorithms, and ordinary consumers who post their opinions on portals. Furthermore, many consumers, especially young ones, prioritize values ​​such as sustainability, authenticity, and wine’s ability to narrate a story rather than “quality.” This is an abstract concept that perhaps less closely aligns with their need to represent themselves through what they eat, what they wear, or the style of their place of residence.

For this reason, “the authority once placed in a single score appears increasingly unstable,” writes Konstantin Baum, Germany’s youngest Master of Wine. The notes below are largely taken from his WineSearcher article, which I encourage you to read.

THE BIRTH AND INFLUENCE OF WINE SCORES

In this evolving landscape, the value of wine scores is also changing.

The success of the scores out of one hundred lies in its simplicity. The numbers are quick to understand and reduce the complexity of wine—regions, grape varieties, appellations, vintages—to something simple that needs no explanation and helps consumers avoid making mistakes in their choices. This need has become even more important with the advent of e-commerce.…

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by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda

I’m talking about events that occurred about fifty years ago. Federico Fellini often came to my mother’s winery in Montalcino, thanks to our mutual friendship with Mario Guidotti, a journalist and cultural promoter. After the first, more formal visits, Italy’s greatest director began arriving unannounced, like a member of the family.

The problem was that, often, my parents were away, and I had to welcome Fellini alone. I was very young and lived a very bourgeois and decidedly provincial existence between Montalcino and Siena. I was used to meeting intellectuals and famous people because my family had always had that kind of association, but Federico Fellini was decidedly in another league.

That man was a legend, a world-renowned genius with five Academy Awards. His fame was so immense that it would have intimidated people far more skilled than me. I was incredibly nervous in front of him, my hands were sweating, I couldn’t sit still, and above all, I could only say a few polite words, but I didn’t know how to communicate with him; I felt like I had nothing interesting to say. What a shame!

Federico Fellini and his wife Giulietta Masina would come to Tuscany for the beneficial “waters” in Chianciano.…

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By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winetourism, Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino

The 2025 “Global Wine Tourism Report” has been commissioned by top-level clients, including the UN Tourism Organization, the OIV – International Organization of Vine and Wine, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWC), and WineTourism.com. The scope is also vast, encompassing the entire world, with 1,310 wineries interviewed in 47 countries, but with a particular focus on Europe, which accounts for 70% of the sample, with Italy in a dominant position (17%).

PERHAPS TOO MANY EXPECTATIONS FOR THE WINE TOURISM BUSINESS

Wineries are showing strong interest worldwide: two out of three wineries report that wine tourism is profitable or very profitable. This type of  tourism generates approximately a quarter of their total revenues. This percentage is likely higher in North America and smaller in Europe.

Confirming the expectations of all wine companies regarding wine tourism, it’s worth noting that half of the sample intends to invest, and the majority expects growth in both fluxes and business. Indeed, there’s a widespread belief that this type of  tourism is countercyclical, or at least more resilient, and therefore capable of boosting sales in times of crisis.

Among Europeans, there’s greater reluctance to develop wine tourism. 57% of wineries not open to the public attribute this to a lack of staff, while among non-European wineries, the percentage drops to 30%.…

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