I'm not sure that giving away wine such as Antinori, Biondi Santi, Donnafugata and Pio Cesare is necessarily the right move for the Italian government with Prime Minister Berlusconi under siege in the international press; it might come off as an underhanded attempt to gain favour.
As part of its "Made in Italy" brand, celebrating the best in Italian brands, manufacturing and products, the Italian government will give visiting dignitaries a case of Italy's best wine. What wine will be included in the cherry wood case is anyone's guess, but it is said to be "among the most prestigious labels of the country" and presided over by no-one less than Piero Antinori.
The initiative comes from the Minster of Foreign Affairs with a statement saying that wine is one of the best representatives of Italy and the opportunity to promote the Italian culture and language has not been fully explored. The project is in collaboration with the 'Istituto del vino italiano di qualità Grandi Marchi' (the Institute of Fine Italian Wine: Premium Brands, site in English), which manages 17 of Italy's best wine brands.
According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, it is to Berlusconi we "owe the new direction of Italian diplomacy at the service of the development of the country". I fail to see the link between making prestigious wine a gift to travelling diplomats and the overall promotion of Italian language and culture.
While I've got no problem with the Institute of Premium Brands, I have some concern about it lending its services to the current Italian government, under the circumstances. The Insitute's mission statement (below) would suggest they could re-think the strategy of giving their wine, not as a contribution to Italian culture, but to a government initiative, lest it be seen as an endorsement of the government or worse, an attempt to buy the favour of international visitors.
The Institute of Fine Italian Wines - Premium Brands is the result of the determination and enthusiasm of some of the most important Italian wineries to promote the culture and commercialisation of Italian high quality wine on world markets.
It unites families and brands which characterise the Italian wine-making tradition - each one extremely innovative yet highly representative of the production of their region.
Each winery is defined by the high standards of its products and brand image at national and international levels.
They are families and brands which encapsulate the identity of Italian wine which is synonymous with quality and style throughout the world.
The member wineries strongly adhere to tradition whilst constantly updating their style and production methods to meet the needs of evolving markets. Both of these aspects are important characteristics of Italian winemaking and are the key to the success of Italian wine on International markets.
The Institute aims to:
* give direction and incisiveness to the development of quality Italian wine and to the brands which express this on world markets
* organise and develop training and educational activities contributing to the promotion of Italian wine culture in the world
* be an authority and reference point for high quality Italian wine
Source | Sommelier.it
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