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Interview with Roberta Deflorian, Director

of Bacio della Luna Spumanti s.r.l.

Putting the fizz in ProseccoBright, bubbly and easy to drink, Prosecco is the fun, Italian sparkling wine that is perfect for any occasion. In the battle of the fizzes, it has emerged from the shadow of Champagne, its main commercial competitor, with a reputation for both drink-ability and quality. With a lower alcohol by volume than other wines, it also meets the trend for lighter drinks. Bacio della Luna Spumanti s.r.l. produces sparkling wines in the heart of the re-nowned area of Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, a region of protected origin.

Long looked down on as cham-

pagne’s downmarket cousin,

Prosecco has, in recent years,

successfully challenged for the

French bubbly’s crown with a

growing emphasis on quality and

increasing popularity amongst

cost-conscious millennials. After

a disappointing harvest in 2017

and a corresponding dip in pro-

duction, 2018 is shaping up to

be a bumper year with almost

600 million bottles of Prosecco

projected to be produced from

this year’s grapes. This makes the

region nearly twice the scale of

Champagne.

Protected origin Prosecco DOC

is produced in nine provinces

spanning the Veneto and Friuli

Venezia Giulia regions of north-

eastern Italy. This is where Bacio

della Luna produces its sparkling

Prosecco wines in some of the

best domains in the DOC and

DOCG area. “Prosecco is the

most famous sparkling wine in the

world,” says Director Roberta De-

florian. “Our award-winning Pro-

secco Superiore DOCG is made

from 100% Glera grapes, the

traditional grape used in Prosecco

wines, and is the perfect aperitif

or food accompaniment, or can

just as easily be enjoyed as a

celebratory wine for a special oc-

casion.” Even more prestigious is

the Cartizze DOCG Dry produced

from grapes grown on the hill of

Cartizze at 1,000 m above sea

level. “This wine is considered the

‘Grand Cru’ of Prosecco,” says

Ms. Deflorian. “Because of the

steepness of the hillsides upon

which the vines are grown, much

of the work to care for them must

be done by hand, which ensures

their quality.”

The same applies to the grapes

grown in the hilly Prosecco Su-

periore DOCG region and is a key

aspect in the superior quality of

Bacio della Luna wines. “The ter-

roir that makes Bacio della Luna

wines unique is located 50 kilom-

eters from Venice, in the province

of Treviso, halfway between the

two towns of Conegliano and

Valdobbiadene,” describes Ms.

Deflorian. “The terroir is perfect

for vineyards and the cultivation

of the best quality Glera grapes.

The soil composition of the gently

rolling hills is ideal and is com-

plemented by a warm, sunny

Mediterranean climate.” Prosecco

wines are often described as

fresh and fruity, attributes that

can be traced directly back to the

favourable growing conditions.

Prosecco has always been seen

as a wine that must be drunk

Prosecco sparkling wines are made from 100% Glera grapes

Prosecco is the most famous sparkling wine in the world.

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young but many of the top wines

have proved their longevity. “Pro-

secco is intensely aromatic and

crisp with wonderful flavours of

summer fruit,” enthuses Ms. De-

florian. “They are meant to taste

fresh, light and comparatively

simple – the perfect summer

wine.” Prosecco is made using

the Charmat-Martinotti method in

which the secondary fermentation

takes place in stainless steel vats.

This has the advantage of making

prosecco less expensive to pro-

duce and also means that it has a

lower alcohol by volume content.

“The trend in the drinks industry

at the moment is for easy-to-drink

products with a lower alcohol

content,” says Ms. Deflorian.

“Prosecco chimes well with this

trend.” Bacio della Luna has also

succeeded in tapping into the

ongoing organic movement with

its Prosecco DOC Brut Organic,

which is made using grapes that

have not been treated with pesti-

cides or any other chemicals.

Throughout its vineyards, Bacio

della Luna adopts an approach

to vine cultivation that respects

nature and the environment.

The combination of traditional

and modern methods it uses in

its winemaking emphasize care

at every stage of the process.

The winery is staffed by just 18

people, which give the business

a very intimate feel. The estate

is one of three Italian winer-

ies owned by the family-owned

Schenk Group, of which Roberta

Deflorian is Sales Director. The

Swiss company’s history can

be traced back over 125 years.

Today, it owns wineries in Switzer-

land, France, Italy and Spain, and

distributes its wines throughout

Europe through a sales network

that includes offices in Germany,

Belgium and the UK. The group

has been present in South Tyrol

since 1952 through its winery Kel-

lerei Schenk in Ora. It acquired

Bacio della Luna in 2011. In

2016, it bought the Lunadoro es-

tate in Tuscany with 40 ha of land

under cultivation across 18 vine-

yards in the Montepulciano wine-

growing region and annual pro-

duction of 100,000 bottles of top

quality Rosso di Montepulciano,

Vino Nobile and Nobile Riserva

wines. The Group also owns a

share in a winery in the Chianti

Classico region of Italy. “We have

built up a portfolio of wineries in

some of the best domains in the

regions where we are active,”

says Ms. Deflorian. “Our focus is

increasingly on the higher quality

end of the market. As we look for-

ward to the coming years and the

Quality control is a vital part of the winemaking process and is carried out by expert ‘noses’

The steepness of the hillsides in the Prosecco Superiore DOCG domains means that much of the care of the vines must be done by hand, ensuring superior quality

The harvest in 2018 has exceeded expectations and promises vintages of rare quality

The trend in the drinks industry at the moment is for easy-to-drink products with a lower alcohol content.

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Interview with Roberta Deflorian, Director

of Bacio della Luna Spumanti s.r.l.

general trends in the wine mar-

ket, we want to maintain volume

production of Prosecco wines as

our traditional specialism, but we

also want to focus increasingly

on higher quality wines like Vino

Nobile and Nobile Riserva.” This

strategy takes into account the

major forces influencing the wine

market. Artisanal quality, tradition

and lower alcohol content are all

key qualities that the new genera-

tion of drinkers are looking for.

“We operate in a traditional sector

with a long history,” says Ms. De-

florian. “But, in order to continue

to do what we love, we must move

with times and juggle the evolving

demands of the market with our

own desire to make the best pos-

sible wines.”

Bacio della Luna Spumanti s.r.l.Via Rovede 36 31020 Vidor (TV) Italy

+39 0423 983111 +39 0423 983100

info@baciodellaluna.it www.baciodellaluna.it

In briefCore CompetenceWinegrower in the Prosecco wine-growing region of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in north-eastern Italy

Facts & Figures • Founded: Acquired by Schenk Group in 2011• Structure: Part of the Swiss-owned family-run Schenk

Group – one of the top ten wine producers worldwide• Branch offices: Three vineyards in Italy, group holdings in

Germany, the UK, Spain, France and Switzerland• Employees: 95 in Italy• Turnover: 120 million EUR• Export: 85%

Products & ServicesHigh quality DOC and DOCG Prosecco wines, mass-produced Prosecco and semi-sparkling wines

Target Groups Retail chains, wholesalers, horeca

Fairs & ExhibitionsProwein Düsseldorf, VinExpo, VinItaly Hong Kong

PhilosophyTraditional values combined with forward-looking strategy

Future Increased focus on the high-quality end of the market

Lunadoro in the Valiano di Montepulciano region of Tuscany is the latest addition to the Schenk Group’s portfolio