Six months later Francesco Ricasoli and his wine-making team are leading the charge by Italy’s “Black Roosters” — the trademark for Chianti Classico — to put the country’s most famous label back on restaurant tables. “These are probably some of the most turbulent times in Italy,” said Ricasoli, 64, the 32nd Baron of Brolio whose family’s roots to Tuscany stretches back to 1141. “We’ve seen a strong decrease in wine sales — particularly in restaurants and bars that specialize in the high end of the market,” he told Agence France-Presse at his winery with the same family name. Hard hit by the virus that has killed more than 35,500 people in Italy, wine sales and consumption have been battered on a level not seen in 30 years, Italy’s agricultural trade union Coldiretti said recently. ‘Blessing in disguise’“In many ways, the coronavirus lockdown was a blessing in disguise,” said Giovanni Manetti, president of the Chianti Classico consortium and winemaker at the nearby Fontodi estate.

Source: Manila Times September 20, 2020 16:30 UTC