The new, Belgian owner of Montepulciano's most famous wine producer Avignonesi has just added to her previous holdings 16 more hectares of prime vineyard that were privately held by Antonio Avignonesi.
Virginie Saverys (pictured) and her team were profiled in detail last November in All change at Avignonesi by Walter Speller. It is clear that she is not short of wherewithal and is to be congratulated on reuniting this land with the rest of the estate. Or perhaps it is Antonio Avignonesi who is to be congratulated on structuring his sale thus?
These south-facing vineyards are in the heart of the original historic wine-producing zone of Montepulciano at relatively high altitudes, on pale clay soils which Saverys believes contribute to 'the delicate aromas and remarkable persistence of the Sangiovese cultivated here'. Once added to Saverys' existing holdings in the Montepulciano and Cortona DOC areas, they will produce an additional 100,000 to 120,000 bottles of Avignonesi Vino Nobile and Rosso di Montepulciano a year.
Virginie Saverys commented: 'Bringing home Antonio Avignonesi's vineyards emphasises how much we care for our patrimony, while also readying ourselves for a new era of development for the winery'.
Italian wine shop for London
Incidentally, Italian wine enthusiasts living or working in London may like to know that a new shop specialising in Italian wine is to open in South Kensington. Vini Italiani, opposite Christie's and Handford Wines in Old Brompton Road, will have two Enomatic machines for on-the-spot tasting and the opening is scheduled for August. Sparkling wine producer Matteo Berlucchi is one of six shareholders.