PRODUCERS FEAR FOR PINOT GRIGIO
By Nicolas Belfrage MW & Franco Ziliani
After years of continuous growth, especially in the United States, during which the area planted to the variety has nearly doubled to over 10,000 hectares (for an average annual production of around 1.5 million hectolitres), Italian Pinot Grigio is beginning to show signs of flagging in the marketplace. The alarm has been raised by none other than Emilio Pedron of Gruppo Italiano Vini, Giacinto Giacomini of Cavit and Maurizio Ferri of Bolla. According to Pedron the rate of increase in the US has sunk from 60% two years ago to 25% last year, to 15% as of this June. This without taking into account dramatic price rises from the fall of the dollar, now beginning to bite, and the serious chunk of the market claimed by Californian Pinot Grigio, up from 0% to 17% of the market in only two years. In addition, Hungarian, Moldavian and other Pinot Grigios today claim an increasing chunk of the UK and German markets. Giacinto Giacomini of Cavit sees more problems on the horizon, in the shape of the relentless rise in grape prices in Italy compared with other producers. Once we go past the $6.99 to $8.49 price bracket our wines are no longer interesting,' he commented.
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