How Cooperation might actually work in Italy!
In Italy you hear it all the time – from wine region to wine region.
“The problem is we are Italian!” The lament goes. “We are individuals. We cannot cooperate! We cannot get anything done in a group.”
My advice: Stop whining already and look at the places where some degree of cooperation over a shared identity is actually working in wine.
Kurtatsch president Andreas Kofler (right) with export manager Harald Crost. Photo courtesy of Kellerei Cantina Kurtatsch
One such place is in the deep south on Sicily, where a few visionary and dedicated families have led the way towards quality wines, organic agriculture, and a much improved image.
The other pole of positive cooperation is in the way north near Austria – in the country’s (mostly German-speaking) South Tyrol aka Alto Adige.
Here in tiny Kurtatsch/ Cortaccia a group of small grape and apple farmers farmers of the local coop launched a revolution about a decade ago – looking beyond immediate market trends to future excellence.
I love the Kurtatsch story as a shining example for Italian wine and the wine world at large. Read it in the latest Robert Camuto Meets… at winespectator.com