Market and export
Brunello di Montalcino and Roberto Anselmi: Lessons for Importers
This article compares the collective trajectory of Brunello di Montalcino with Roberto Anselmi's solo career.
The Italian wine sector is a crossroads of strategic approaches, where consortial collaboration is weighed against individual affirmation. For importers and sommeliers, understanding these dynamics is fundamental. This article compares the collective trajectory of Brunello di Montalcino with Roberto Anselmi’s solo career. Brunello is a renowned Tuscan red wine known for its longevity. Brunello is produced under strict regulations. The goal is to understand what it means to think in decades, not in quarters, and how leadership and innovative practices transform the territory into a recognizable and marketable product.
The Long-Term Vision in the Italian Wine Market
Giacomo Bartolommei, president of the Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino, was the only Italian selected among Wine Enthusiast’s 12 “Rising Stars.” The magazine has a readership of over 4.1 million people, with a strong following in the United States. It recognized his vision oriented towards the longevity of the wine sector. Bartolommei invites producers to “return to thinking in terms of decades, not quarters.” He challenges the idea that the market is experiencing an unprecedented crisis due to tariffs, declining consumption, climate, and regulation.
Think in decades, not in quarters.
The Consortium that Bartolommei presides over brings together 214 members and protects over 3,400 hectares of vineyard with Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP). DOP is a European certification that guarantees origin and quality. The Consortium protects over 3,400 hectares. The agricultural community of Montalcino is particularly solid. Half of the businesses are based on farms. The unemployment rate does not exceed 2%. This ecosystem is driven by wine, especially Brunello. Average production is 9-10 million bottles each year. Average production is 9-10 million.
To support international projection, the Consortium has launched an extraordinary promotion plan for the 2026-2027 biennium. The plan includes specific actions in the United States (New York, Texas, Dallas, Austin), Canada, the United Kingdom, and Asia. The Consortium collectively participates in the main global fairs of the sector. These include Vinitaly, Wine Paris, and ProWein. At these fairs, producers present their products and create commercial connections. Export is decisive and accounts for approximately 70% of global turnover. The United States covers over 30% of exports. The United States is also the main source of wine tourists.
The Strength of Individual Choice and the Reinvention of the Territory
Roberto Anselmi, who at 78 is still at the forefront, embodies the individual approach. He has often used conflict with collective rules as a tool for personal definition. Born on August 20, 1948, he broke with his father’s company in 1978 to dedicate himself to quality viticulture. He refused screw caps or crown caps. He felt “ashamed” of that model. His career is marked by clear choices, such as leaving the Consorzio del Soave in 1999. That act led him to transform his surname into a true personal denomination. Soave is a dry white wine from the Veneto region, produced mainly with Garganega grapes. Anselmi transformed his surname into a denomination.
In 1977, Anselmi left for the United States. He directly sought out distributors and secured an order for an entire container. This experience shaped his ability to sell wines without relying on a collective denomination. He faced a debt of approximately one billion lire. His conviction was that “the company was not mine and the debt was my father’s.” This belief gave him the freedom to take risks and start anew. His philosophy states that the territory is not a formula to be repeated. The territory must be understood, interpreted, and, when necessary, changed. In 1982, he made a radical gesture, he threw half the grapes onto the ground. At the time, that gesture seemed like madness. Today it is understood that it aimed to achieve quality.
The wines that are the result of these choices bear precise names. San Vincenzo is designed to be immediate and refreshing. It is a wine that enters people’s lives. The cru Capitel Foscarino and Capitel Croce translate different places into distinct wines. The first is more direct and aromatic. The second is deeper and more patient. Finally, I Capitelli is his great sweet wine. This wine comes from a selection that requires appassimento and waiting. The grapes are partially dried to concentrate sugars and flavors. Innovation arises from control of the territory and patience.
Navigating the Italian Wine Landscape for Importers and Sommeliers
For importers, distributors, and sommeliers, the practical lesson from the paths of Brunello and Anselmi is twofold. Brunello’s consortial model ensures scale, consistency, and structured promotion. It offers stability in a global market. In Brunello’s case, the collective plan supports 70% of exported turnover. This structure allows for planning high-profile events like Benvenuto Brunello, scheduled in Montalcino from November 19 to 23. Such events serve as a reference for international operators and the press. A long-term vision is essential.
On the other hand, Roberto Anselmi’s experience teaches us to recognize when quality requires difficult decisions in the vineyard and winery. For example, reducing yields or waiting months for the grapes to undergo appassimento. This second path produces wines with a distinct identity. Such wines facilitate positioning on menus and in wine shops. They offer distinctive stories and recognizable production practices. For those selecting suppliers, knowing that I Capitelli comes from a long appassimento process is valuable. It is as important as knowing that a Consortium protects over 3,400 hectares.
No method automatically guarantees quality.
The combination of strategies addresses a myth to be debunked. No method, whether collective or individual, automatically guarantees quality or commercial success. The consortium does not eliminate the need for technical choices in the vineyard. The solitary producer is not immune to market rules. What matters is the ability to articulate a vision, communicate it consistently, and support it with measurable practices. This allows those who buy, serve, or distribute to know exactly what to put on the menu and why. This consolidates the product’s reputation and value. No method automatically guarantees quality.
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