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Masi’s ‘second life’ in Oltrepò Pavese
Almost a year after Amarone giant Masi Agricola SpA acquired a traditional method sparkling wine estate in Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese, company president Sandro Boscaini reflects on the “revolution” taking place in the region.
It was in September 2023 that Masi announced that it had signed for the purchase of the Casa Re estate in Montecalvo Versiggia and its 13 hectares of vineyards, planted largely with Pinot Noir, from the Casati family. The sums involved in the deal were not disclosed.
Visiting London this June, Boscaini, the sixth generation of his family to take the helm of the Veneto-based wine powerhouse, explained how Masi, as the new owner, was settling in to the property.
“We want to remain in the same area – we know that the valley going down to Versa is a very specific location with its exposure and soils. We believe that there is huge potential, and there does need to be some new equipment, but we’re not rushing – we take our time. We have been vinifying last year’s harvest, made with our own grapes. We are starting gradually.”
Boscaini himself has a long history with Oltrepò Pavese.
“I know the area because I studied in Milan, which is very close. So I was aware of it 50, 60 years ago, before I entered the wine business. At the time Santa Maria della Versa was the Italian sparkling, before Franciacorta and before Trentodoc.”
However, Oltrepò Pavese has not necessarily enjoyed a good reputation in recent decades, and the region suffered because of it.
“It was painful to see this area collapsing. It became the area where people from Milan came to buy large quantities of cheap wine for their families. People were more interested in mass producing Barbera and Riesling than traditional method sparkling, which is more difficult.”
“Now with the infusion of new blood, from us and the Ziliani family, there are others looking,” Boscaini suggested. “There is a lot of interest from many other producers. I don’t know if they are totally convinced yet.”
However, Masi certainly is convinced, especially by the potential of Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Noir for the production of sparkling Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG.
Boscaini particularly praised the role that consultancy Colline e Oltre S.p.A played in facilitating the deal. Established in November 2021 as a joint project between Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s leading bank, and regional bank Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lombardia (and now with Fondazione Social Venture Giordano Dell’Amore as a shareholder), Colline e Oltre was also involved in the Ziliani family’s acquisition of Vigne Olcru.
“It is an example of how the support of a big financial institution can help a territory by investing in it and empowering it – they have given new life to the area. Farmers farm, they’re not pushing for a revolution, that has to come from someone else, and then they can follow.”
The positive impact of the arrival of both Masi and the Ziliani family on the reputation of Oltrepò Pavese has been notable. According to Colline e Oltre, prior to these two high profile purchases, the price for a hectare of land in the region was €40,000. As of January this year, it was around €70,000, and it is reportedly continuing to rise.
You only live twice
International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) data shows that in the UK, between 2000 and 2021, the share red wine held of overall wine consumption dropped from 48% down to 40% – a trend that is being seen across the board.
Given that consumers do seem to be shifting away from drinking red regularly, it’s certainly a canny move for Masi to move further into the fizz sphere.
“For us this is our second life, because we come from the world of strong red wine, Amarone. The system is changing, the approach is changing – we are gradually moving into white wines and sparkling, but always with our style. It isn’t about buying produce from co-operatives and other people, it is about familiarising ourselves with the soil and the area. It’s what we did with Conti Bossi Fedrigotti in Trentino from 2010, and it’s what we did five years later when we bought Canevel in Valdobbiadene.”
The acquisition of Casa Re has meant the addition of a new wine to the Masi portfolio, one that has been slipped into its Moxxé range.
“Now we have Moxxé del Re, a 100% Pinot Noir sparkling made in Oltrepò Pavese. The 2020 vintage is the wine we have on the market now, and it is very promising, selling very well.”
The other wine in the Moxxé ange is a spumante brut made from Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo which have undergone, as is perhaps to be expected of a producer that has made its name with Amarone, a touch of appassimento.
It will be some time before Moxxé del Re produced from grapes harvested during the period of Masi’s ownership is released.
Speaking with the drinks business in January, Masi CEO Federico Girotto did share that Casa Re offered “a good size to have a foothold in the appellation,” and that the acquisition “gives us potential to expand”, though Boscaini revealed no firm expansion plans at the time of the interview.
Moving with the times
However, while Boscaini is keenly aware of changing consumer preferences, he is still a firm believer in keeping Amarone, made in the traditional style, as the core of Masi’s business.
“Amarone must be Amarone – if you make too many adjustments it’s like turning a jacket into a t-shirt and saying that it is still a jacket. Classic products should remain as classic products,” he said. “There is a difference between premium wine and wine for everyday consumption. Everyone thinks that young people won’t drink wine, but we need to remember that from 55 to 80 is another life – people have more disposable income at that age, they can spend money. In 10 or more years, these young people will be ready to become drinkers of high-end wine.”
“For younger people, we do need to make wines that are more in line with what they want – wines that are slightly lower in alcohol,” Boscaini continued. “Wine has been part of humanity for millennia, it is part of human culture and life, so I’m not scared of people not drinking wine.”
In an effort to tap into that younger market with more “everyday” wines, Masi also launched its Fresco di Masi range – an unfiltered, organic, lower-alcohol style of wine available as a white blend (Garganega, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio) and a red one (Corvina and Merlot).
“I am totally convinced that the Fresco range is the way to do it,” Boscaini suggested. “We can keep the same fruit profile, but at only 11.5% ABV for the red and 11% for the white. We are working on how to further reduce the degrees of alcohol, and we are hoping that the rules in Italy change to allow us to de-alcoholise the wine a little down to 8% or 9%. It could be perfect for this fruity style of wine.”
In 2022, Masi celebrated its 250th harvest in Valpolicella with an event that looked at both its past, and its vision for the future. Given that a year later the company made the audacious move to invest in Oltrepò Pavese, a region that does not yet have much of an international profile, it seems that Masi’s second life may still have some surprises in store.
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