TWELVE ITALIAN RED WINES DEFY ECONOMIC CRISIS

Some wine lovers and experts consider the 1997 vintage as "the last myth of the 1900s". Twelve of the best labels from the 1997 vintage were signaled out for distinction last week at the 42nd Vinitaly, the Italian Wine and Spirits Trade Fair in Verona. Top wine buyers and importers, wine investment fund managers, collectors, Italian Guides (Gambero Rosso, Ais, Espresso, Maroni and Veronelli ), as well as influential wine magazine editors and critics (Wine Spectator, Decanter, Falstaff, Parker) paid homage at a horizontal tasting of the prestigious vintage. According to wine experts at Vinitaly, the twelve bottles are by now only available on the collector's market—with an overall value estimated at more than 53,000 euros. "The twelve wines presented during this tasting-event have seen their value grow over time, in terms of quality and sensorial features and pure commercial value," the Director General of VeronaFiere, Giovanni Mantovani, said.