Winenxt

Visit to Riunite winery

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On 23th of October 2009 I visited a huge cooperative winery Riunite; famous for production of semi sparkling wine know as Lambrusco.

History:

In 1950, Cantine Cooperative Riunite della Provincia di Reggio Emilia (United Cooperative Wineries of the Province of Reggio Emilia) was established. The Cooperative would not only reflect the outstanding wine produced in agricultural Emilia, but also a desire to join forces which transformed small village wineries and individual wine producers into a business of international standing with sound financial foundations. Year after year, the hard work and perseverance of people from the Emilia region enabled Riunite to become a large business with 1,500 members, 5 grape crushing plants and one of the most modern bottling plants in the world. By expanding its corporate base, Cantine Riunite has since gone on to embrace partner producers that work in some of Italy’s best-known winemaking areas. It is a strategy that has allowed Riunite to make its mark on the Italian, European and international markets with a wide range of products that represent the time-honoured winemaking tradition in Italy, and Emilia in particular.

Structure of company:

Cantine Riunite is a world leader in the production of Lambrusco and sparkling Emilian wines. It is the world’s greatest exporter of Italian wine. Lambrusco Riunite is sold in over 50 countries, in some of which (such as the US) it has been a symbol for Italianness and quality sparkling wine for decades.

Established in 1950 when a core of contributing partners joined forces, Cantine Riunite is now a cooperative with over 1,500 members and a turnover in excess of 100 million Euro. Moreover, it is the first Italian wine producer to obtain UNI EN ISO 9002 certification for its entire production process.

Each year, 70 million bottles leave the plant in Campegine in the province of Reggio Emilia, bound for Lambrusco and Riunite wine enthusiasts who are now scattered across five continents.

Grapes varites:

“An Emilian wine, bright red in colour, sparkling, made from the grape variety of the same name” reads the Zingarelli Dictionary of the Italian Language under the entry for Lambrusco. In actual fact it would be more accurate to state “grape varieties of the same name”, because at least six different types of Lambrusco are cultivated. Added to which are all the grape varieties such as Ancellotta which are traditionally an integral part of the blend of many Lambruscos.

Added to the grape blends typically found in Lambrusco, Grasparossa, Marani, Sorbara, Salamino, Foglia Rossa and Maestrelli are all the cultivars traditionally found in Emilia and -indeed Italy’s- winemaking culture. They form part of the wide range of wines produced by Cantine Riunite, and include Chardonnay, Merlot, Malvasia and Cabernet.

Three main types of Lambrusco appelation:

Lambrusco di Sorbara contributes 14% of total sales.
Lambrusco di Salamino 17%
Lambrusco di Grasparossa 14%
Market Share:

In Italy Company has 56% sales of their production and rest of the production is exported. USA is the main market contributing 24 % sales of the production and then Europe which contributes around 16% mostly dominated by Germany. Latin America has 3% sales and rest of the world around 1%. The export department is working for exploring new market like Brazil, China, Mexico, India and Eastern Europe. In USA Reunite is present and leader in semi sparkling wine market from last 40 years.

In Italy they have 19% sales in restaurant, boutiques. Direct sales about 7%, discount about 10%, Private label around 5% and Supermarket about 60%.

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Tagged : Lambrusco, Riunite winery, semi sparkling wine

Comments (0) | November 2nd, 2009

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