The Italian Selection Manifesto

The Italian Selection aspires to identify, select and promote to the US market, excellent Italian wineries and wines, characterized by the fact that they are family-owned, produce top quality wines, foster the protection of the territory and have a story to tell.

In a country like Italy, that has thousands of great wineries, our compass for achieving our aspiration is very clear. We research and select wineries that:

• Produce wines of absolute quality. In addition to Brunello, Barolo, Amarone and other famous wines produced by small companies, we also intend to promote other lesser-known but no less exciting wines and vines. For example, Aglianico or Nerello Mascalese.
• Are family owned. In other words, wineries where absolute quality is the result of the commitment and passion of a family that makes a living from their work and dedicates all their energy to it. The quality of the wine derives from the fact that the winemaker is the same person who follows every step from A to Z: management of the vineyard, the grape harvest, the vinification and aging. Unfortunately, this type of wineries does not always have the resources and skills to distribute on a large scale and make itself known to the general public. All the wineries we have selected are, to a greater or lesser extent, of this type.
• Guard and enhance the territory. They play a meaningful role in  a territory that speaks true to Italy, its history and its traditions. Wineries that, if one day you have the good fortune to visit, will leave you an indelible memory, be it a vineyard surrounded by a barrier of prickly pears by the sea, a tower in the hamllet that belonged to Michelangelo or simply a hospitality of others times, made up of attention and slow times.
• Cultivate native grape variety. In other words, wineries that have made the rediscovery of native vineyards a distinctive element. In a world that revolves around economies of scale, these are wineries that cultivate variety and independence.
• Have a unique history. Through these wineries, we want to tell you about a lesser known but absolutely no less beautiful Italy. In a country where every single town often has a fascinating story to tell, these wineries are a key to discovering the true aspects of our tradition, history and culture. From the battle of Montaperti, to the construction of the walls of Florence and the wine sent to the Popes.

In short, we intend to focus and privilege small wineries versus large, diversity versus stereotypes, novelty in taste versus unified models. We also put an emphasis on personal and family commitment versus the engineering of vinification, on the Italy of towns and people, which is key to better understanding its history beyond famous destinations. 

And we will put a premium on those who get their hands dirty to do their work, on those who bend over the earth to pick it up and work out  its temperament and secrets.

We aim to address those who not only seek an excellent wine, but rather a wine that, upon tasting it, reveals, recalls, and expresses all the richness of a territory and spirit of a place. For those looking for a quality wine, but above all a wine that is the result of the commitment and passion of those who cultivate the land and take pride in doing so. For those looking for an excellent product, but not necessarily a stereotypical taste. For those who love great classic wines, but are ready to taste much less known but no less exciting and quality wines.

As mentioned, we believe there is nowhere else in the world a better place to find this than Italy - given the variety of places, soils, vines, climate conditions combined with rich history and breathtaking beauty. Of course, there are many famous places and wines around the world. But there are also many other wines and much less known places, far from the frequented routes, which have nothing to envy to the former.

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This is our aspiration…… Join us if you share it!