Exports of Tuscan superstar Brunello di Montalcino were stable in 2007 and the United States continued to buy up 25% of production despite a weak dollar, sector sources said on Monday.
Last year saw the 2002 vintage put up for sale, along with 2001 Reserva 2001, a year which was far from exceptional for both quality and quantity.
''Although the vintage was not one of the best, the fact that what was produced did sell out was a clear sign that the world trusts the Brunello di Montalcino brand,'' observed Francesco Marone Cinzano, chairman of the Brunello consortium which groups together the 250 producers of the wine.
''The fact that both Brunello 2002 and Riserva 2001 sold out confirmed our expectations and those of the market,'' he added.
Grapes produced in 2002 received a rating of only two stars out of five and many producers preferred to bottle less Brunello, only 3.5 million bottles compared to the usual seven million.
Nevertheless, this reduced turnover by only 16%.
After the USA, Germany is the second importer of Brunello di Montalcino, absorbing 9% of production, followed respectively by Switzerland (7%), Canada (5%) and Britain and Japan (3%).
Brunello di Montalcino is perhaps Italy's finest wine and certainly among the best in the world.
The area where it is produced near Siena is the most expensive in Italy and the world for vineyard land, which currently sells from a minimum of 350,000 euros a hectare to as much as half a million euros.
There are a total of 250 producers in the Brunello district and all but 50 bottle their own wine.
Aside from buying 25% of the Brunello produced, the USA imports almost half of the quality wines produced in Tuscany.
The USA also buys 36% of exports of Piedmont's top Barolo, Barbera Barbaresco and Grignolino wines.
Some 41% of exports of top white wines from the northeastern Trentino and Friuli regions, which include Traminer and Collio, end up in the USA.
After breaking the $1-billion threshold in 2006, Italian wine exports to the USA had another record year in 2007 thanks to increases of 9% for both volume and value.
This allowed Italy to maintain its position as the number one exporter of wine to the USA and bolster its lead over second-placed Australia, which in 2007 saw a 3.5% decline in the volume of its export while value rose 3.2%.
Based on data updated to the end of November, Italian wine exports to the USA in 2007 are expected to total more than 2.3 million hectoliters while value will climb to $1.12 million.
Italian wine exports to the USA were more than double those of French exports. France is third in wine exports to the USA.
