(ANSA) - The Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich could be planning to extend his business interests from soccer and oil into wine, according to reports from this central Italian town.
Abramovich, best known as the boss of British soccer champions Chelsea, has stopped at several of Italy's top wine cellars during a visit in recent days. Rumours of a possible purchase started circulating at the 'I Vini Nel Mondo' wine fair in Spoleto, which was attended by 200 top vintners last week.
Abramovich is reportedly after a location with enough room for an olive orchard as well as a vineyard. Although only 38, the Chelsea boss would have no problems affording any site he sets his heart on. In March he was listed by Forbes Magazine as the richest Russian and the 21st richest person in the world, with an estimated fortune of 13.3 billion dollars.
He has poured cash into Chelsea since acquiring the club in 2003, investing in a string of expensive players that have helped bring the team to the top of Britain's soccer ranks. The Russian oil magnate started his wine tour at the Lungarotti winery in Umbria, the first in Italy to be run by two women, which is famous for its Rubesco.
He also stopped at the Sassicaia and Ornellaia wineries, which are perhaps even more well-known abroad. These both produce some of the finest so-called "super Tuscans", revolutionary reds created using modern techniques.
If the latest rumours about Abramovich are borne out, he would be joining a long line of celebrities that have cashed into the Italian myth and taken up winemaking in recent years.
Simply Red's flame-haired leader singer, Mick Hucknall, has a vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily where he successfully produces a red Nero d'Avola wine which he has named Il Cantante, The Singer.
Another music celebrity, Jim Kerr of Scottish rock band Simple Minds, also bought a Sicilian vineyard recently.
French actors Gerard Depardieu and Carole Bouquete have a vineyard on the island of Pantelleria where they make their own version of its famous dessert wine 'passito'. Depardieu, who comes from a winemaking family, is said to have become a connoisseur of the wine during his frequent holidays on the island between Sicily and Libya.
Most recently, an Italian red signature wine produced at the request of the legendary US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has proved a hit. Created by the Le Terrazze winery in the Marche, it was named after his 1974 album Planet Waves.
