Montepulciano d’Abruzzo - Throughout most of its viticultural history, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has been strongly identified as the region’s leading wine.
Wines from Abruzzo have long been recognised by their producer rather than the appellation, but as the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Colline Teramane hits its 20th anniversary, this may be about to change, says Filippo Bartolotta.
Clemens: Direct to consumer boom
Gus Clemens
The U.S. wine industry enjoyed its largest year-over-year increase in direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales in 2020. Much can be attributed to COVID-19, but even if you bought online because of pandemic fears, many will stay with DTC because of convenience and expanded choice.
In 2020, 8.39 million cases sold DTC in the U.S, a 27% increase over 2019. In the decade before, the annual increase was 10.5%. Furthermore, the increase was not led by hard-to-get premium wines as it was in the past. DTC average bottle cost in 2020 dropped from more than $40 a bottle to around $36, according to a report from 1,000 wineries. This is a game-changing, marketing tsunami.