The Tommasi family takes stock of the past year and looks towards the future; optimism for the months to come and clear objectives: sustainable growth, development of the Italian market and strengthening of exports.
28 December – The production of Tommasi Family Estates confirms its role as a representative of outstanding Italian quality, with excellent reviews in the principal Italian wine guides and from international trade experts. The 2010 De Buris Amarone della Valpolicella Classico D.O.C.G. Riserva, the enological gem from Valpolicella Classica, took home a whole host of awards from Italian critics, with 3 Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso, a Corona from Vinibuoni, 4 Viti from AIS, and 5 Grappoli from Bibenda. It also won a Platinum Award in Merano, a “Faccini” symbol from Daniele Cernilli/Doctor Wine and 3 Gold Stars from the Veronelli Guide, as well as an excellent placement in the Top 100 of Vivino, the biggest wine community in the world. Outstanding reviews also came for this wine from the most prestigious international wine writers, including a 96-point rating from Wine Advocate – Robert Parker, and splendid scores from Wine Spectator, James Suckling and Decanter, which also gave a rating of 92/100 to the new Le Fornaci Lugana Riserva D.O.C. 2018, which also earned 4 Rose Camune from AIS in Lombardy. The project in Montalcino was also rewarded, with the Casisano Colombaiolo Brunello D.O.C.G. Riserva 2015 which – alongside the 3 Bicchieri it received from Gambero Rosso – earned excellent reviews and scores from the Italian and foreign press, as did the iconic wine of the Vulture zone, the Don Anselmo Aglianico 2016 from Paternoster, which confirms its constant placing at the top of the classifications of merit, with its 3 Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso and its rating of 94 out of 100 from Vinous.
On the strength of this success with the critics and at the conclusion of the year that has just gone by, the wine company with its headquarters at Pedemonte di Valpolicella has analyzed the past year and set its strategic goals for the months ahead: consolidation of the company, investment, sustainability, and growth on both the national and export markets are the key words for the Tommasi family.
“2021 has undoubtedly been a complicated year because of having to manage the shortage of raw materials and our difficulty in planning ahead, but it’s also definitely been one of recovery. It has closed much more positively than 2020 thanks to the upswing in the Ho.Re.Ca channel in Italy and around the world, to our solid relationships with our trading partners, the splendid cooperation of our stakeholders and, especially, thanks to the great ability to adapt and be flexible that we have demonstrated with our team of collaborators”. With these words, the company’s Director, Pierangelo Tommasi, has commented on the year that is just coming to an end, but already with an eye towards 2022: “I am confident that the positive trend that we have witnessed in the last few months will continue in the new year, and I think that we can return to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022. For our company, the Ho.Re.Ca and Retail channels each represent 50% of our business: this goes to show just how complex it was to get through 2020 without the contribution of the restaurant sector. 2021 has marked a definite turn for the better and our country has fortunately attained a degree of self-awareness and maturity that makes new lockdowns highly unlikely: I cannot therefore be anything but positive about the coming months.”
Objectives for 2022/23
The family management has a very clear idea of the goals the company has to look forward to: “Next year we will celebrate the 120th anniversary of the foundation of our company. We are the sons and grandsons of a determined and visionary sharecropper: we are proud of our roots, and, over the years, we have always worked with the ambition of becoming one of the most recognizable producers on the national wine scene” Pierangelo Tommasi continues. “We will go on following this path: consolidating our positioning in the Regions where we are present is now a priority, as well as increasing investments in our estates to improve the efficiency of their production processes, the quality of our wines, and our premises devoted to hospitality, which we consider essential. All this is within a framework of economic sustainability and care for the environment. At the same time, we will continue with great determination the excellent work we are doing both in Italy and on export markets, with the objective of having the Tommasi brand recognized as a symbol of Italian excellence around the world.”
There are several projects in the pipeline for 2022, even though they have been slowed down this year by the health crisis. It has not prevented, though, the start of work on building the new winery at Tenuta di Caseo in the Oltrepo’ Pavese, which will finish next year, as will the extension of the winery at Casisano in Montalcino, the refurbishment – by the end of 2023 – of the historic Barone Rotondo cellar in the Paternoster property at Barile, in the Vulture zone of Basilicata, and the enlargement of Villa Quaranta Tommasi Wine Hotel & Spa with new and ever more exclusive rooms and services, with a view to developing our wine tourism-related hospitality through projects that are increasingly in synergy with the winery.
Sustainability
2022 will therefore be a decisive year for the growth of Tommasi Family Estates, a growth that must be sustainable. “We want our everyday work to be increasingly oriented towards seeking and promoting sustainability” comments Pieragenlo Tommasi. “In concrete terms, this means devoting great attention to our work in the vineyards, in the winery and in the various phases of production, using instruments and methods that really succeed in safeguarding and respecting the environment in which we operate, without which – let us never forget – we could not do what we like doing best: making great wines. Let me give you an example: our plan that includes the sizeable saving of energy and the use of lighter glass bottles is part of a wider and deep-seated project on which our company is already working for the sustainable development of all our production processes”.
Sustainability also encompasses the inclusion of our workers, our partners, and our stakeholders, as well as support for the local area, in the social as well as economic sphere. “Our family has always had an extremely intimate rapport with the Valpolicella zone, with Verona and Lake Garda, places we consider as “home”; we work together with the local government and the various cultural organizations in these locations to give our backing to unique places that are icons of our country: this year I would like to mention in particular the 67 Columns for the Arena project, our backing for the Teatro Stabile di Verona, and our collaboration with Art Verona. We also offer our support to all the regions where we have our wineries. In this regard, the combination of viticulture and hospitality will continue to be a very strong one, and promotion of wine tourism will be relevant in all the company’s decisions, which as from next year will involve all our estates.”
Markets
Italy is of paramount importance in the growth of Tommasi Family Estates, and 2022 too will be geared towards consolidation of the home market, as well as the company’s growth on foreign markets.
“The Italian market is very important for us,” states Pierangelo Tommasi, “because only if we are strong at home can we be respected as ambassadors for Italian excellence abroad. Distribution in Italy today represents about 20% of our turnover and the rest is divided up between 80 foreign markets, which we look after with dedication; some are fundamental and historic, like North America and Northern Europe, which represent approximately 30% of our overall export business. These are very mature markets, where there is great interest in wine, and in particular for the historic denominations. Then there are areas that are remarkably interesting and to some extent surprising, such as Iceland, Poland, Romania, and Eastern Europe in general, markets that are capable of absorbing even high-value wines. Thanks to our importers, we have done an outstanding job in the Ho.Re.Ca channel, which continues to also give us excellent results in Asia, especially in South Korea and Japan. Entry into production of new vineyards at our estates in Lugana, the Maremma in Tuscany, Puglia, and Umbria in 2022 and 2023 guarantees us room to grow and consolidate all our markets, which we will continue to look after with trips and targeted marketing and communication activities.”
Growth, investments, sustainability, and hospitality are therefore the key words for Tommasi Family Estates in 2022, which promises to be a crucial year for the company’s development.
Our 120th anniversary will not only be a milestone we have reached, but also an opportunity to look towards the future with optimism and well-defined projects, as well as clear strategies for relaunching and renewing, consolidating and giving greater structure to our governance.
Numbers
- Hectares in production: 599 + 165 ha in production from the 2022 harvest (Tuscany, Puglia, Umbria)
- Annual turnover in 2021 = around € 30,000,000 (2020 = € 27,000,000; 2019 = € 30,000,000)
- Average annual growth: 11 % compared to 2020; equal to 2019
- Bottles produced = approximately 3.5 million
- Export: 80%
- Employees: TOMMASI FAMILY ESTATES (wine + hospitality) = 230 employees in total.
ABOUT TOMMASI FAMILY ESTATES
A family and a group that are working for the present and future of Italian wine: Tommasi represents the history of the Valpolicella area, and more besides. With seven wine-producing estates in six Regions of Italy – Tommasi in the Veneto, Tenuta di Caseo in Lombardy, Casisano at Montalcino and Poggio al Tufo in the Tuscan Maremma, Masseria Surani in Puglia, Paternoster in Basilicata and a project in Umbria that will be ready in 2023, (as well as a partnership with La Massa in Chianti Classico) – the group’s objective is to create great wines, always highlighting the value of the individual terroir.
The picture is completed by the De Buris cultural and winemaking project, linked to the terroir of Valpolicella Classica, the restoration of Villa De Buris, and the production of an Amarone Classico D.O.C. Riserva.
Four generations of pioneers, explorers, precursors and especially visionaries, attentive to the vital importance of quality in every phase of production, with respect for traditional techniques but also open to experimentation: with the unique experience and know-how they have acquired and cultivated over time, the Tommasi family aims to express the very best of each region, combining this with their dedication to sustainability and hospitality.
Their attention to offering a warm welcome is expressed at Villa Quaranta Wine Hotel & SPA in Valpolicella, the Mazzanti Hotel and Caffè Dante Bistrot in Verona, and the Poggio al Tufo Agriturismo at Pitigliano, in the Tuscan Maremma.
