Much that comes from Italy's Veneto wine region turns to gold. In the case of Bottega, this is literally the case. Sandro Bottega, an energetic entrepreneur with a fantastic nose for marketing, produces surprising wines with a high 'buy me' content.
Text: Petri Houweling | Image: Bottega
Somehow, wines from Veneto are always successful. Once upon a time, wine from Soave was an absolute bestseller. Now it is the Valpolicellas and proseccos that are unstoppable, especially if the bottles look good too. For it is a fact that the appearance of a wine bottle is the deciding factor for many consumers whether or not to buy it. Most of us stand no chance of resisting Bottega's fancy proseccos. The sleek, shiny bottles with a triple layer of yellow, pink or gold shiny foil are absolute eye-catchers. That's why most of them get a second life as vases afterwards.
Overall success
It all started with Aldo Bottega, who specialised in making grappa in 1970. The company made a big name for itself producing this Italian distillate. From 1990, they started in Treviso, 40 kilometres north of Venice, with making other fortified drinks like gin, vermouth, vodka, and (sparkling) wine. All this is done with great respect for the environment: they work organically, generate their own energy, do recycling, and the paint for their metallic bottles is biodegradable. Today, they have a huge range that includes the classics from Valpolicella, wines from international grape varieties and much more. They are now on sale in more than 120 countries already. This international success is certainly due to son Sandro Bottega's brilliant marketing ideas. WINELIFE went to visit this purebred Italian and asked him in five questions about the key to his success.
Prosecco is also known as 'the poor man's champagne'. But the Bottega Gold costs €26, which is almost the price of a bottle of champagne So why choose prosecco?
'On the one hand, it is a question of cost. The grapes for our proseccos are on very steep slopes. That's why production costs are really high, because we pick everything by hand. Furthermore, my proseccos are in a class of their own and cannot be compared to the cheap stuff when it comes to flavour and complexity. Of course, it cannot be compared to champagne, which is just a very different wine. The farmers there are better at guarding their image. Many of my fellow prosecco producers unfortunately have a very narrow vision when it comes to the importance of quality. That erodes the market. The other day, I saw on a menu that a can of cola was more expensive than a glass of prosecco. Unbelievable, but true. Fighting for this is a battle that goes on continuously.'
Further reading? You will find more information in WINELIFE Magazine, issue 88. You can order this here.
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