The Important Recognition of the 5 Grappoli

The publication of the guide, featuring the wines that have achieved this prestigious recognition, is carried out by the Italian Sommelier Federation. It was created in 2013 as a result of the separation between the Italian Association of Sommeliers and the Rome branch led by Franco Maria Ricci, which then independently re-established itself. Starting with the 2015 edition, the guide has therefore become the voice of the FIS and the team of sommeliers led by president Franco Maria Ricci, who founded and directed it since 1998.

The rating is the result of several tasting sessions carried out at the headquarters in Rome. The samples tasted are either sent in by producers or, more rarely, found in wine shops or restaurants. The best bottles, i.e. those that demonstrate excellent quality from an organoleptic point of view, are admitted to a final tasting session, during which the sommeliers decide on the awarding of the 5 Grappoli Bibenda prize.

Around 20,000 samples from 20,000 Italian wineries are currently being tasted. Out of these, more than 600 wine varieties are awarded and reviewed in the guide. These numbers alone are enough to give an idea of the huge amount of work that goes into the publication of the guide, which year after year is becoming increasingly complete and comprehensive. In fact, all types of wine produced at national level are taken into consideration: from Moscato, which is notoriously one of the most popular wines, to reds, passiti, whites, fortified wines and Nero d'Avola!

The final tasting phase takes place every year in July, August and September, while the guide is published during the autumn. This publication summarises scores on a scale of 100 obtained from the bottles reviewed:

• Rating of 5 / 91 to 100 / excellence
• Rating of 4 / 85 to 90 / high level and outstanding merit
• Rating of 3 / from 80 to 84 / good level and particular finesse
• Rating of 2 / 74 to 79 / medium level and pleasant quality

In addition to the wines, grappa and extra virgin olive oil are also reviewed according to the same criteria. The publication of the awards is complemented by a fact sheet with a full organoleptic description and suggested pairings. The objective is to promote the great excellences of the Italian panorama, emphasising the importance of this true cultural phenomenon. The purpose is noble and ambitious, supported and endorsed by all those quality producers who, with their work, tenacity and passion, have contributed to making Italy one of the countries with the most important and prestigious wine production.

The Excellence of the Italian Wine Scene

Thanks to the publication of the guide and the 5 Grappoli award, sommeliers have been able to promote and offer the excellence of Italian wine to an ever wider public. Over the years, these have been the best expressions of all the various types produced in the Italian peninsula: not only world famous masterpieces such as Brunello di Montalcino, a red wine from Tuscany produced in the province of Siena, or Barolo, but also rarer and more exclusive wines.

Some wines, benefiting from the prestigious recognition, have imposed themselves as iconic expressions and points of reference, dominating the market. This is the case, for example, of Lambrusco Otello Nero of Cantina Ceci, which was the first Lambrusco to obtain the maximum score in the history of the guide, and which has received it for several successive editions. The evaluation is carried out taking into account all the characteristics found during the tasting, which can be classified into three macro-categories: visual, olfactory and taste-olfactory. The perfect coherence between the various characteristics, together with final observations focused mainly on the evaluation of the level of quality and territorial typicality, determine the assignment of the final score. This is carried out by a team of competent and experienced sommeliers. The publication of the guide and the awards is anticipated each year by a list of the 10 best entries. This is a highly anticipated preview that highlights, among the various labels that have achieved the highest recognition, 10 absolute leaders in their category. In this regard, the editors have declared: "We are talking about wines that, in addition to having obtained the 5 Grappoli, have most impressed us, touched our sensibilities and conveyed great emotions". With these rankings and awards, the sommeliers have confirmed to wine-lovers that the level of quality in Italy is constantly improving, demonstrating that even wine-growing regions once considered second class are now producing great excellence.

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