As a birthday present for the president of the United States, who is
passionate about wine, Berlucchi offered him a truly unique bottle
With
the economy struggling, President Obama may well
resort
to a tall glass of this birthday wine gift from Italy.
L'Espresso, Italy
With Love from Italy, Happy Birthday President
Obama
"He
may not be a sommelier, but he’s certainly no simpleton regarding wine. Barack
Obama - before being able to tap into the outstanding wine cellar at the White
House - was proud of his collection at his house in Chicago, which included about
a thousand bottles of mostly American but also Italian and French."
For the birthday of the wine connoisseur
and president of the United States, Berlucchi has dedicated a
truly unique bottle.
He may not be a sommelier, but he’s certainly
no simpleton regarding wine. Barack Obama - before being able to tap into the
outstanding wine cellar at the White House - was proud of his collection at his
house in Chicago, which included about a thousand bottles of mostly American
but also Italian and French.
What are his favorite wines?
Those produced in the country he leads but which are nurtured by Italian oenologists. Proof of this are
the gifts Obama bestowed during the G8 in L’Aquila, Italy: for Italian Prime Minister
Berlusconi, a Vermentino
from the Raffaldini Vineyards - a North Carolina company with a very Italian
name - and for the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano,
l’Octagon 2005, which comes from the Barboursville
Vineyards estate run by Gianni Zonin in Virginia. This is an estate that
historically links wine to an American president; it was built based on the
vision of the legendary Thomas
Jefferson.
It is with reverence for the Italian
tricolor that Guido Berlucchi & Co., one of the leading names specializing
in the classical method of producing “spumante” wine, crafted a unique
bottle for Barack Obama’s 50th birthday, to be celebrated on August 4th.
Naturally, it's a special
bottle: the Franciacorta
DOCG ’61 Brut magnum is a stylish opaque white, streamed with thin red crisscrossing
lines that give it a pleasant, sinuous effect. On the front, lettered in blue
and red, appears, “Happy Birthday President Obama,” along with the date in a slightly
smaller font, “August 4th, 2011” - the day the president turns half a century
old. Even the capsule - in blue
marine decorated with precious white enamel stars - recalls elements of the
American flag.
Shipped from Borgonato where
Guido Berlucchi & Co. is based, and addressed to the White House, the
bottle was entirely hand-decorated by a team of local artisans: a further
testament to Italian creativity and talent.
The focus on the United States
is by no means casual: This summer, the Brescia company reinforced its
commercial links with the States: Just days ago, an agreement was inked with
Paterno Imports, Ltd., a reputable importer of premium and super-premium wines,
to distribute Berlucchi to a market that already appreciates Italian bubbly and
offers important prospects.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
For the record, the agreement
was signed in a very important year for Berlucchi, which is celebrating the 50th
anniversary since its first bottle. The Pinot of Franciacorta
signaled the birth of the company - for which Italy's minister of economic development
and the Italian Postal Service dedicated a commemorative stamp [see photo box,
upper right]. But just as rightly celebrated is the 80th birthday of Franco Ziliani, whose
intuition and willingness to gamble led to the birth of that first bottle and who brought higher
quality to the Franciacorta region - now one of the “pearls”
of Italian wine production. (August 30, 2011)
