It’s that time of year again and the 2011 wine guides are now reaching newsstands and bookstores. This year it was decided not to send out samples of the 2008 Gladius Roccamonfina IGT (the 2006 and 2007 vintages were past winners of Three Glasses and Super Three Stars) to allow this Aglianico all the ageing time it needs and let it show what it can really do. Nevertheless, Tenuta Adolfo Spada’s other labels garnered positive reviews from the experts, as did the winery overall. 

Slow Food’s new Slow Wine Guide awarded Ernesto and Vincenzo Spada’s enterprise “The Bottle,” which is a tribute for the overall high quality of all of the wines tasted. 

Gambero Rosso simply commented that the Gladius, “one of the best reds of recent seasons,” needed a tad more time before it was ready, and went on to award “Two Glasses” to the 2009 Fiorflores, plus One Glass each to the Gallicius 2009 red Aglianico and white Falanghina. 

2011 is also the winery’s debut year in Duemila Vini, the guide to the wines of Italy produced by the Associazione Italiana Sommelier. “The exquisite perfection of the Sabus 2009, one of the best – possibly the best – monovarietal Piedirossos to be found on sale” was the comment, accompanied by Four Clusters. Another Four Clusters was awarded to the Fiorflores 2009 and Three Clusters went to both the Gallicius 2009 Aglianico and the Falanghina. The Veronelli wine guide conferred its top Three Stars award this year on the new Falanghina Selezione Fiorflòres, with Two Stars for the Sabus Piedirosso 2009, the Gallicius 2009 Aglianico and the Falanghina. In his yearbook of top Italian wines, Luca Maroni scored the Sabus 2009 at 90/99 and gave 89/99 to the Fiorflores 2009, defining them as “two wines of superior excellence” and the result of “winemaking of outstanding production integrity.” More awards were forthcoming at the Merano Wine Festival, with high marks for both the 2007 Gladius and the 2009 Fiorflores, two of the wines selected to participate in the prestigious event. Last but not least, the high-profile Decanter Magazine gave “Three Stars (recommended)” to the Gladius 2007, which had already been reviewed the previous year by Wine Advocate, where it scored 90/100. 

Tenuta Adolfo Spada joined the Slow Food Wine Project in 2011. 

This three-year program, coordinated by the Banca del Vino, includes a wide range of promotional and teaching activities involving wine sector businesses. The aim is to educate and to promote high-quality wine. 

 The Banca del Vino is housed in the 19th-century Agenzia di Pollenzo cellars, located on the Langhe border. Its mission is to develop a historical memory for Italian wine. 

 With a collection of over 100,000 bottles of wine from 300 of the finest Italian viticultural enterprises, the Banca del Vino has created a museum that is open to the public and offers sampling tours, tastings, events and activities to promote the image and culture of winemaking. 

- Vinitaly, Verona, 7-11 April 2011. The Banca del Vino was hosted at the Slow Food stand, with a selection of labels from its wine project; 

- Slow Fish, Genoa, 27-30 May;

- Cheese, Bra (Cuneo), 16-19 September. 

Tenuta Adolfo Spada joined FIVI, the Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers, in July 2010. FIVI’s president is Costantino Charrère of the Le Cretes di Aymavilles (Aosta) winery; Ernesto Spada was appointed VP.

FIVI: numbers and objectives. 

The Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers boasts in excess of 600 members across Italy, who produce and market over 35,000,000 bottles of quality wine, coming from over 5,500 hectares under vine. 

The independent winegrower is one who is involved in all three production phases, vine cultivation, winemaking, and marketing. FIVI, alongside fellow vigneron associations from France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary and Luxembourg, is a member of CEVI, the European Confederation. Strength of numbers and participation means CEVI is always involved in wine negotiations both in Brussels and at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. 

In May 2010, Mrs Patrizia Santerini Spada, joined the Campania branch of the “Donne del Vino” association of women in winemaking. 

Donne del Vino is a national association of women producers, restaurateurs, wine merchants, oenologists, sommeliers, journalists and communicators from all over Italy, whose activities promote wine and territorial culture. 

The association, founded in 1988, is one of the most active and well-established in the vast panorama of interests that revolves around the winemaking sector, which is usually very male-oriented. 

This unique organization is singular for its farsighted and up-to-the-minute outreach skills. The Campania delegation, led by producer Maria Ida Avallone, with approximately 65 members, opened in the early 1990s with only six women. 

Now, just a decade on, it boasts a leading role in the promotion of the region’s gourmet food and wine, and of female expertise, carving out a special niche in a nationwide scenario. 

In 2010 Elena Martusciello, time-honoured Campania member and producer, was actually elected national president.