Chianti Classico launches a regional portal

The Chianti Classico consortium has used the lockdown period to create a digital gateway to the region. 

Chianti Classico's new site
Chianti Classico's new site

The Chianti Classico consortium has launched a digital platform on behalf of its members, creating a portal where consumers can find information about individual estates and, in many cases, buy their wines.

“We started to workon this project in response to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Silvia Fiorentini, marketing and communication manager of Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico told Meininger’s. “As you know, our Chianti Classico wines are mainly sold through the HoReCa channels, and with the lockdown, this sector suffered a lot.”

The new site, which can be navigated in either Italian or English, offers not just information about the regions and its wineries, but also tourism information. Consumers can search to see which estates offer accommodation complete with a gym or tennis court, or who’s doing cooking classes.

The site also connects to wineries’ own online stores, where relevant.

“Online sales will remain something to invest in,” said Fiorentini. “We are planning to develop this project further in the future, since we think that the habits of consumers are changed due to the pandemic and there will remain a predisposition to buy online, even after it.”

The online project was conceived and executed during the Italian lockdown. The Consorzio has launched other projects as well, from social media campaigns to short videos about different aspects of Chianti Classico.

From mid-May onwards, the site will also feature online chats with Valentino Testi, winner of the Best Italian Sommelier of 2019.

While the wine world has been quick to move online, from running online tastings to regular webinars that have become shows in their own right, the regional wine bodies have not, so far, shown many signs of showcasing their regions digitally.

Clearly this is about to change, as the new Chianti Classico site shows. Such projects will be increasingly important in the coming months, as consumers look to explore wine regions without leaving their own homes.

Felicity Carter

 

 

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