There is an Italy that fascinates wine collectors. If in many ways it is that of the most established Italian wine tradition, with Piedmont and Tuscany at the forefront, there is certainly no shortage of surprises about what great enthusiasts are looking for. The shot sees iDealwine, leader in the universe of online wine auctions, behind the lens once again. The French portal photographed for WineCouture the performance of Italian labels within auction sales, recording how the Bel Paese, after the strong increase recorded in 2023, experienced a 2024 of substantial stability in volumes. Here are the records and performances of Italian collectible wines at auction on iDealwine last year.
Italian Wine Protagonist at Auction on iDealwine in 2024
On iDealwine, in the past 12 months, more than 15 thousand bottles (eq. 75 cl format) from abroad have been auctioned, placing the category in fourth place, in terms of figures, behind Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. A significant increase, which reflects the progressive internationalization process of the fine wine market, with enthusiasts who are diversifying their purchases, also orienting themselves towards regions located outside France.
Speaking of Italy, last year 7,786 Italian bottles were sold on iDealwine, with an average price of 93 euros. On the transalpine portal, the Bel Paese represents 51% of the total non-French sales volumes at auction, also occupying sixth place among the most sought-after wine regions.
There is a thirst for Italy, therefore, among collectors, with two regions highlighting a position of absolute pre-eminence in purchases: on the one hand Piedmont, with 4,297 bottles sold, or 55% of sales by volume; on the other hand Tuscany, which represents 28% but with a higher average price, with 122 euros per bottle compared to 89 euros for Piedmont labels.
Then, wines from the rest of Italy appear, with the large islands as protagonists. Curiously, the glass is colored almost exclusively red in auction purchases: with the typology, driven by its aging potential, accounting for 97% of volumes and 98% of value for Italian wines.
In this regard, it was precisely the more mature vintages that were most sought after last year: labels with more than 20 years behind them accounted for over 50% of sales, even if – and this is a counter-trend – their average price, 87 euros, was slightly lower than that observed in the entire peninsula. A curiosity that must be weighed carefully: in fact, there are more recent productions in Italy that are already arousing deep interest among international enthusiasts.
The Top 20 Most Loved Italian Estates
The Top 20 of the most appreciated Italian estates has changed profoundly in 2024. The magic of Nebbiolo has bewitched collectors, with Piedmont confirming its position of pre-eminence, occupying 13 of the 20 positions in the ranking.
Although the Piedmontese wines of Angelo Gaja climb the ranking, rising from eighth to third place, two Tuscan estates are imposing themselves at the top, after growth in both volumes and value: Ornellaia, at the top of the Top 20, and Tenuta San Guido (read Sassicaia), in second place.
If we then broaden our gaze, in the scenario little changed, with Piedmont and Tuscany playing a two-man game, with Giacomo Borgogno (11th position) and Pio Cesare (15th) new entries in the ranking, while the Giuseppe Mascarello winery is the protagonist of a leap forward from 18th to eighth place. Completing the Top 5 are Giuseppe Rinaldi and Comm. Giovan Battista Burlotto, closely followed by Giacomo Conterno and Tenuta Tignanello.
Collectible Italian wines: how Piedmont is doing
If the average prices of Italian wine at auction, explain the iDealwine data, are in a phase of stagnation or even decline, there is no shortage of surprises. The Vietti estate, for example, is the only one to have recorded a 33% increase in prices, reaching 122 euros: if its Barolo Riserva Villero 2001 was sold for 438 euros (16th among the most expensive wines of the year), a bottle from 1982 reached 405 euros, while a 1974 vintage of Barolo Castiglione, a true collector’s label, sparked a battle among enthusiasts, closing at 400 euros and +220% increase in offers.
In 2024, it is also worth noting that another well-known face from Piedmont, Roberto Voerzio, returned to the Top 20, thanks to growing volumes and a sharply rising average price: 180 euros, +33%.
Then, there is Angelo Gaja: among the absolute champions of Piedmont wine, he occupies third place in the Top 20 of the most desired estates by collectors, although his labels at auction on iDealwine recorded slightly lower prices in 2024, at 190 euros, -6%. Nonetheless, last year, the King of Barbaresco’s flagship cuvées were hugely successful: while a Magnum version of Langhe Doc Costa Russi from 1997 sold for 1,063 euros, or 531 euros if compared to the 0.75 lt format, after a 42% increase, a bottle of Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 1997 reached 500 euros (+7%), while the 2016 version reached 519 euros (+22%).
Tuscany of the big names
Tuscany, as mentioned, also shines in the ranking. It is a Masseto 2001 from Tenuta Ornellaia that wins the record for sales value, 1,313 euros, for 2024. Last year, the label saw 55 bottles put up for auction, sold for a record average price of 931 euros.
The performance of another icon, Sassicaia, is no less impressive, having seen an average value in 2024 identical to that of the previous year: 298 euros. A bottle of the most famous of Tenuta San Guido’s productions, in the 2016 vintage, 100/100 Wine Advocate, was sold for 454 euros, a value similar to that recorded in 2023.
But the real curiosity in the Top 20 comes from the half bottle of Vin Santo di Montepulciano Occhio di Pernice, signed Avignonesi and sold for 213 euros (425 euros if compared to the bottle format) to a Korean enthusiast.
New horizons for collectible Italian wines
The horizons, confirm 2024 on iDealwine, are increasingly broadening. Some estates that had already distinguished themselves previously have seen collectors’ interest in their wines confirmed. Like Giuseppe Quintarelli, a legend of Valpolicella, of which only 27 bottles went up for auction last year, with an Amarone Riserva 2007 sold for 750 euros.
But also watch out for Valentini’s Abruzzo, which sold 27 bottles at an average price of 207 euros and the exploit of a 1997 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, sold for 375 euros. Finally, Sicily is proving to be increasingly inspiring for new discoveries.
On Etna, Frank Cornelissen’s Magma is a true rare pearl, so much so that in 2024 only two bottles were sold, with the 2006 vintage reaching 350 euros. Tenuta delle Terre Nere also showed off, with its 2010 Etna Rosso Prephylloxera sold for 188 euros.
Finally, moving to Pantelleria, the Passito Sangue d’Oro by actress Carole Bouquet was sold for 76 euros, in a 0.5 lt bottle, 2010 vintage, demonstrating how much Italy still has to reveal.
