December
19, 2008
Gruppo Italiano
VIni (GIV) Merges with Cantine Riunite & CIV
Italian Wine
News
Roma, Lazio
December 18th
The financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported today on
the 80 million euro acquisition of the Verona-based Gruppo
Italiano Vini (GIV) by the newly established Cantine Riunite
& CIV—the latest in a series of deals that make
the three companies Eupope’s largest wine group.
News of the GIV merger with Cantine Riunite & CIV comes
a few weeks after the GIV own acquisition of Bolla and Fontana
Candida from US importer Brown-Forman earlier this month,
for an estimated 22 million euro. While the partnership
between Cantine Riunite and CIV took place on September
1st, joining 2,800 producers from Emilia-Romagna
and Veneto.
The newly established conglomerate boasts 450 million euro
in sales and an annual 250 million bottle production, making
it the largest wine group in Europe and among the top 5
in the world.
Gruppo Italiano Vini-GIV—a group of wineries representing
a total of 1,250 hectares of vineyards throughout Italy,
including Formentini in Collio (Fiuli
Venezia-Giulia), Lamberti Santi and the recently purchased
Bolla in Valpolicella and Fontana Candida in Frascati (Veneto),
Nino Negri in Valtellina (Lombardia),
Ca’ Bianca (Piemonte),
Melini and Machiavelli (Toscana),
Bigi (Umbria),
Castello Monaci (Puglia),
Terre degli Svevi (Basilicata)
and Rapitalà (Sicilia).
Cantine Riunite—the largest producer of Lambrusco
and other sparkling wines from Emilia Romagna and largest
Italian wine exporter with sales in more than 50 countries
worldwide. Founded in 1950, today it is a 1,500-member cooperative
in the Reggio Emilia area, in addition to purchasing in
2002 the prosecco producer Cantine Maschio, with a total
annual production of 70 million bottles.
CIV—founded in 1961 as Vini di Castelfranco Emilia,
today it is a cooperative representing 1,800 members and
a total of 2,300 hectares of vineyards throughout the Modena
area, producing about 40 million bottles of mostly Lambrusco
a year.
|
