Worldwide trade in and consumption of has suffered a great deal over the past decade. The bank crash of 2008 and the financial crisis and recession which followed, even in the most prosperous and developed countries of Europe, North America, and the Far East has had a powerful impact on the wine sector. Fine wine, after all, is not an essential item in the expenses of most families, and even those with the most disposable income tend to be more cautious in their spending when times are tough.

Certain zones and certain appellations, however, are the exception to this rule, and it is certainly not surprising that in Italy the most prestigious wines continue to sell well and offer new houses the possibility both to expand production and enter onto the market rather rapidly. In Italy these two zones are easy to identify: Barolo and Brunello, respectively the country’s most renowned expression of its two major grapes, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. Nowhere is this more evident than in Montalcino, where vineyard acreage has grown to close to 2000 acres for its Brunello and an additional 500 for its Rosso di Montalcino.

New producers, accordingly, abound, and few have had so immediate a success as the Querce Bettina cellars of Vilma Sandra Barenghi. The pace has been a rapid one: construction of the house of residence in the mid-1990’s, planting of the vineyards in March of 1999, and the termination of the construction of the cellars in 2003. The vineyards are located at  close to 1450 feet above sea level, an excellent site in its evening and nighttime coolness and a regular breeziness, healthful indeed for the vines. Neighboring estates number, among others, such well known names as Poggio Salvi and Mocali.

A decisive contribution over the years has been given by consulting winemaker Paolo Caciorgna, and the wines reflect the silky texture, the sweetness of fruit, and the amplitude on the palate which characterize his work. Small is beautiful: a mere 6000 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino, 9000 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino, but they are undeniably choice.