For the past four years, Wine Lister has been collaborating with Giovanni Mazzei (of Castello di Fonterutoli fame) on the worldwide launch of his new personal estate, IPSUS. Starting in 2019, Wine Lister conducted on Giovanni’s behalf an initial market analysis to inform his decision on the wine’s price positioning and reveal key competitors for the wine.

We also conducted label testing ahead of the first bottling, providing our expert feedback on the labels, capsule, and case. This was followed by the refinement of IPSUS’ communication materials, informed by our careful defining of the brand’s story and unique selling points. Once we had an arsenal of brand assets, we organised in July 2020 (under lockdown conditions) a series of virtual tastings with some of the leading figures in the international fine wine industry, including merchants, sommeliers, press, and influencers, such as wine auctioneer Jamie Ritchie, leading wine critic Jancis Robinson, and businessman and Instagram influencer Maximilian Riedel. This series of tastings is now an annual event each September, to mark the launch of the latest IPSUS vintage.

Wine Lister’s careful strategy and network activation encouraged the successful launch of the estate in the international fine wine sphere, with it now described by Antonio Galloni (Vinous) as having “the potential to be one of Italy’s most important wines”.