The ColleMassari Group prioritized web platforms, retail distribution, and the organic market in response to the pandemic. However, they recognize that a traditional toast will always be a special moment for wine.

ColleMassari is a rather unusual wine cellar in that it embraces three estates and three different designations: the winery was founded in 1998 in the Montecucco production area (Maremma); in 2002 Grattamacco, an historic label based in Bolgheri producing the Tuscan Bordeaux, joined the group, followed in 2011 with the acquisition of Poggio di Sotto, not far from Montalcino, where Brunello is made. Giampiero Pazzaglia became CEO of the ColleMassari Group in 2016, having previously been in charge of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium for three years. He was called in by the Tipa-Bertarelli family to ensure full support for group companies. “They are all distinct realities yet they all share the Tuscan spirit and strong bonds with the local territory,” said Pazzaglia. "They each have their own character and all require their own specific promotion: Bolgheri can already compete on markets for local wine, whereas ColleMassari - a new designation - needs more investment. The group's brand name then ensures support for the individual companies, not the least since there are so many channels and such a broad spectrum for action: from large-scale retail distribution to on-line platforms, from the horeca sector to collectors." The Tuscan group boasts 200 hectares of vineyards and 14,000 olive trees and was one of the first major Italian companies to invest in organic farming from the early 2000s. "Until five years ago, there was no particular sensitivity in Italy as regards organic produce: the brand was more important than the way wine is made," said the CEO of ColleMassari. “The international market has responded well, especially Northern Europe and the United States (and California in particular). Our wines cover different price ranges, from €12-15 to €150-200: being organic is very useful as regards penetrating major markets and international retail chains." When the pandemic broke out in 2020, the ColleMassari Group was already active on channels such as supermarket chains and on-line platforms. "Thank goodness we had already focused on this approach,” Pazzaglia added. “September 2020 performed just like September 2019, whereas in November and December we lost 4.5% compared to 2019. But all told, things were not so bad. We had other goals… yet managing to match 2019 figures was a fine result. At home consumption is not a market that interests us. We are interested in socialising contexts." This also applies as regards promotion. “We'd hoped that Vinitaly would only have been postponed for a couple of months. Instead, we had to send samples to our customers and talk about our terroirs on Zoom," Pazzaglia concluded. “It was by no means an easy task, since meeting people face to face is so important. We have lost some of our humanity. Instead, we should raise a toast and dash the glass."