Planeta "Sicilia Establishes Position as a High-Quality Wine Producer... Will Raise Awareness in Korea"

Santi Planeta, Interview with Planeta Owner and Business General Manager

Italy's Sicily Top 3 Premium Winery, Planeta
Led the Shift from Cheap Bulk Wine Production to High-Quality Production
Domestic Shipments Steadily Increasing... Expected 30% Growth YoY This Year
Will Strengthen Marketing and Expand Lineup to Enhance Brand Awareness

Santi Planeta, Owner and Chief Business Manager of Planeta

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] "In the past, Sicily was known as a producer of cheap bulk wine, but now it is establishing itself as a producer of excellent quality wines that intricately express the characteristics of diverse terroirs by region."

Santi Planeta, owner and general manager of Planeta, a representative winery of Sicily, Italy, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 21st that while the founding motto was 'Reevaluation of Sicilian wine,' they are now focusing on delicately expressing the various terroirs throughout Sicily.

Planeta Leading the Shift in Perception of Sicilian Wine... Chardonnay as the Flagbearer

Planeta's flagship products, 'Planeta Chardonnay (left)' and 'Planeta Cometa'

Planeta is a family-run winery that launched its first product in 1995, centered around the late Diego Planeta, uncle of General Manager Santi Planeta. Along with Donnafugata and Tasca d'Almerita, Planeta is considered one of the three major premium wineries in Sicily. Currently, it cultivates vineyards organically and produces wine in five locations centered around Menfi in western Sicily, including Noto, Etna, Vittoria, and Capo Milazzo.

Planeta played a leading role in transforming Sicily into a region capable of producing high-quality wines. Until the 1980s, Sicilian wines were mostly bulk wines produced in large quantities from indigenous grape varieties and sold at low prices, resulting in low evaluations of the wines. The general manager explained, "We judged that premium wine production was fully possible because Sicily produces various grape varieties over a cultivation area twice the size of famous Italian regions like Piedmont and Tuscany. We focused on subdividing vineyards and planting diverse varieties to find the optimal grape for each terroir."

Through this work of finding grape varieties suited to regional terroirs, Planeta established the standard for Sicilian wine and took the lead in changing perceptions with the product that remains the winery's flagship to this day, the 'Planeta Chardonnay.' He said, "We judged that Sicilian Chardonnay has strength suitable for premium wine production, and as an international variety, it has high public recognition, making it appropriate as a representative product." He added, "Since then, through continuous research on varieties and soils, wines made from indigenous varieties such as ‘Cerasuolo di Vittoria’ now also possess sufficient international competitiveness."

Korea to Continue Growth in Wine Popularization... Will Enhance Competitiveness by Expanding Lineup

In Korea, Planeta wines are already gaining word-of-mouth popularity among enthusiasts, and sales are rapidly increasing. According to Shinsegae L&B, which has been importing Planeta products since 2018, Planeta's shipment volume increased by 10% in 2020 compared to 2019, and in the rapidly growing wine market last year, it rose by 59% year-on-year. This year is also expected to grow by about 30% compared to last year. Currently, Korea ranks fifth in volume of Planeta exports after the United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The general manager said the Korean wine market is attracting attention from Planeta and overseas wineries alike, as last year the global wine research organization Wine Intelligence ranked it as the second most attractive wine market. He emphasized, "Korea is a country with a highly developed wine drinking culture," adding, "People acquire necessary information through wine applications and naturally seek wine at wine bars or restaurants, which provides a foundation for Planeta to be a major player in Korea."

He continued, "We expect the growth of Italian wine to continue in line with the popularization of wine in Korea," and expressed, "Especially, Planeta wines are competitively positioned among Italian wines as they offer good value for money and suit Korean consumers' tastes, with a well-structured lineup."

Planeta plans to further strengthen its partnership with Shinsegae L&B and enhance marketing activities to raise awareness of Planeta wines among domestic consumers. The general manager, who plans to visit Korea annually starting this year, also intends to actively support by creating educational systems and marketing tools to introduce Planeta and Sicilian wines to Korean consumers.

He concluded, "Not only the currently well-known Chardonnay but also various high-quality Italian indigenous variety wines will be introduced in the future," and said, "I hope people trust that Planeta is a brand that makes excellent quality wines and experience a variety of wines."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.