Brunello di Montalcino estate Poggio Antico sold to Belgian investors

Highlights

Belgian energy investment company Atlas Invest has made its first strides into the wine sector with the purchase of Brunello di Montalcino producer Poggio Antico.

Poggio Antico sold to Atlas Invest

Brunello di Montalcino caught the eye of international investment company Atlas Invest, which hopes to expand and develop the winery and vineyards at Poggio Antico, its first acquisition in the wine sector.

The deal follows the sale of Brunello producer Biondi Santi at the turn of the year.

Atlas Invest, headed by Marcel van Poecke, has previously invested mainly in gas, oil and renewable energy, as well as property.

‘We see this investment as the first of its kind, and it was decided on after studying investment in the wine sector,’ CFO of Atlas Invest Didier Ryelandt told Decanter.com. ‘We found Poggio Antico to be a unique producer with a unique team attached.’

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The estate consists of 30 hectares of vineyard, along with farmland, olive groves and a restaurant.

It was sold for an undisclosed sum, but Montalcino News reported that Brunello di Montalcino vineyards sell for up to €500,000 per hectare.

Poggio Antico was founded in the late 1970s, and was taken up by Giancarlo and Nuccia Gloder in 1984. Their youngest daughter, Paola, has managed the estate for more than 30 years, aided by her husband Alberto Montefiori.

Atlas Invest said that it hoped to ensure a smooth transition of ownership, with the help of their new general manager Federico Trost, former sales director at Chianti producer Brancaia.

‘Over the last 30 years the Gloders have built an amazing company, which we hope to expand,’ said Ryelandt. ‘But we respect that we are still learning in this sector, and so we hope to capitalise on their experience.’

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With no prior involvement in the wine world and a global reach, presumably Atlas Invest could have had their pick of wine-producing regions. Why Brunello di Montalcino?

Ryelandt explained that Atlas Invest did extensive data analysis, and Tuscany came out on top as the best long-term investment. One appellation in particular piqued their interest:

‘The region Brunello di Montalcino ranks highly, it’s on the rise and has great potential for development. It’s a good first step for us, it’s not too big, not too small — with a good global reach.’

He added that CEO Marcel van Poecke was a ‘keen wine enthusiast’, but emphasised that the firm would only to be involved as an investor.

Written by Laura Seal for Decanter.com