Leading Italian winemaker Masi Agricola has revealed the Costasera Lunar – New Year of the Dragon, a limited-edition expression to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. This is a special expression of Masi Amarone Costasera 2018. The edition was conceived and developed in partnership with China Duty Free Group.
The launch follows the successful release of the limited-edition Year of the Rabbit 2023 packaging for Amarone Costasera 2017.
“A homage to the Orient,” the expression represents the brand’s established presence in Asian markets, the company noted. Masi has been distributing its Amarone wines in the region for more than 40 years.
Masi Agricola Sales Director Alessandra Boscaini said: “Asian markets have always played a fundamental role in our international growth and brand vision.
“Chinese culture in particular, with its millenary history, boasts an incredible wealth of symbols and traditions from which we drew inspiration for the Costasera Lunar collection, promoted on WeChat and Little Red Book, the most popular ecommerce and social networking platforms in Asia, with significant influence on the area’s growing community of consumers.”
Masi Export and Travel Retail Sales Director Pier Giuseppe Torresani said: “Travel retail has always been a key pillar of Masi’s distribution strategy. In recent years, the growing interest and passion for wine in Asia, have led Masi to establish new collaborations with the most important operators in the area. The Nectar Costasera Amarone Lunar edition not only celebrates the new year but also symbolizes the partnership between Masi and CDFG.”
The Costasera Lunar – New Year of the Dragon features a festive packaging design, including red motifs and majestic floating golden dragon, a symbol of the popular traditional dance in Chinese culture.
The dragon represents good fortune, strength and dignity, as well as fertility, wisdom and opulence.
The packaging promotes the message of good fortune for the year to come and also evokes the idea of complexity, which is synonymous with the characteristics of the Amarone della Valpolicella wine, the brand owner noted.
This year’s special edition is the second in the Lunar New Year series, featuring 12 collectors’ bottles.
These wines – suitable for long ageing – are presented in individual boxes with designs drawn from the iconography of the zodiac and explanations of their meaning.
The Costasera Lunar – New Year of the Dragon is also available through enotecamasi.it for Western consumers.
TASTING NOTES
Look: Opaque ruby red.
Nose: Baked fruit, plums, cherries, sweet spices.
Palate: Well-structured but smooth, with ripe fruit and soft tannins; extremely long and persistent finish. ✈
