Frequently Asked Question #76:

Q: How much revenue can I expect my vineyard to generate?

A: A difficult question! It's not possible to get a guarantee from the vendor - or indeed from any wine producer in Italy. In our property details we reproduce historical production data given to us, usually verbally, in good faith. Most small, unincorporated wine producers in Italy do not keep written records, or indeed perform any book-keeping whatsoever. The typical vendor is torn between two conflicting objectives: to maximise his declared revenue in order to attract a buyer, and to minimise his declared revenue in case the information should fall into the hands of the Italian tax authorities. Perhaps understandably, the usual response to this dilemma is to produce no revenue figures at all. Whether or not owners are legally obliged to keep these records is something we haven't managed to decisively fathom, but in any event it is an academic question. Italy is a country where laws which contradict eachother can co-exist on the statute books for decades: custom and practice is the key to resolving these contradictions, which (incidentally) is why the Italian legal system can appear so frustratingly opaque to foreigners.

However, we are generally able to verify that the historical production figures given to us by the vendor are realistic, given the area of vineyard and our knowledge of past harvests in the region. Variables that affect yield include the weather, pruning technique, choice of fertilizers, and whether the grapes have been sold, or used to make wine. To explain the last of these factors:when the grapes are sold, the producer will generally manage for high yield while disregarding quality - but if the intention is to make wine, the producer will usually aim for high quality and therefore reduced yield.

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