Citra 50th Anniversary: a vision become reality

Fifty years of Citra, an exceptional occasion to celebrate this cooperative which brings together 9 wineries in the province of Chieti and represents a unicum in the panorama of Central Italy.

Founded in 1973, Citra is currently the main winery in Abruzzo , capable of producing 22 million bottles, 60% of which destined for over 50 markets around the world.

An exciting anniversary in an exceptional setting, the Teatro Tosti, located in the center of Ortona, the city where Citra is based. On the occasion of the event, aimed at representatives of the social base and local stakeholders, a conference was organized entitled "We have been CITRAMANDING Wines, Faces, Values with an eye to the future for 50 years", moderated by the Managing Director of Wine Meridian, Fabio Piccoli.

Sandro Spella, President of Citra did the honors, introducing the first part of the conference (dedicated to institutions), opened by the words of the archbishop of the Lanciano/Ortona diocese, HE Mons. Emidio Cipollone , who wanted to reiterate the value symbolic of the title, enclosed in the neologism "Citramandiamo" which refers to the legacy of those who had the courage and the will to start this splendid adventure in 1973: "Talking about wine is not only about organoleptic characteristics, viticulture, is something more. To speak of wine is to speak of joy, happiness, life and salvation: the Bible speaks of wine 224 times. Around wine there are faces, values. Handing down wine means, in fact, handing down faces and values".

"This reality produces 40% of the wines bottled in Abruzzo, it is not a heritage of Ortona, it is a regional and national heritage" highlighted the Mayor of Ortona, Leo Castiglione , "This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Ortona, from there we started again and Citra is an excellence that represents this rebirth. Citra works for and with the territory, when initiatives are organized in the social field, Citra is always present".

"I was reading some data concerning Citra, 22 million bottles produced, of which 60% destined abroad in more than 50 global markets" pointed out Senator Etelwardo Sigismondi , "This means bringing our territorial and cultural heritage throughout the world".

The National President of the Movimento Turismo Vino association, Nicola D'Auria highlighted the importance of Citra not only as a productive reality but also as an ambassador of Abruzzo wine : "Citra with all its producers represents an important image, behind this world of wine there are women, men and families".

"Citra has shown great foresight" began the National President of the Città del Vino association, Angelo Radica "in particular in relation to 2 aspects: Fifty years ago it decided to put together different realities to create a second-level cooperative, I think it is "It was an uncomfortable but ingenious idea. The second element concerns investments in the sparkling wine category, which is underdeveloped in Abruzzo, another sign of foresight".

"This territory is a cornerstone of wine production , it is one of the major reference points of the regional economy" declared Marco Marsiglio, President of the Abruzzo Region , "Export is growing, international appreciation is ever wider. The Region Abruzzo will continue to support and enhance the sector, because it is a production intimately linked to the territory and its people".

After the testimonies of the authorities, Sebastiano Porello, former President of Citra and former President of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo , started the conference, making an excursus on the development and goals achieved by the cooperative: "Citra was the first reality in Abruzzo to enter the GDO, in Esselunga to be precise. Growth was significant, thanks to the collaboration with Alitalia and Lufthansa Citra was able to open up and make itself known from all over the world. On the basis of these successes, it was decided to invest in technology and human resources. Relations have also been established with other large-scale distribution brands and the focus has been on quality rather than quantity. What Abruzzo can do in terms of quality and quantity is difficult to replicate in other areas of the world" .

Riccardo Cotarella, World President of the Oenologists and, since 2017, at the helm of the Citra-Wine-Team cited a brief anecdote emblematic of the importance of Citra and of the cooperative cellars: "Twenty years ago, I remember one of the phrases that I have never forgotten . When farmers went to cooperatives they said: "I'm going to the cellar to unload the grapes". The verb "unload" is symbolic of the low value one gave to one's product. I am convinced that this attitude has changed above all thanks to cooperative wineries, they are a lever that will lift the world of wine. A fundamental problem remains to be solved with regard to Abruzzo wine, 30% of bottled wine is too low a percentage".

Fabiola Di Loreto, National Director of Confcooperative, intervened on the importance of cooperation: "We need a critical mass, we need volumes, we need production constancy and this is guaranteed only by aggregation. Today, cooperatives make excellent productions, I believe that the system has taken important steps but there is still room. Furthermore , the cooperative system has an extra value, the intergenerational one".

Denis Pantini, Head of Wine Monitor of Nomisma has pitted some key data to understand the current situation: "In the last 25 years, the export of Abruzzo wines has quadrupled, reaching 219 million euros. Europe and North America have a very important important, but Abruzzo wines have also expanded greatly in Asia (9% of the total).The large-scale distribution is an important channel, in 2022 there was a contraction but the current results are still higher than in the pre-pandemic period. Horeca recovered and returned to pre-Covid-19 values in 2022. Abruzzo wine had the ability to grow in value by 12.5%, but generic wine still has too much influence, as much as 46%. This product fails to express its potential. Cooperation is important for the development of territories, we have a fragmented fabric. On average, wineries cultivate just 3 hectares, in Abruzzo this figure is even lower, on average 2 hectares".

"Communicating wine is very difficult" noted Adua Villa - digital entrepreneur, sommelier and journalist - "cooperative companies like Citra have a unique strength from them, they are born in an exceptional area. The bottle must be the vehicle for telling stories, the world of wine has a very B2B communication, aimed at operators. The bottle of wine is difficult to communicate, but for this very reason communication through values is important . Abruzzo is receiving great attention, there is an ever wider echo The table and the wine are vehicles for this territory".

In conclusion, Giuseppe Colantonio, Marketing Manager of Citra presented a preview of the packaging of the special and numbered edition of the Laus Vitae line, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Citra : "Today, we reveal the packaging, but it is only the first event of this fiftieth itinerant Laus Vitae contains three meanings, a thank you to life, a praise to the vine, to the vineyards and is a poem by our Vate, Gabriele D'Annunzio, in which he explains panism, the visceral relationship between man and nature. Laus Vitae was awarded by Vinitaly as the third best label, and we also won the special "Technology and Innovation" award for the bag-in-box Ortense d'Autore – Pecorino Terre di Chieti IGT, created by our creative designer, Pina D 'Eusanius ".

"We are committed to actively contributing to the economic and social progress of the area" pointed out Fabio De Dominicis, General Manager of Citra "by identifying strategies of both technological innovation and maximum respect for the environment. The Equalitas Sustainable Wine certification is an important goal that underlines the standard achieved and is part of the broader project "WE CULTIVATE VALUES FOR THE FUTURE".

In conclusion Sandro Spella, President of Citra , remarked "the company mission is to promote, but above all, make the most of the quality of the grapes of our three thousand members, the soul of Citra. Every day, we work with the commitment to make the our best territory both for all of us and for future generations. Citra is and will remain a "flywheel" for the development of viticulture in Abruzzo, the numbers prove it, we are the largest community of winemakers in Central Italy and we are aware of the great responsibility we have towards the entire production chain, this is true for today, but above all, for the future. We need unity, to be together."

To seal this important half-century of Citra, the performance of the soprano Katia Ricciarelli and the tenor Francesco Zingariello who delighted those present with a spectacular interpretation of "Libiamo ne' felici calici", a famous episode from the first act of Giuseppe Verdi's Traviata . paid homage to the Ortonese composer Tosti intoning "A vucchella" (in Italian "the mouth") and to top it all off, all Citra employees took the stage singing "We are the Citra" to the "revisited" notes of Queen. A 50th anniversary to remember, to frame, to hand down.