Leading Italian winemaker Masi Agricola has revealed a new look for its Fresco di Masi expression. The Masi Bottle has been developed through a year-long collaboration with international architect and designer Piero Lissoni and design and glass container specialist Verallia.
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report, Masi Agricola Marketing Director and Masi Technical Group Coordinator Raffaele Boscaini said that the bottle, which is significantly lighter than the previous version, “not only enhances and gives shape to the 2022 Fresco di Masi vintage but also gives it a voice”.
“We have chosen to use our new identifying bottle initially for Fresco di Masi as a product that is a real emblem of sustainability. Our research focused not only on seeking the very essence of the wine but also the essential nature of its bottle.”
As reported, Masi’s Fresco di Masi – a wine which the renowned Venetian producer says offers a “renewed vision of sustainability” – was launched globally in 2021.
The 100% organic red and white expressions are created with a protocol for processing based on ‘subtraction’. According to Masi, this process “minimises man’s intervention on nature”, and marks a return to the “essential nature of wine”.
The name ‘fresco’ or ‘fresh’ highlights the concept of naturalness. Organic grapes are hand harvested during the coolest hours and vinified immediately, without drying and without the wine being aged in wood. The wine is decanted and not filtered.
The Masi Bottle concept is based on a production ethic of sustainability achieved by creating a lightweight bottle through a ‘virtuous circle’, involving the reduction of raw material needed for production and the consequent decrease in energy required for processing, transport and handling.
The new Masi Bottle weighs -33% less than the average bottle of similarly positioned wines. “The quest for lightness has been accompanied by a focus on aesthetics and design for the shape of the container that also shapes the contents,” Boscaini said.
“All this while pursuing maximum efficiency and quality, to arrive at a bottle that is slim and elegant but strong and resistant at the same time too.
“I am enthusiastic and proud to have reached this milestone and have our own, identifying bottle. Masi always looks to approach its business with a very strong identity and what could express this in a more unique manner than the bottle that gives shape to our wine? The form also influences the ‘voice’ of the wine, as the accentuated neck of the Masi Bottle emphasises the characteristic ‘glug’ during pouring.
“You could say we had the colour and the taste of our wine; all that was missing was the sound and now we have that as well,” he added.
Boscaini underlined the bottle’s transparency “which yields a sensation of almost holding the wine in the palm of your hand” and the Fresco di Masi presentation, which is fully sustainable and includes a recycled paper label and fully recyclable capsule and natural cork stopper.
According to Boscaini, the decision to develop a new bottle “defines what Masi is all about”. He said: “It is about depth; a 250-year history, a brand rooted in tradition but willing to take on new challenges at the same time to ensure further growth from our solid base.
“We can be a leader in tradition and heritage and a trend maker at the same time. The real challenge is to be innovative while maintaining your identity and celebrating your history without making unnecessary changes.
“I feel this is part of Masi’s aim to look to the future without fireworks, part of a long-term strategy which is based on sustainability and upholding our values.
“Fresco di Masi is not a sudden project, but it is integrated with our Masi Green philosophy, where care and respect of the environment are part of our culture. Our guiding principle is thankfulness towards our earth, which has always given us its fruits; it is our duty to be generous in return, paying our respect to the earth’s bounty and generosity.”
Commenting on his role in developing the bottle, Lissoni said: “With this project, we have chosen to convey our great respect for wine and give shape to the beauty of a container that holds one of the world’s most precious liquids.
“The Masi Bottle has been created around two elements: lightness and strength. To design it, we asked ourselves if it would be possible to reduce the quantity of glass, to make it more efficient, thin and delicate, without losing its strength.
“Thanks to its design, we have managed to save a few hundred grams of glass. This effectively reduces the quantity of energy needed to manufacture it, as well as to transport it.”
Verallia Sales and Marketing Manager Diego Dallatorre commented: “For Verallia, it was a great honour to help develop Masi’s very own personalised bottle.
“We adhered to the project right away, due to its very innovative characteristics and because it is in line with our aims to lighten the glass, with a view to optimising the sustainability of the containers we produce. In addition to strengthening the 30 years of collaboration we have enjoyed to date with Masi, it was a real challenge, because before no such glass bottle, so light in weight, actually existed.”
On the 2022 Fresco di Masi vintage, Boscaini said the wines offer an “immediate perception of freshness”.
“Fresco di Masi’s strength is in its simplicity and its ability to make you feel you are back at your grandfather’s house, enjoying his favourite wine. It is linked to informality and the ability to appreciate a wine which is comparatively low in alcohol content. It can be served at lunch, and paired with everything from pizza to rather simple street food.”
Fresco di Masi Rosso Verona IGT offers hints of fresh fruit, including pomegranate and currants, with the essential flavour of cherry allowing its Verona origin to show through. Fresco di Masi Bianco Verona IGT features hints of pineapple and citrus fruits and delicate aromas of wild flowers. 
*In 2021 The Moodie Davitt Report launched a regular eNewsletter series that offers a curated selection of stories focused on the growing wine category in travel retail and beyond. We do so in association with leading Italian producer Masi Agricola. As with all Moodie Davitt Report media, Wine Curated is free of charge. If you would like to be added to its mailing list (or to those for any other Moodie Davitt titles), please contact Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com
