Vini Lunardelli (formally ''Alessandro Lunardelli'') is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, notorious for selling wine bottles featuring an image of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

slogans, and bottles with an image of

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

and communist slogans, but the trademark's owner decided to stop this form of marketing from 2023.

History

It was founded in Pasian di Prato in 1968 by Alessandro Lunardelli, who came from a

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

family with wine industry traditions. Initially, the winery sold its wine in bulk, but has been selling its own bottlings since 1990. In 1987, Alessandro's son Andrea Lunardelli joined the company, and has been in charge of Vini Lunardelli's marketing, which has been successful but have sparked significant controversy.Vini Lunardelli.com: The story
/ref> Annual production is around 100,000 bottles, and include several different white and red varieties produced in different

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

areas within Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Controversial labels

In 1995 Vini Lunardelli started to sell bottles with pictures of historical personalities, including highly controversial persons, under the name "Historical line" (''Linea della storia''). Many of their labels seem to be taken from historical posters and sometimes include propaganda slogans. The around 60 different labels are not tied to specific wines, but can be bought on any of Vini Lunardelli's wine bottles. Separate collection of motifs of the "Historical line" include: * ''Il ventennio'', featuring pictures of Benito Mussolini. * Communist Collection, with

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quot ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

, Josip Broz Tito,

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

and others. * ''Der Führer'', with pictures of

Eva Braun Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich when she was a 17-year-old assistant and model for his ...

, Rudolf Hess,

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

and others, some of them including

slogans. * Miscellaneous other images, such as Napoleon I of France and

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

. Especially the Hitler labels, and to some extent the Mussolini labels, have been the subject of outrage and accusations of spreading fascist propaganda, especially from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where the use of such images and slogans is strictly regulated. However, the historical line seems also to have been a commercial success for Vini Lunardelli, which claims to sell around 50% of their production with labels from this line. In September 2007, 20,000 of Vini Lunardelli's bottles bearing labels from "Der Führer" line were confiscated by the Italian police, but were returned in October 2007 after a court decision.Decanter.com October 19, 2007: Italian court says OK to Hitler wines
/ref>

References

External links

Vini Lunardelli official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunardelli, Vini Wineries of Italy Italian companies established in 1968