Events

Putin and Ferrari
March 2007

President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Romano Prodi toasted with sparkling Ferrari at a recent Italian-Russian summit in Bari.

Their official lunch was opened with Ferrari Perle 2001 and finished with Segnana Solera grappa (also Ferrari’s brand).

The Russian president has known Ferrari wines for several years. From summer 2001, to be precise, when he first tasted the spumante at the G8 summit in Genova. After Putin’s positive remarks Romano Prodi, then Head of the European Commission, asked Gino Lunelli, owner of Ferrari, to send a case of sparkling wine to the Russian president. Soon the parcel was dispatched to the address “Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin, Moscow”, but it never reached the receiver as it was stopped at the Russian customs.

Remembering this episode, Ferrari sent a new gift set to Bari. The case was engraved with the words “To His Excellence Vladimir Putin”. Six years later the wines have finally reached the Russian president — and this time grappa was also included along with the sparkling Ferrari wines.