Vinitaly returns to Chengdu

Vinitaly is returning to this year’s Chengdu Wine Fair next month, showcasing wines from 14 Italian wineries and 12 Chinese importers, aiming to, “make the Chinese market fall head over heels for Italian producers” where Italian wines still only account for less than 6% of wines sold in mainland China.

From 18 to 21 March, Vinitaly China will present several B2B walk-around tastings at the Shangri-la Hotel Chengdu, executive seminars from the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) and a range of different masterclasses organised in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

One highlight of this year’s masterclasses is one dedicated to introducing the Chinese trade to the ‘5StarsWines – the book’, a guide that features only wines rated 90 points or above after 60 famous international wine virtuosos together with a group of Italian experts blind-tasted samples during a three-day grand tasting organised every year by Veronafiere and Vinitaly.

The tasting aims to give “greater visibility to a range of different and worthy winemakers while also letting the public discover new under-the-radar products”, said the trade organisation.

This year, the main show of Chengdu Wine Fair will kick off from 22 to 24 March at Western China International Expo City.