Vinitaly prepares to open its doors this weekend

Italy’s flagship wine show, Vinitaly, returns to Verona this weekend (7-10 April), boasting tastings and masterclasses, and showing the best wine that Italy has to offer. Db checks out what’s on offer.

Around 4,500 exhibitors from 35 countries will take part in the event, and organiser Veronafiere expects to welcome 130,000 visitors from more than 140 countries. Last year the number of accredited foreign buyers grew by 6% to around 32,000, along with growing international interest in markets including the US (up by 11%), China (34%), Scandinavia (17%) and Poland (27%).

Buyers from 50 countries have been invited to the 2019 edition, from mature markets such as Europe, North America and Australia, as well as from newer ones, including countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa.

The objective, VeronaFiere says, is to facilitate meetings on stands and through the ‘Taste and Buy’ matching service.

Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, said the business matching is part of a number of initiatives designed to make business flow more smoothly, from the dedicated app and multi-lingual portal, to new geolocation in the exhibition halls.

New for 2019

here are also new areas in the show itself, including The Organic Hall (Hall F), which aims to boost the visibility of companies focusing on sustainability, organic, biodynamic and natural wines. It includes VinitalyBio, as well as a section dedicated to artisan producers, created in collaboration with the Vi.Te collective, which will also organise a series of masterclasses featuring artisan wines.

Another addition for 2019 is The Vinitaly Design show (Hall F), where products designed for wine tasting and service, including furniture for wine cellars, wine bars and restaurants, and bespoke packaging, will be showcased.

“The two new sections at Vinitaly continue our move towards continuous b2b specialisation of the event,” Mantovani told the drinks business.

New exhibitors will be joining regular attendees in the International Wine Hall, where an official delegation from the Croatian Chamber of Economy is taking a stand for the first time. The number of exhibitors from France and Hungary has also risen, along with twice as many Spanish producers. Kosovo is also returning to the show.

Meanwhile, the relocation of VinitalyBio means there is more space for independent winemakers belonging to Fivi (The Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers) in Hall 8.

Growing interest in the International Wine Hall convinced the organisers to dedicate two meeting rooms to tasting, Mantovani said, alongside a wider calendar of workshops and tastings.

The tastings are one of the distinguishing features of Vinitaly. This year there will be more than 90, from the ‘Tasting ex … press’ featuring wines from around the world, the Tre Bicchieri walk-around of Italian wines with Gambero Rosso, to a tasting of ‘revolutionary wines’ by young, dynamic female winemakers guided by Ian D’Agata in collaboration with the Women of Wine Association.

Vinitaly’s appeal

Mantovani says Vinitaly’s appeal among wine professionals – buyers, restaurants, sommeliers, and technicians – is “truly 360°” – in part thanks to its focus on quality food that helps bring wine alive. This is complemented by having the International Exhibition of Quality Agro-Foods, Sol&Agrifood, and Enolitech running alongside the show.

“This distinctive feature is flanked by Vinitaly’s ability to help companies do business 365 days a year thanks to initiatives and promotion implemented in Italy and abroad through Vinitaly International,” said Mantovani.

As Mantovani argues, “The huge diversity of Italian wine can easily meet the needs of more mature markets in North America and Northern Europe.”

“Quality Italian wine has always been held in high regard but – unlike our main French competitors – we have never really promoted it in a unified manner,” he say. “Italian wine continues to grow in North America and Asia but we need to do more to improve awareness of its rich biodiversity, which includes over 540 native grapes. It is a wealth that may become a disadvantage if not appropriately explained.”

Vinitaly and the City 

Wine, culture, meetings and entertainment also come together in the squares of Verona for Vinitaly and the City, the off-show Vinitaly event that comprises four days of tastings alongside gourmet street food.

The off-show allows operators from all over the world keen to experience Verona by night, a unique experience with concerts, meetings and guided tours around the most evocative locations in the historic city centre. This year will see three theme-based Grand Wine Showcases set up in three locations around the city, highlighting “Red Wines”, “White, Rosè and International Wines” and “Sparkling Wines and the Great Italian Red Wines”.

Vinitaly and the City was spun out of the main event in 2016.

The success of the “buyers at the show and wine enthusiasts in the city” formula has proven us right,” Mantovani says.