VINITALY IS THE “STANDARD BEARER” OF ITALY’S GASTRONOMIC EXCELLENCE AT THE BEIJING OLYMPICS. TOGETHER WITH THE “BLUE” ATHLETES, VERONAFIERE AND THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, THEY ARE PROMOTING THE BEST OF ITALIAN WINE & FOOD

The Italian expedition to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing is not made up of athletes alone: there are also the champions of Italy’s top wine and food products who are participating together with Italy’s top “blue” (the official color of Italian athletes participating in the Olympics) athletes. And, like any respectable Olympic delegation, a standard bearer is a must. This year it is the turn of Vinitaly, “which has for years” – declared the Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia – “successfully brought Italian wine to China”. And now the Ministry has requested that Vinitaly coordinate the wine-bar (equipped with the latest technology like the “enomatic” machine that automatically pours glasses of wine) that will be open to the Olympic public until August 24th, offering the best that Italy’s enogastronomic culture can give.

DOCG, DOC and IGT wines will be offered every day during tastings accompanied by the food products that best represent Italian DOP and IGP quality, like prosciutto, cold cuts, cheeses, extra virgin olive oils and breads.
“These quality products and wine promote our territory. We want them” – explained Zaia – “to become known during an international occasion, like that of the Olympics”.

As well as tastings, in-depth information will also be distributed on the quality of Italian goods, with a special section dedicated to mozzarella di bufala from the Campania region.
The promotion of Italian style is once again through its food and wine and China is a new market for Italian products, in particular, wine which could have important prospects for growth, possibly even, by 2012, becoming the eighth largest market in the world.

“Precisely in China, at Shanghai, in 1998” – explained Giovanni Mantovani, the general manager of Veronafiere – “the globalizing of Vinitaly began. From this positive experience the Vinitaly World Tour began: an integrated promotional system that brings Italian producers to the most important emerging markets in the world, from the U.S. to India. In 2008, there will be three stops for Vinitaly China: from 19 to 22 November, in Shanghai, Beijing, and Macao”.
“Casa Italia”, where athletes and Vinitaly will reside during the Olympics, is located in the Haidian Exhibition Center and occupies almost 10,000 square meters. It is just a few kilometers from the Bird’s Nest stadium and near the Olympic Village.