Assoenologi 2021 convention: politics, market and marketing, research and Italian wine

The 75th edition of the Italian winemakers association, Assoenologi Convention has been rescheduled in Verona on December 4th and 5th, 2021. It was to be held in Genoa (where it will return in 2022), but was postponed due to Covid-19. The main topics will be politics, the market, marketing, research and above all, Italian wine. It will also be a moment to celebrate the organization’s 130th anniversary, the oldest in its category worldwide. The stars will be “modern winemakers, who are the true and most important ambassadors of today’s wine”, Riccardo Cotarella, president of Italian oenologists (and Internationally, as president of Union Internationale des Oenologues), told WineNews offering some previews.
“It will be held at VeronaFiere. We have chosen the city of Vinitaly because it is the center of Italian communication on wine, and also a symbolic place to restart. The convention will be different, obviously, as it will be limited in numbers, accepting a maximum of 300 people in person, but will be accessible everywhere via streaming”, for the conference (Saturday, December 4th) and the tasting (Sunday, December 5th).
“We have invited the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who told us he intends to participate, and his presence will be a great signal for Italian wine and Assoenologi. We have also called the Ministers and Ministries most linked to wine: Agricultural Policies, led by Stefano Patuanelli, Tourism led by Minister Massimo Garavaglia, and Culture, directed by Dario Franceschini, who will participate in a talk (Saturday, December 4th), which, as usual, will be led by Bruno Vespa. We want to communicate a clear message, which is Italian wine gives a lot to the country, and our highest institutions must reward it in visibility and representation. We will talk about the market through the Nomisma survey, research, the dynamics of wine distribution, and neuromarketing with Professor Vincenzo Russo (IULM University of Milan)”.
One of the most important moments at every Assoenologi convention is wine tasting, not in the name of self-gratification, but rather exploring and comparing. At this edition, there will be Italian wine in the glasses. “We have decided to spotlight”, explained Cotarella, “Italian wines that are not minor, but less known. We have selected one wine per Region, narrated by the winemaker who produces it, who knows it best. Plus, you can also participate via streaming in the tasting. Those interested will be able to register using the forms we will communicate shortly, and will receive the wine at home”. It is a hybrid formula, “physical and digital”, which the Pandemic has accustomed us to using, while waiting to sooner or later get back to business as usual.