Between markets, distribution channels and events, “Vinitaly Special Edition” is approaching

The return of the most important exhibition of Italian wine in attendance, albeit in reduced form and in a special format, meetings between producers and buyers from Italy and the world, in the ways allowed by the pandemic, focus on the economy of Italian wine, exports, changes in distribution between wine shops, restaurants, modern channels and e-commerce and more: the “Vinitaly Special Edition” is approaching, which, from October 17 to 19, will make Verona the capital of Italian wine once again, clearly waiting for edition no. 54, from April 10 to 13, 2022.
In the presence of the biggest names in Italian wine, from Albino Armani to Allegrini, from Arnaldo Caprai to Baglio di Pianetto, from Banfi to Bellavista, from Bertani Domains to Cantina di Soave, from Castellare di Castellina to Cavit, from Cottini to Di Majo Norante, from Donnafugata to Famiglia Cotarella, from Ferrari Fratelli Lunelli to Feudi di San Gregorio, from Fontanafredda to Frescobaldi, from Garofoli to Giv-Gruppo Italiano Vini, from La-Vis to Lunae, from Lungarotti to Mondodelvino, from Marchesi Antinori to Marchesi di Barolo, from Masciarelli to Masi to Mezzacorona, from Pasqua to Piccini 1882, from Planeta to Poggio Argentiera, from Punto Zero to Rocca delle Macìe, from Santa Margherita to Sartori, from Tedeschi to Terra Moretti, from Tommasi to Torre d’Orti, from Torrevento to Tua Rita, from Umani Ronchi to Val d’Oca, from Velenosi to Vespa Vignaioli, from Villa Sandi to Zaccagnini, from Zenato to Zonin 1821 and Zýmè, just to name a few (here is the list of exhibitors), the first focus, on Sunday October 17 at 10 am, will be on “Wine in the new rating of the agri-food supply chain, by Nomisma-Unicredit”, with a focus on the economic value of the supply chain and speeches by the Minister for Agricultural Policies Stefano Patuanelli, Unicredit President Pier Carlo Padoan, Ice Agency President Carlo Maria Ferro, Paolo De Castro, coordinator of Socialists & Democrats in the Agriculture Commission of the European Parliament, and VeronaFiere CEO Giovanni Mantovani. While, at 2 p.m., the European Association of Wine Economists will shed light on “Evolution and adaptations of the organic system and sustainability in Europe: An analysis among the main producing countries”, moderated by Professor Davide Gaeta of the University of Verona and with speeches by, among others, EaWe president Jean-Marie Cardebat, Professor Antonio Calò, president of the Accademia Italiana della Vite e del Vino, Stefano Bianchi, president of Foragri, as well as lecturers such as Bernd Frick from the University of Paderborn (Germany), Vicente Pinilla from the University of Zaragoza (Spain), Giulio Malorgio and Massimo Canali from the University of Bologna (the situation in Italy), and Rosario Di Lorenzo from the University of Palermo.
On Monday October 18, on the other hand, there will be an in-depth look at the channel that, more than others, has sustained wine consumption during the hardest months of the pandemic, i.e. large-scale distribution, with reflections on “The wine market in modern distribution: new balances and opportunities”, at 10.00 am, with Virgilio Romano, Business Insight Director Iri, Alessandra Corsi from Conad, Francesco Scarcelli from Coop Italia, Gianmaria Polti from Carrefour Italia, Giuseppe Cantone from MD SpA, Marcello Ancarani from Federvini (and Italian sales director of the Santa Margherita Group) and Enrico Gobino from Unione Italiana Vini (marketing director of the Mondodelvino Group). Following this, at 1.00 pm, the focus will shift to the “other side of the moon”, i.e. the world of wine shops, at the conference organised by Vinarius “Wine shops in the next 40 years: wine, tourism, territory, digitalization, agri-food craftsmanship”, with, among others, Magda Antonioli Corigliano, professor of Macroeconomics and Economics of Tourism at Bocconi University, and Maurizio Zanella, at the helm of the Franciacorta brand Ca’ del Bosco.
On the last day of the “Vinitaly Special Edition”, Tuesday, October 19, at 2 pm, the focus will instead be on “The decisive role of distribution and the Horeca network”, organized by the Rete di Impresa Distributori Horeca, which brings together 12 Consortia and 668 companies in the sector, with talks by Alberto Serena, head of Montelvini, Massimiliano Capogrosso, Ferrari Trento sales director, and Silvia Molinaro, sales director Coca-Cola Hbc. And, again on the closing day, the walk-around tasting dedicated to catering operators, organized by Fipe/Confcommercio, in partnership with Vinitaly.
These are the first highlights of a program that is still being updated (and at the same time as the Wine2Wine forum, in hybrid format, in presence and digital), for an event that aims above all to be the definitive signal of the restart of fairs in the presence of Italian wine. As always, there will be a touch of glamour, thanks to many initiatives. Like those dedicated to art, for example, signed by two of the most important wine companies in Veneto and Italy, such as Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, which will bring to the Mercatali Galleries the magical atmosphere of “Falling Dreams”, the gigantic and highly original immersive installation created under the creative direction of the None art collective, to celebrate the values dearest to the winery, from creativity to talent, and, of course, those that Italian wine brings with it, which has already fascinated Milan, or like Zenato, which will stage a photographic exhibition with the best of the experiences gathered thanks to the “Zenato Academy” project, which, over the years, has involved the best young talents in photography, creating exhibitions that have won over the public such as “Wine. Beyond Objects” or “Wine. Beyond Landscape”, for example.
There will also be those who will open the gates of the most beautiful villas in the Veneto to present great wines in the territory in which they are born, as will Tommasi Family Estates, which, on Saturday, October 16, will present its most precious cru, Amarone della Valpolicella Villa De Buris 2010, at Villa de Buris, the oldest in Valpolicella, in San Pietro in Cariano. Or how about the small label Secondo Marco, which will debut its Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2008 in the Fumane winery. Or those who will explore the combination of gourmet pizza and wine at the event “Gourmet pizza meets Friuli Venezia Giulia”, staged at the Pizzeria Forkette in Verona, with wines from the D.O.C. delle Venezie, the D.O.C. Friuli Venezia Giulia and the D.O.C. Prosecco, together with D.O.P. wines such as Prosciutto di San Daniele and Montasio cheese, directed by PromoTurismoFvg.