BolognaFiere, new partnership with “Raw Wine” for the only Italian leg at “Slow Wine Fair”

BolognaFiere “wine mosaic” continues to expand, further broadening its portfolio of wine-focused events aimed at specific professional and consumer audiences. While Excellence Sidi “Champagne Experience” concluded several weeks ago and the next key event on the calendar is the Fivi “Independent Winegrowers’ Wine Market” (November 21st-23rd), attention is also turning to the Mexican debut of “Wine Experience” (November 5-6 in Mexico City, following previous editions in London, UK, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Yet, the “big event” of the Bologna exhibition group, which has meanwhile acquired a 49.9% stake in Gambero Rosso Holding and is widely seen by analysts as likely to secure a majority stake in the coming months, remains the “Slow Wine Fair”, organized in partnership with Slow Wine and Slow Food, scheduled for February 21st-23rd, 2027, alongside Sana Food. The 2027 edition will also mark the debut of a new partnership with “Raw Wine”, the world leading community dedicated to natural, organic, biodynamic, and low-intervention wines, founded by France first female Master of Wine, Isabelle Legeron. Soon to be awarded the Légion d’Honneur, France highest civilian distinction, for her contribution to the wine sector, Legeron has brought together the voices of more than 2,000 artisan winegrowers through a globally recognized organization. As highlighted by BolognaFiere, Raw Wine international exhibition network reaches some of the most important wine markets across Europe, North America, and Asia every year, and will now include Bologna as its exclusive Italian stop. The partnership is designed to strengthen the exhibition group position “in an increasingly competitive wine market, where identity, sustainability and authenticity are playing an ever-growing role in consumer and distribution choices”. At the same time, it aims to enhance the international standing of “Slow Wine Fair”, reinforcing its role as “a platform dedicated to artisan, sustainable and independent viticulture, capable of connecting producers and professionals who share a common vision for the future of wine”.
According to BolognaFiere, the agreement with “Raw Wine”, explains BolognaFiere, “is founded on a deep alignment of values and objectives: promoting wine as an authentic expression of territory, biodiversity and the people who produce it. On the one hand, “Slow Wine Fair” stands, inspired by the principles of the Slow Food Manifesto for good, clean and fair wine; on the other hand, there is “Raw Wine”, committed to raising awareness of products obtained through farming and production methods that respect and preserve biodiversity, from vineyard to glass. The two organizations share a focus on wineries that adopt sustainable farming practices in the vineyard and low-intervention techniques in the cellar, allowing wine to remain a living product capable of evolving over time and more faithfully reflecting the character of both grape variety and terroir”.
“We are thrilled about this collaboration and the opportunity to support the movement for organic, biodynamic and low-intervention natural wines. Slow Food raison d’être is of fundamental importance to us - comments “Raw Wine” founder Isabelle Legeron - we are delighted to help spread its message. There is truly nothing better than joining forces to give greater voice to our shared mission: freeing what we eat and drink from industrial logic. Opening minds in order to open markets”.
The agreement, still explains BolognaFiere, will take shape in Hall 20 of the Slow Wine Fair, where Raw Wine will create a dedicated exhibition area for international producers of natural, organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines. “These winegrowers will have the opportunity to engage with a qualified audience of importers, specialist distributors, wine merchants, sommeliers and professionals from the hospitality and restaurant sectors. A program of tastings and masterclasses will help foster dialogue between wineries and trade operators while enhancing the visibility of the wines on display”. “Raw Wine” producers will also benefit from the international reach of Slow Wine Fair, which, thanks to the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), welcomed 350 buyers from 32 countries and facilitated more than 2,000 B2B meetings at its most recent edition.
Internationalization is, in fact, one of the key drivers behind Slow Wine Fair growth and one of the main reasons for its synergy with “Raw Wine”, as underlined by Rossano Bozzi, director of the Business Unit at BolognaFiere: “the future of trade fairs is measured not only by their size, but also by their ability to bring together internationally recognized communities, interpret market evolution and generate concrete business opportunities for stakeholders. With “Raw Wine”, we are taking an important step in the international positioning of “Slow Wine Fair”. Our ambition is to establish Bologna as a distinctive platform for artisan, sustainable and independent viticulture, capable of connecting producers, buyers and professionals who share a common vision. In an increasingly more competitive market, we believe that identity, authenticity and the quality of relationships represent real added value. These are the principles on which, together with Slow Food, we are building the international growth of “Slow Wine Fair”, highlighting the identities of producers while creating new opportunities for market access”.