“BuyWine” returns with over 100 buyers from 30 countries to meet 200 Tuscan companies

After the stop due to the pandemic and having experienced the 2021 edition “remotely” - with the shipment of samples and tasting kits all over the world - reserved only for insiders and with enhanced anti-contagious measures, “BuyWine”, the 12th edition of the international b2b showcase of Denomination of Origin wines made in Tuscany, will be held on February 11 and 12 in Florence (Fortezza Basso), where over 100 buyers from 30 countries will meet 200 selected Tuscan companies; in particular, in the annual appointment of networking between supply and demand, promoted by the Region of Tuscany together with the Chamber of Commerce of Florence and organised by PromoFirenze, with the coordination of Fondazione Sistema Toscana, among the international buyers most will come from the United States and Canada (selected with the contribution of True Italian Taste, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Assocamerestero), Germany, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands and Sweden, and, after the fair, from February 13, they will take part in “Wine Tours” in the area.
For the first time, the “Settimana delle Anteprime” of Tuscan wines, dedicated to the presentation of the new vintages of the region’s main Docg and Docg wines, will take place at a different time to the “BuyWine” event: due to the uncertain situation caused by the ongoing pandemic, the Consortia, together with the Region of Tuscany, have decided to postpone their appointments in March, from 19 to 25.
But as always, “Tuscany Wine Week” will be opened by “PrimAnteprima”, an opening day that takes stock of exports and the wine production of the great wines of Tuscany, scheduled for March 19 between the Cinema La Compagnia and Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (events for accredited press only), with the inaugural gala dinner, in the “Salone dei Cinquecento” with the Region and all the Consortia gathered together (as explained by WineNews, the presence of the Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri Consortia should also be confirmed, as they do not take part in the “Settimana delle Anteprime” but organize different events at other times of the year, ed.). This will be followed by events until March 25 in Florence and the various territories, with tastings and presentations of Chianti (“Chianti Lovers”, March 20), Chianti Classico (“Chianti Classico Collection”, March 21-22), the “Anteprima della Vernaccia di San Gimignano” (March 22-23) and the “Anteprima Vino Nobile di Montepulciano”" (March 23-24). And with the grand finale entrusted to the 10 Consortia (Carmignano, Chianti Rufina, Colline Lucchesi, Cortona, Maremma Toscana, Montecucco, Orcia, Terre di Casole, Terre di Pisa, Valdarno di Sopra) that protect 13 Denominations and will be the protagonists of “L’Altra Toscana” on March 25, back in Florence.
In the meantime, the more than 2,500 meetings scheduled at “BuyWine”, one of the most important b2b events on the national and international scene, for more than 20,000 tastings involving more than 1,300 labels belonging to 45 Tuscan DOCG, DOC and IGT denominations, represent the culmination of a journey that began months earlier. In fact, thanks to very detailed profiling and an ever-increasing familiarity with new technologies, buyers and sellers are able to get to know the profile of possible interlocutors well in advance and express preferences for meetings with the operators most suited to their needs. The “hybrid” format of the showcase in fact concerns the platform that generates buyers’ and sellers’ agendas thanks to a matchmaking system that cross-references their respective profiles. In these preparatory phases, more than 10,000 meeting preferences were collected from companies.
The protocols defined for health are even stricter: more space, with 2,500 square meters more available to companies, larger tables to ensure greater distance between stations, masks and gels distributed to all participants, specific procedures for the use of disposable material during tastings. In order to enter the Fortezza da Basso, all participants must be in possession of the requirements equivalent to the Super Green Pass. At the end of the fair, international buyers will be able to take part in a “Wine Tour” of the territory, choosing from five itineraries, designed in collaboration with the Chambers of Commerce of Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa and Florence; 90 of them have chosen to continue their journey into the universe of Tuscan wine, thus reserving the opportunity to get to know directly the places, the stories, the faces that are hidden behind a label. The tours to discover the “terroir Toscana” will start on February 13.