Colombia, Panama, Mexico: Chianti starts again in the emerging markets of South America

“One of the best-known and best-loved appellations in the world, Chianti is a global phenomenon, capable of constantly broadening its horizons. One of the first D.O.C.G. wines to be recognized in China, for some years now it has been targeting distant countries, especially in South America - from Cuba to Colombia, from Mexico to Panama - which, as exotic markets, have a potential yet to be discovered and explored. But also to be conquered, through the “Chianti Academy”, created to “train professionals - and therefore importers, distributors, salespeople and journalists - in those countries where Chianti is still absent or just taking its first steps. It is, in essence, a training master’s course in which, through the tasting of 30 different samples, Chianti and its main grape variety - Sangiovese - present themselves, talking about territory, history and culture”, Giovanni Busi, president of the Consorzio del Chianti, explained to WineNews.
The first country in focus, even before the birth of the “Chianti Academy”, was China, “where today many producers export their wines, thanks also to the work done by the Consortium, which has led Chianti to be one of the first Italian wine denominations officially recognised and protected by Beijing”. The other major objective is South America, where the “Chianti Academy Latam” landed at the end of 2019, with stops in Cuba, Colombia and Peru, and from where promotion activities will start again - compatibly with the difficulties caused by the pandemic. “A continent in which we believe, with great opportunities, especially in Mexico and Brazil, where, however, we always hope that Mercosur and Europe will find an agreement to lower the duties that today are really high”, adds the president of the Consorzio del Chianti, who in the future dreams of “Africa, a continent that today is in great difficulty, but with enormous resources and wealth. In the meantime, Chianti is starting again from South America, with the “Chianti Academy Latam - Wine and Food Experience”, which combines wine tasting with food, to bring the professional into the world of Chianti at 360 degrees.
Not only technical training, then, but also an experiential moment of discovery of the possible wine and food combinations that accompany and enhance learning, in a format that made its debut in Medellin, Colombia, on December 22 and 23, to continue on December 27 and 28 in Panama City, then, in mid-January, in Mexico and in February, if the pandemic should not hinder the plans, the return to China. The two-day event will include a full immersion technical tasting of some thirty Chianti and Chianti Riserva wines, followed by a show cooking session specially designed to offer participants the best combinations of wine and food. The two-day event is aimed at a professional audience, with an approach that is not only technical and didactic but also very much focused on the immersive experience.
Meanwhile, in just a few days, Chianti 2021 will already be on the market, a month early to avoid the risk of a dangerous absence from the shelves of wine shops and large-scale distribution channels in Italy and abroad. It is the sign that 2021 that “will close with a growth of 4-5% compared to 2020, which, despite the pandemic, had, however, marked a +2% on 2019, in a positive trend now long course”, says Giovanni Busi. A success that, in order to continue, needs ever new stimuli, and, therefore, to explore and discover different and now distant markets.