SALONE DEL VINO (26-29 OCTOBER) – ITALIAN WINE REAPS SUCCESS ABROAD BUT NOT AT HOME: THE “REASONS” OF THE MARKET. AND ALL THAT ONE NEEDS TO KNOW FOR A TRIP TO ONE OF THE WINE EVENTS OF ITALY

The Italian wine market is booming - and busting. Though it is increasing with double-digit numbers in the United States and Canada, with a good return in Germany as well, within its own borders it remains stagnant, unable even to reach a growth of 5%. This will be one of the main arguments at the Salone del Vino (www.salonedelvino.it), which is set to be held in Turin from 26 to 29 October, organized by Promoter International (today, owned by GL Events).
From the Alps to Mt. Etna, there is literally a unanimous “feeling” about the Italian wine market. The most authoritative Italian producers express their satisfaction about sales in 2007, that have had a positive trend and which should continue through to the end of the year festivities. Notwithstanding the current weakness of the U.S. dollar, “Made in Italy” wine is still the top seller on the American market, having now surpassed one billion dollars in exports. This is also, in part, due to the renewed success of Italian restaurants and cuisine in the U.S.
The optimism of Italian winemakers has been officially confirmed with the official numbers for the first quarter of 2007 released by ISTAT. The main exporting countries for Italy within the European Union have all shown excellent performances: +13% in France (43.2 million euros), +11% in Germany (344 million), +21% in Great Britain (205 million), +8% in Denmark (42 million), +17% in Sweden (34 million), +16% in Finland (7.5 million), +19% in Norway, and +7% in Austria (31 million).
Outside of the E.U., the top market is the U.S. with a growth of 6% worth 411 million euros. There has been extraordinary growth on the Russian market which has increased in one year from 9 to 20 million euros, which is equivalent to a 122% jump. China is also growing tremendously, reaching 5.6 million euros, equaling a 56% growth rate. And encouraging numbers have also arrived from Canada, with a 2% increase, worth 86 million euros.
There’s the saying that no one is a prophet in their own country, and this can be said for Italian wine where, in fact, it does not seem to be able to move past its stagnancy held since 2002. With only slight variations between regions, the growth rate barely reaches 5% in the best of cases and, on average, closer to 3%. The Italian market remains difficult, with its confusion of new offers that cannibalize all price ranges. Denomination wines are doing better, in the low and high price ranges, while medium range wines are still suffering, the most penalized by the abundance of new labels. The Highlights of the Salone del Vino:
The Go Wine autochthonous tastings by Slow Food will be the biggest enoteca within the Salone del Vino event in Turin, with tastings of hundreds of Italy’s best wines. A unique occasion to explore the world of Italian grape varieties that will be offered by the Forum of the Autochthonous, organized in collaboration with Go Wine (info: 0173 364631). There will also be a special observatory of organic and biodynamic wines.
Another important appointment will be the wine tasting by Slow Food, “The Guide to Drinking Everyday Wine”, to be held on October 26 and 27.
Another important tasting in program is that of the wines that were awarded in the “Guide to Good Wines of Italy” (published by Touring Club), set for Friday, October 26. There are also the “Taste Laboratories” organized by Slow Food that are not to be missed. On October 26, there is an Aglianico tasting, the 27th will be dedicated to Angiolino Maule who will present his experiments with white wine; and again on the 27th, a meeting on sweet wines and sweets. On the 28th, three different laboratories will be offered: a talk (and tasting) on Riesling, an encounter with the great producer Josko Gravner and his wines made in amphorae, and the king of wines, Barolo 1997, will close out the laboratory events. The “Taste Laboratories” by Slow Food cost 10 euros and reservations can be made at prenotazioni@slowfood.it or by telephoning 0172-419744. The Italian Sommelier Association of Piedmont will also be offering tastings with eight appointments in program: on October 26, a tasting of Carmignano and Barbera; an homage to Grignolino and the discovery of “Nebbiolo of the South”, or, Aglianico, on the 27th; Roero DOCG and Gattinara the protagonists on the 28th; and on the 29th, an occasion to discover two of Piedmont’s top autochthonous varieties, Freisa and Timorasso. Another appointment worth catching is the event organized by Italian Enotecas on October 28th titled, “Sublimation: Wine & Cheese, a delicious matrimony”.
And to close out the panorama of these interesting events, will be the tastings of South African wines organized by AfriWines: on October 26th, an encounter with two great whites and a tasting of Pinotage; on the 27th, two events with “Whites of the Cape” and “Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon”; two more appointments on the 28th with “The Best Blends” and “Great Red Wines and the Unforgettable Passito Belbon Hills”.
There are also various other events that are well worth a visit, like the tastings of the top Tuscan wines. The “Dream Team” of wines from the lands of Siena – Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Nobile di Montepulciano and Vernaccia di San Gimignano – will be presented in one of the main tasting events organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Siena in collaboration with Enoteca Italiana. The first encounter will be, “Top Ten: the Great Wines of Siena”, offering tastings of Tenuta di Trinoro, Castello Banfi, Casanova di Neri, Castello di Ama, Fattoria San Giusto a Rentennano, Poderi Boscarelli, La Rampa di Fugnano, Tenuta Col d'Orcia, Castell'in Villa and Poliziano.
The other important tasting by the Chamber of Commerce of Siena will be, “2004: a Great year for Chianti Classico”, with Castello di Ama, Badia a Coltibuono, Fattoria di Felsina, Castello di Fonterutoli, Castello di Cacchiano, Villa Cerna, and Monteraponi.
“This year as well” – explained Vittorio Galgani, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Siena – “we wanted to be present with our top wines at this important business occasion for wineries and producers. We have chosen the best from our territory, selecting the names that have earned enormous notoriety for the province of Siena at an international level. Let’s not forget that in 2006 Brunello di Montalcino claimed first place in Wine Spectator’s ‘Top 100’ classification, the ‘Bible’ of wines world wide.