“THE ITALIAN WINE MASTER” FEBRUARY 2010 – A PROJECT BY FEDERDOC TO PROMOTE FOUR PRESTIGIOUS ITALIAN DENOMINATIONS IN THE U.S.: BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO, CHIANTI CLASSICO, NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO, AND PROSECCO DI CONEGLIANO-VALDOBBIADENE

“The Italian Wine Master” is set to begin next February 2010. It is an ambitious project organized by Federdoc to promote three great Tuscan red wines, Brunello, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, together with northern Italian sparkling wine Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano and Valdobbiadene with a tour in the U.S.

Chicago and New York will be the two cities where events will be concentrated: the first appointment is set for February 1, 2010 at the Hilton in Chicago; the second on February 4 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. On these two occasions over 140 producers representing the above-mentioned wines will be offering tastings and presenting their wines to a select group of the sector’s operators. The tastings for the two dates are titled “Territory, diversity and complexity of Brunello, Chianti Classico and Nobile di Montepulciano” and “The Evolution of Prosecco”.

“It is an extraordinary and at the same time rare occasion” – noted Consortium directors, partners in the Federdoc project – “in which not just a single denomination will emerge but the ‘system of Italian wine’”.

The U.S. market is an important reference point for the Italian wine market: according to the Italian Wine & Food Institute, during the first 7 months of 2009 there was a 19.6% increase in quantity of sales, thus reconfirming the interest of American consumers in Italian wine.