The Soave conquers the glasses and social media of Japan, in countertendency

Japan, like many other world wine markets, is trying to resist the Covid crisis. A country that remains important for Italian wine, given that among the Asian markets it is undoubtedly one of the most mature in terms of wine knowledge, and with values not to be underestimated: in the first 7 months of 2020, according to Istat data, it brought 90.9 million euros to the coffers of the wineries of the Belpaese ( -17.5% on 110.2 of the first 7 months of 2019, ed). And yet, in the Land of the Rising Sun, there are those who are popular in the glass and in the social media such as Soave.
In just one month, with the campaign “Soave by the Glass” n. 8 by Consorzio del Vino Soave, together with Well Com Agency and SoloItalia, led by Shigeru Hayashi, over 10,000 bottles of the 16 protagonist producers have been sold in 400 locations in the country, from Osaka to Nagoya, from Tokyo to the island of Hokkaido. Names such as Cantina di Soave, Cantina di Monteforte, Cantina del Castello, Cantina di Negrar, Canoso, Corte Adami, GianniTessari, Inama, Montetondo, Corte Mainente, Corte Moschina, Fattori, Tenuta Sant'Antonio, Ilatium, Le Battistelle, Gini.
A real challenge taken up by the Consorzio del Soave, in a difficult year and at a time when Japanese restaurants were concentrating their activity on takeaway. But the support for the campaign came from them, with micro-events, posts on social media, gadgets created, video conferences with companies to present the wine. A choral and collective involvement that led to the success of the whole activity.
Among the restaurants, as every year, were awarded the best, those that sold the most bottles, divided into several categories, which are Latteria Porcini and Aracarte 13 in Osaka, Pecora in Fukuoka, Nord in Kyoto. “When we read the data, we felt a mixture of pride and emotion - says Sandro Gini, president of Consorzio del Soave - a confidence, that of having wanted to continue the campaign also in this 2020, which has been returned to us in a form we did not imagine. I want to express particular gratitude to the work of Shigeru Hayashi and Mayumi Watanabe who have faced all the difficulties and achieved an extraordinary result. And thanks to all the participating restaurateurs for their enthusiasm and involvement. We will return to Japan next year with even more energy”.
Soave was also called to participate in an online webinar, organized by FAO, in collaboration with United Nations University in Tokyo, on November 6, 2020 (http://ouik.unu.edu/en/events/3478), dedicated to the strategies implemented by Giahs sites to counter the negative effects on agriculture due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This historic moment highlighted the criticality of the relationship between people and nature and underlined the urgency to review and reinvent the ways we use natural resources, including the way we produce our food. Today, there are 63 designated Giahs in 22 countries where local communities continue to inherit and exemplify the sustainable approaches of traditional agriculture, and Soave is perhaps one of the examples that can combine land-based agriculture with ever-changing commercial success.