Toward Vinitaly 2025, with a visit to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella

Vinitaly 2025 is preparing to open its doors to wine business at the Fair, April 6 - 9, 2025, and to wine lovers in the city of Verona. Furthermore, it will include Italy’s highest institutions, as testimony to the value of wine for Italy. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received a delegation of Italian wine from Veronafiere at the Quirinale in Rome, which was led by President Federico Bricolo, including the CEO Maurizio Danese and General Manager Adolfo Rebughini, the Mayor of Verona, Damiano Tommasi, the President of ICE Agency (foreign commerce institute), Matteo Zoppas, the President of Federvini (Wine Group) Albiera Antinori , and the President of CEEV and AGIVI-UIV, Marzia Varvaglione.
The meeting was held on the eve of the expected news about US tariffs. President Mattarella had recently spoke about the tariffs, first at the 44th edition of the“ Culture of Oil and Wine Forum”, promoted by Bibenda & Fondazione Italiana Sommelier (FIS), and then at “Agricoltura è” in Rome, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, in which he had condemned them, emphasizing that “a system of tariffs and closures would create strong, negative consequences also on domestic production systems. Let’s think about Italy. We export 40% of the wine we produce, and a third of the rice we produce. We import half, 50%, of the wheat we need. When we talk about trade wars, we often put the emphasis on the adjective commercial. Instead, we should put it on the noun, wars, because these are also wars of opposition, which then lead to increasingly harsh and more dangerous oppositions”. During the meeting, Federico Bricolo president of Veronafiere, presented the themes and innovations of Vinitaly 2025, 57th edition, to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, highlighting the leading role of the Fair in promoting the Italian wine sector at the International level, as Mattarella had experienced first-hand when he visited Vinitaly 2016 (50th edition). “It is an honor to be able to personally tell the President of the Republic about the commitment that Veronafiere, through Vinitaly, has been pursuing for 57 years to promote Made in Italy wine throughout the world”, Federico Bricolo, the Veronafiere President, commented, “a system project supported by the collaboration of all the players involved, businesses, institutions and associations, united in the aim of growing a supply chain that represents an important economic, cultural and identity value for Italy. We are, therefore, grateful to the Head of State for his support and close connection to the entire sector, at such a particular period of time for the world of Italian wine, due to the global tensions that are currently affecting the leading markets”.
Bricolo and the mayor of Verona Tommasi presented a copy of a woodcut depicting the first Italian wine fair, held in Verona in 1876, in the Palazzo della Gran Guardia to President Mattarella. That event was a forerunner of the modern Vinitaly, founded in 1967, which today is global point of reference for the sector. The Fair boasts 4.000 exhibiting companies and professionals from 140 Nations. “We are very proud and honored to have been received by President Sergio Mattarella”, the Mayor of Verona, Damiano Tommasi said, “he has once again demonstrated his closeness to our city, fully aware of its International dimension in various fields, and the major role that Veronafiere plays. The presentation of Vinitaly 2025 was also an opportunity to reiterate the winemaking world’s importance for our Country and for the city Verona”.