Vinitaly 2025, preview in Brussels, with Tajani and Lollobrigida. Institutions united for wine

A united front to support the sector and avert U.S. duties: the world of wine and Italian institutions met for the second year in Brussels to reaffirm the socioeconomic and cultural centrality of wine, an identity product of Europe and Italy. Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, spoke at the Italian Embassy in Belgium for the event “Vinitaly Preview: the excellence of Made in Italy in Brussels”, a preview of the fair (April 6-9, in Verona). Reiterating the unity of the sector were, among others, Veronafiere president, Federico Bricolo, Ice president - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, Matteo Zoppas, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, and the vice-president of the European Parliament, Antonella Sberna.
“In this complicated moment we have to protect Italian products and exports of national wines”, said Deputy Premier Antonio Tajani, “that is why I will meet with European Commissioner for Trade Šefčovič and insist that Italian production and therefore the export of our quality products can be protected even on the American market. On Friday (tomorrow, ed.), in Rome, we will present the export action plan, demonstrating that the government follows with great attention every one of our companies that internationalizes and exports. We will fight - and I want to reiterate this to all wine producers - also in New York at the World Health Organization to try to win the same battle we have won here in Brussels: because we are absolutely convinced that wine is not bad for you; on the contrary, wine is good for you if consumed in moderation”. Vice-Premier Tajani, to an unscheduled question, also responded regarding the U.S. request to receive egg deliveries from Europe and Italy to deal with the serious overseas crisis caused by the bird flu (which, in recent weeks, has seen U.S. supermarkets left with empty egg shelves or skyrocketing prices, +60% in one year, ed.): Vice-Premier Tajani said that “export policy and agreements are made at the EU level”.
The aim of the Brussels initiative, carried out in collaboration with Agenzia Ice and the support of Italia del Vino (Consortium, composed of more than twenty of our country's most important wineries, which relies on the support, logistics and organization of Area 39, ed.), is to represent the socioeconomic and cultural centrality of wine as an identity product of Europe and Italy in particular, and to support the political pressure and sector associations committed to preserving it from the new protectionist thrusts from the massive health campaigns.
“The criminalization of wine should be avoided within the European Union, and it is a battle on which national political forces should also find common ground”, commented Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Francesco Lollobrigida. “This is not a health or scientific issue, but a matter of recognizing the value of our food culture, in which wine plays a leading role and contributes to longevity. We are working so that wine is not penalized, but recognized for its cultural, social and economic value. Vinitaly will be an opportunity to strengthen this vision and protect a strategic sector for Italy. This year Vinitaly will host two European Commissioners: Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture, and Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health. Their presence testifies to a change in Europe’s approach, with a more balanced dialogue on the wine sector”. “It is a great thrill to talk about Verona here in Brussels: Vinitaly is an extraordinary event”, said the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana. “Being in Brussels is a new opportunity to express, also here, congratulations to Veronafiere, and to its president Federico Bricolo, who are taking this event increasingly to levels of world excellence. Congratulations for what they have done over the years. I would also like to thank those who are strongly committed to promoting and enhancing Italian products and the officials who do a silent but valuable job supporting Italians abroad”. “The whole system that revolves around Vinitaly is actually not only economic but promotes an ambassador - such as wine - of our identity, our culture and our roots at the European but also international level”, said the vice president of the European Parliament, Antonella Sberna. “Vinitaly is not only the wine fair, but to promote a system-Italy that in a complex moment like today needs protection and commitment from Parliament. I believe that in our institutional role we must be defenders of our territory. We must also make this clear to other European countries that need to understand the goodness around our productions, of which wine is an excellence”.
Affirming the socioeconomic significance of the wine sector and its value for Italian agrifood exports was Ice Agency President Matteo Zoppas: “wine in our agrifood exports grew by 5 percentage points and reached 8.1 billion euros. Entrepreneurs have been the main protagonists of this path: in a general context of recession, we have managed to have a growing agri-food sector and, among its compositions, the contribution of wine (+5.5%) has been decisive. The U.S., which is of great concern to us, did a plus 9% and came in at 1.7 billion euros. Again, the credit is definitely from the companies, but there is also an infrastructure that helps them, there is a government that is also supporting them with the Sistema Paese formed by Ice, Sace, Simest and Cdp that are real result amplifiers. Ice is in charge of bringing foreign operators to Italy, buyers: a third of all those present at Vinitaly. At the same time it organizes collectives of Italian entrepreneurs abroad, at trade fairs, to meet clients, and there are at least seven trade fair initiatives with Vinitaly International in the world; 57 editions of Vinitaly are not few. It is a brand that has been created and built over time, constantly bringing producers and buyers to the same table, nurturing the real moments when business develops. Ice, together with Veronafiere, selects and recruits the really interested operators. And it is only this business matching that allows wine exports abroad to grow”.
Doing the honors, the Italian Ambassador to Belgium, Federica Favi: “the preview of Vinitaly 2025, hosted for the second consecutive year at the Embassy, filled us with pride before the Belgian, European and international community in Brussels. The excellence of our productions, the richness and diversity of all our territories, the Italian technology applied to agriculture, the natural respect for the environment. Our lifestyle, linked to conviviality, longevity, hospitality: Wonderful Italy”.
“We returned once again to Brussels alongside representatives and policymakers for a preview that highlighted Vinitaly’s aggregating role”, said Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo, “an agora of Italian wine and a global trade plaza for a flagship product capable of generating an overall economic contribution of more than 45 billion euros a year and an added value of 17.4 billion euros, or 1.1% of our GDP”. Also contributing to these results is the only exhibition brand promoting Italian wine in the world, which, with its ecosystem of initiatives, reaches out to more than 10 international markets each year, from the United States to China, from Brazil to Asia to India, Eurasia and Europe to expand the commercial reach of the Vinitaly platform while boosting the incoming campaign on the event. For Veronafiere general manager Adolfo Rebughini, “viticulture and oenology represent a strategic pillar for the Italian and European agri-food balance, contributing decisively to exports and to the promotion of tourism, culture and environmental sustainability. Since 1967, Vinitaly has been the global platform of reference for the business and culture of Italian wine, an international hub that connects producers, buyers and professionals, fostering networking, education and access to world markets. A true incubator of trends and an accelerator of the internationalization of the sector, capable of intercepting changes in the market and the evolution of consumption. The new features of Vinitaly 2025, from the debut of the NoLo Wines Salon and Vinitaly Tourism, dedicated to wine tourism, to the Raw Wine Area, a space reserved for artisanal, natural and minimal-intervention wines, are part of this perspective, confirming Vinitaly as the most comprehensive showcase of Italian wine excellence and the global benchmark for the sector”.
The Vinitaly 2025 preview in Brussels was also attended by Veronafiere CEO Maurizio Danese, Italy’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vincenzo Celeste, along with European and Italian industry organizations: Ignacio Sánchez, secretary general Comité Européen des Entreprises de Vins (Ceev), Marzia Varvaglione, president Agivi (Association of Young Italian Wine Entrepreneurs), Lamberto Frescobaldi, president Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv), Marco Montanaro, general manager Federvini, Tommaso Battista, national president Copagri, Rita Babini, president Fivi, Luca Rigotti, president Gruppo Lavoro Vino Copa Cogeca. Ignacio Sánchez, secretary general Ceev (European Committee of Wine Companies) said that, “without trade, our companies will not be able to survive in the long term. We have to be able to export. If the duties announced by Trump were applied to the wine sector, we could forget about the U.S. market, which accounts for 27% of our exports. A volume we would not know how to place elsewhere. So we absolutely need the political support of members of the European Parliament, the Commission and national authorities to overcome this crisis and negotiate a solution. Because if we close the U.S. market, our industry is finished. In addition, we need to defend wine from those who do not respect its culture, considering it a dangerous product. We need countries capable of protecting the value of wine, because wine is moderation, wine is culture. Italy is an example in this regard: events like Vinitaly can really showcase all that wine has to offer society. Lastly, wine is also business. And that is why Europe and its member states must continue to defend it. In the European Union alone, the wine sector employs 3 million people and generates a turnover of 150 billion euros. There are many territories where there are no economic alternatives. And, without events like Vinitaly, Italian companies could not reach out to the world, transmit the value of wine or protect their business”. According to Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv), “We are not used to saying that things are difficult, we tend to say that everything is good and positive. But the reality is different. It is true that we have exported a lot of wine, especially to North America, but consumption has been falling since the third quarter of 2023. In the United States consumption is down 7%, in Europe 4.5%. So no, all is not well. Our wine is made from grapes grown in vineyards. And the vineyards are not stopping. We cannot simply stop production. There can be a war in Ukraine, there can be Trump deciding to stop production, many things can happen, but the vineyards will continue to produce. That is why today more than ever we must unite under this flag. We need to eliminate tariffs. A 200 percent duty is unacceptable, but 25% is not acceptable either because it would mean losing 1 billion out of 8 billion in exports. It would be a huge loss, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, which depend on the U.S. market. We must work with determination and call on the European Commission to eliminate all duties imposed on U.S. Products. The United States exports 1.3 billion euros to Europe, while we export 8 billion to the United States. So do we really think that by taxing them we will balance the situation? No, we would only end up being the losers. Today we are not only Italian, we are also French, Spanish, German, Austrian and Greek. Every country in Europe exports its wonderful wine, which is not just a drink, but a work of art and a symbol of our countries’ identity”.
“The Italian federation representing the wine, spirits and vinegar sector, based in Rome, was founded in 1917”, explains Marco Montanaro, general manager of Federvini, “now it has nearly 120 member companies. The total turnover of these companies is impressive, reaching about 22 billion euros, 10 billion of which come from exports worldwide. In addition, the number of employees involved in the sector has reached 82,000. It is, therefore, a very important reality within the agrifood supply chain. We are very happy to be here tonight to celebrate this event in Italy, which is a landmark for our sector. I think everything has already been said, as Minister Tajani and Minister Lollobrigida have highlighted some of the main challenges we face. But there are also many opportunities to be seized: new markets, new consumer trends, digitalization. There is great ferment in this sector, and we need to take advantage of it to ensure the growth of the industry, both now and in the future”. “It is an honor to be here again this year to support Italy”, explains Enrico Drei Donà, vice president of the Consorzio Italia del Vino, “wine is one of the key elements of the Italian lifestyle and we are very proud to represent them, At the same time, we must reflect on the great challenges that await us in the near future. Today more than ever it is essential to be united and work together to strengthen our sector, as Vinitaly also does in promoting wine and the Italian lifestyle in the world”.