VINITALY, AMBASSADOR OF ITALIAN WINES, AND EATALY TOGETHER FOR THE BEST OF ITALIAN “FOOD & WINE” AT “VINITALY DAY”. THE EVENT OPENS OCTOBER 25TH AT THE EATALY “BRANCH” IN NEW YORK - A NEW BEGINNING FOR PROMOTING WINE IN THE USA

New York will become the city of Verona and the Eataly store in the Big Apple will turn into the VeronaFiere for one day. The event is “Vinitaly Day” which will bring Vinitaly and Eataly together at the famous store in Manhattan, where Farinetti will inaugurate his winning format. An innovative place where American traders can do business, American consumers can taste and see Italian wines up close, winemakers and above all, producers of the best Made in Italy wines get a new and modern opportunity to be known to the public.
The day dedicated to Italian wine will include panel discussions, tasting reserved for the trade but also open to the public, a benefit wine tasting and even a sweepstakes where the winner will be a guest at Vinitaly 2011 in Verona.
Although the Italian wine and food store Eataly has not yet officially opened its doors in New York, the calendar of planned events already offers exciting news: The Farinetti family (Oscar Farinetti and his son Nicola), owners of Eataly, have reached an agreement this week with Stevie Kim, general coordinator of Vinitaly International, to present the Italian wines in New York on October 25th, in a tasting open to the trade and the public. Vinitaly, the brand for the promotion of wine owned by VeronaFiere will be partners with Eataly for part of the upcoming “U.S. Tour”, in autumn 2010. The tour will be in New York, then Philadelphia on October 27th and will end with an event in the Italian Embassy in Washington on October 28th.
The opening of Eataly, which is scheduled on August 31st, has created considerable “noise” in the wine and food industry because of its revolutionary concept and the importance of its partners: Lidia Bastianich, Joes Bastianich and Mario Batali.
”VeronaFiere, which organizes Vinitaly, the largest wine fair in the world, is ready to embrace this new and dynamic format to make the best Italian wines known to the public. We are extremely proud to present this new format in New York”, said Giovanni Mantovani, Managing Director of VeronaFiere.
“Vinitaly Day” will be an entire day dedicated to the best Italian wine producers in the most innovative and modern store dedicated to wines and Italian food products in New York and, perhaps, the entire United States. The event will transform Eataly, which is located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, into Vinitaly for one day. The producers will be able to pour their wines from every corner of the more than 4,000 square feet of selling space. Vinitaly International is going into its twelfth year, but this new event with Eataly will mark a new strategic effort to capture the greater public in the United States and to generate advertising both for the products and the producers participating in the event.
“Vinitaly Day” will take place at Eataly in New York and has a dual goal to offer various audiences. On the one hand, Vinitaly intends to attract American traders (importers, distributors, retailers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, consultants, educators) who are tired of the “same old event dedicated to the wine trade” by offering a totally new concept of marketing Italian wines in a contemporary context. At the same time, Vinitaly also wants to acquaint the American wine consumers with the Verona Wine Fair and with the most important Italian wines.
The day will also include a series of round table discussions, wine tasting for the trade and then a benefit wine tasting for consumers (the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society). The event will also include a sweepstakes for consumers and the winner will be a guest in Verona at Vinitaly, in April 2011.
Info: vinitalytour@veronafiere.it