“Vinitaly Special Edition” 2021, the celebration of the restart of the Italian wine business

The “Vinitaly Special Edition” 2021 by VeronaFiere was to be, and was, the signal for restarting business and promotion of Italian wine: smaller, obviously in terms of numbers (400 exhibiting wineries from all over Italy), but it went beyond expectations, with the presence of 12. 000 professional operators, more than 2,500 buyers (22% of the total) and 60 countries represented, for an appointment judged favorably by many companies and Consortia, and which becomes the ideal launchpad for the next edition of Vinitaly 2022, no. 54, scheduled in April from 10 to 13 2022.
“This is a result exceeding our expectations”, said President of VeronaFiere, Maurizio Danese, “companies, consortia, agricultural and supply chain associations and operators rewarded the project of this business initiative that registered a high rate of contacts and sales, as well as a unanimous satisfaction index. The third event in attendance by Vinitaly”, concludes Danese, “is part of a scenario of great acceleration in Made in Italy exports and Italian wine on all main target markets, including the domestic market thanks to the collaboration with Fipe and Vinarius. We are experiencing a situation of strong recovery that finds in VeronaFiere a fundamental driver for the internationalization of SMEs and Italian wine, committed to increasing the value of sales”.
As regards the map of countries attending “Vinitaly Special Edition” 2021, Europe (with Northern countries, Germany and France in the lead), Russia, the United States and Canada lead demand for Italian wine at the exhibition, followed by Eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic), the United Kingdom and China, which, as VeronaFiere explains, made its return in Verona. “A geography”, commented Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of VeronaFiere, “perfectly in line with the growth data recorded on international markets which, in the first 7 months of 2021, recorded an overall rebound of 15% compared to the same period in 2020. We have maintained our declared commitment of a highly qualified special edition, thanks also to the support of Ice-Agenzia with foreign operators coming precisely from the areas where Italian wine is growing significantly”.
The most satisfying aspect of this “Vinitaly Special Edition” 2021, in anticipation of the 2022 edition that we could define as a return to the “full edition”, Mantovani further explained to WineNews, is precisely “the positive sentiment of companies supported by the fact that attendance from markets is significant, and I would say that 22% from abroad, at this time, and above all from markets where Italian wine is growing, tells us that the objective has been surpassed and that we look with great enthusiasm to Vinitaly 2022 when we will return to full operations. The indication is of an event increasingly focused on markets and business, without forgetting, however, that for companies it is also important to communicate with consumers. But we are not stopping there: in December, from 2 to 4, “Wine2Asia” will be staged in Shenzen, China - the most important wine event in Asia - and then the appointments leading up to Vinitaly 2022 will begin with two major presentations, two focuses on two fundamental markets for Italian wine, such as Germany and North America, i.e. the USA and Canada”.
Among the areas of interest for operators and buyers at “Vinitaly Special Edition”, confirming a trend of growing attention on the theme of “sustainability”, were those dedicated to organic and organic wines, which registered a surge in attendance. Over the three days, the 42 companies exhibiting in this segment had their schedules filled with business-to-business meetings, especially with representatives from Northern Europe and Germany. On the new trends front, the mixology masterclass calendar was sold out; Sol & Agrifood and Enolitech, also in their extraordinary versions, were also well received.
Business organizations and the most important Consortia commented positively on Verona. For the Secretary General of the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), Paolo Castelletti, “if the objective was to reactivate business and at the same time provide a general test of the Vinitaly of the future starting next spring, I would say that the mission has been accomplished. This edition”, added the secretary of the organization representing 85% of Italian wine exports, “may have positively surprised several of our members attending because, despite the fact that some buyer countries were poorly represented due to restrictions, it proved to be very interesting with very well-profiled Italian and international demand operators. The future of Vinitaly is increasingly professional: a physical and digital hub at the service of companies and connected with world wine demand”. “Vinitaly Special Edition went well and we can only express satisfaction with the way it was held”, commented the Director of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, Michele Fontana. “We breathed not only the right atmosphere but also the right number of operators present, all very interested: a good opportunity for our companies that were able to hold profiled and satisfying meetings. The shared opinion of the Montalcino companies at the Special edition of Vinitaly is that this is a very interesting format, very well oriented towards business and business-to-business meetings between supply and qualified demand, both Italian and foreign”. “Vinitaly Special Edition 2021 was more than satisfactory, with numerous buyers interested in the proposals of our Marche companies”, added Alberto Mazzoni, Director of the Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vini (Imt), “We liked the format even more oriented towards business and substance, with very profitable business appointments. Not just an opportunity to meet up again, therefore, but - as the restart demands - also a reason to put the market back at the center of our work”. “Right from the start, we have supported the Vinitaly Special Edition project promoted by VeronaFiere to encourage restart of the sector. For this reason, the Consorzio dei Vini della Valpolicella”, commented President Christian Marchesini, “also brought to the exhibition the historical tasting on the story of Recioto through the wines of Bepi Quintarelli, one of the most appreciated and attended events at Vinitaly. And that's not all. The Consortium wanted to be there with a massive presence that saw us involved in several areas in addition to the institutional space. Today, at the end of the event, we can say that our objective was achieved, with positive feedback on both the smart format and professional attendance, with the peak recorded on Monday 18 October. All the masterclasses dedicated to the wines of Valpolicella were sold out, confirming the quality of the operators present in Verona after a year of great success for the entire denomination. We are now looking forward to the return of “Anteprima Amarone”, scheduled for February 5 and 6, 2022, at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona”.