“Wine2Wine Business Forum”: markets, communication, sustainability, inclusion at the center

100 international speakers, 17 thematic areas, more than 1,500 operators and managers, 70 speed meetings (30 minutes) on the most topical issues of the moment for companies and the wine community: this is “Wine2Wine Business Forum”, returning to Verona in the “Vinitaly Special Edition” (October 18 and 19), an appointment that focuses on markets, communication and the hot topics animating the world of wine, from sustainability to inclusion. After the prologue (Sunday, October 17), when Professor Attilio Scienza, Professor of Enology at the University of Milan, and Alessandro Torcoli, editor of “Civiltà del Bere”, will lead the tasting organized with Ice - Italian Trade Agency “Yesterday and Today: 25 Years of the History of Italian Wine in Canada” (in the glass, iconic labels such as Rocca delle Macie, Ruffino, Velenosi, Sella & Mosca, Castello Banfi, Cesari, Masi, Zonin1821 and San Felice), the calendar gets into full swing.
Monday, October 18 will start with “New frontiers in wine marketing: anticipating trends and new technologies”, a leap into the future of the wine trade and beyond, with the editor-in-chief of “Vinorandum”, Paul Caputo, and lawyer Carlo Rossi Chauvenet. This will be followed by “Reinventing the future of retail for the 21st-century wine consumer: the Vivino case”, with the founder of the successful app from Denmark that has conquered wine lovers all over the world, Heini Zachariassen. On the subject of apps, Amy Gross, founder of Wine4.Me, and Valentina Di Camillo, a producer from Abruzzo, are the protagonists of “How to use wine apps to increase sales and market share”. The dialogue between Robert Joseph (Meininger’s Wine Business International) and Alessandro Cellai, vice-president of Domini Castellare di Castellina focuses on the theme “Celebrity wines: enemies of terroir?”. The focus on the Russian market “Overview of the Russian wine market” is then taken care of by Francesco Pensabene, director of the Ice Agency Office in Moscow. José Rallo, at the helm of the Sicilian wine griffe Donnafugata, and on the board of directors of ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, will speak with journalist Felicity Carter on “Historical perspectives on wine blogs”. The segmentation and fragmentation of the Chinese market will be the theme of the focus “The differentiation of emerging wine consumers in China”, with Master of Wine Fongyee Walker and wine educator Davy Leung. The focus will remain on Asia, first with “The wine market in India: a push towards premiumization”, then with “5 trends in the South Korean wine market”.

High on the agenda is “Vision 2030: let’s build the future of Italian wine together”, the first project to define a development strategy for the Italian wine-growing system, the result of the analysis and experience of entrepreneurs and managers from Italy’s wine companies, with Matilde Poggi (President of Fivi), Ettore Nicoletto (CEO Bertani Domains), Massimo Tuzzi (Terra Moretti) and Marco Nannetti (Terre Cevico). Talking about the future and innovation, there will be “Rethinking and reshaping wine education in the next 20 years”. Of great interest, then, is “Science and its prejudices: what are the consequences for wine-growing?”, the seminar organized by the “Vinitaly International Academy”, led by Professor Attilio Scienza and Alessio Planeta, head of the winery that has played a leading role in the Sicilian wine Renaissance. Obviously, we cannot overlook the impact of COVID-19 on wine markets, which is the focus of the market focus, “How COVID-19 has damaged the wine market in Vietnam and Italian wine” and “Brazil: the latest updates after Bolsonaro and COVID-19”, and the educational, “Wine training in the USA: evolution after changes by COVID-19 and impact on the market”. Back again to Asia, in two distant markets, first with “Is the MZ generation driving growth in the South Korean market?”, then with “How to enter the Kazakh market”, with the experience of Diva Moretti Polegato (Villa Sandi).

Another sensitive and topical issue, also on stage on Monday, October 18, is that of inclusion, the focus of “Exploring Diversity: Confusing optics for inclusion”. Another surprising market is “Ukraine - Europe’s Treasure Island”, while “Politics and the Wine Trade” examines the politics of wine from two very different perspectives: inside and out. The concept of sustainability will animate “The Future of Sustainability Reporting for Retailers and Financial Markets - Developing Globally Standardised Metrics”. China will be the focus of “5 secrets I learned working as an entrepreneur in China for 30 years”, and the future of the US market in “E-commerce in the U.S. market: new post-COVID tools”, with the CEO of Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo Beniamino Garofalo, and “How to sell fine wine in the USA through multi-channel marketing”, organized by Colangelo & Partners. Communication will be discussed with the US portal VinePair, which will hold an in-depth discussion on “Why you should invest in original digital content”, and the role of wine writers with “What do wine journalists expect from producers?”. The day closes with an emerging Eastern European market, in “How fast are wine consumption trends changing in Romania?”, and with a forecast, in “What to expect from online wine in 2022”.

On Tuesday, October 19, another key theme for the future of wine, “The challenge of democratizing wine: how to make the wine sector more accessible and inclusive”, followed by a focus on Hungary, “Overview of the Hungarian wine market”. Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga (Tenuta San Leonardo) will take stock of “The fight against counterfeit wines: an update”, while the second Asian market will end up under the lens of “How importers of sought-after wines, strict journalists and star sommeliers determine market trends for wine in Japan”. The new president of Enit - Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo, Roberta Garibaldi, author of the Report on Italian Food and Wine Tourism will outline the “Emerging trends in gastronomy and wine tourism: wellness, sustainability and involvement will guide the choices of future travelers”. Scandinavian markets under the lens of Ice - Italian Trade Agency at “Overview of the wine market in Norway and Sweden”, and on the other side of the world “5 tips to succeed in the Australian market in the post-pandemic era”.

Valentina Argiolas, at the helm of the griffe of Sardinian wine, will animate “Understanding fine wine consumers”, while Master of Wine Sarah Heller “Multisensoriality: how to expand the tools for communicating wine”. New trends include “Low and alcohol-free wines”, but also the future of remote tastings in “Il viaggio in una bottiglia, virtual tasting ai tempi del lockdown e oltre”. Also on the agenda are “Wine influencers: evolution, prospects and impact on wine lovers and the market” and “How brands can overcome interruptions in the distribution chain”, on one of the biggest challenges for freight transport in the last 20 years. The President of the Donne del Vino (Women in Wine), Donatella Cinelli Colombini, who presents “The future of wine is a woman. First results of a survey on the gender gap in wine companies in Italy”.

Focus on Belarus and Latvia with “Getting to know the Belarusian wine market. Distribution and commercial strategies on HoReCa and Retail channels” and “The Latvian wine market”. The evolution of experiential branding and consumer demand, moving from apps to web-based experiences that bring the label to life with “The new frontiers of wine advertising: augmented reality and brand storytelling”, a theme also at the center of “Meta-Luxury: storytelling in the digital age”. In closing, the focus is on the United States, the world's leading country in terms of wine consumption and imports in “The wine consumer in the challenging US market”, and on a digital tool that has now become fundamental in “8 practical tips on how to make your winery's website better for consumers”.