The wine sector is healthy. You only have to take a trip to Vinitaly 2018the 52nd edition of the wine event held in Verona last April, which saw the city become the world wine capital for four days.
According to initial estimates by the organisers, the Italian Wine Show closed with 128,000 visitors from 143 nations. But beyond the mere quantitative data, it was the qualitative aspect that made the difference. Starting with the increasing presence of foreign buyers, qualified presences that are decisive for signing contracts and doing business to bring Italian wine to the shelves of wine shops and supermarkets, as well as to the tables of restaurants around the world. Figures speak of foreign buyers accredited with a +6% sign on 2017, for a quota of around 32 thousand entries, marking the transition to a Vinitaly increasingly more business-oriented than in the past. "The growing number of professionals in the sector testifies to the consolidation of the b2b role of Vinitaly at international level, with selected and accredited buyers from all over the world," the words of satisfaction of the Director General of VeronaFiere Giovanni Mantovani.
The foreign focus of Vinitaly 2018
Vinitaly is the fair for Italian wines, but with an eye on foreign countries. The USA is confirmed, with a growth of 11% in buyer attendance, as the No. 1 market for Italian wine. It is precisely for the Americans that "Opera Wine", the Vinitaly preview by "Wine Spectator", was conceived. Perhaps in the future, the centre of gravity of exports may be taken by China, which registered an increase in attendance by professionals in the sector of 34%, while the domestic market, in the sense of Europe, registered interesting data: from Northern Europe (Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, +17%), The Netherlands (+15%) and Poland (+27%). Encouraging signs confirm Italian wine among the most appreciated in the world: the top 10 in foreign attendance sees the USA at the top, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, China, France, Northern Europe, Canada, Russia, Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium. The number of exhibitors and their satisfaction are increasing.
The number of exhibitors is also growing: a total of 4,380, 130 more than in 2017. For Italian producers, Vinitaly is confirmed as an essential showcase for interfacing with their domestic and international business partners. A sort of Sanremo Festival of wine, where you cannot miss it also because everyone is talking about it. Most of the producers we met confirmed to us that they were satisfied with the meetings held. Millimetric appointments on the agenda with restaurateurs and wine merchants, for confirmation of orders or for new developments. Some producers still complain of a few less than qualified attendance, although the gap between Vinitaly and ProWein, the German wine fair staged in Dusseldorf prior to the Verona event, seems to have narrowed, with many industry insiders now attending both wine fairs to present new products and the full range of production.
Vinitaly Social
Even the world of wine is now increasingly social and connected. Between hashtags and stories, wineries in addition to good winemakers and salespeople are increasingly equipping themselves with social media managers, communication experts to promote their brands on social. Conversations around #Vinitaly2018 grew compared to 2017, with 18% made abroad, according to the analysis of the Qualivita Wine Observatory on Waypress Media Monitoring data. It emerges that, looking at the hashtag #Vinitaly2018, there was a boom in China, which recorded 7% of the total mentions, while the USA is also confirmed as influential on social with 5.2% of the conversations. Best influencer was the official profile of Vinitaly, @VinitalyTasting. Also in the ranking were the Italian politicians who paraded in Verona in search of an agreement for the new Government, from Matteo Salvini to Giorgia Meloni, Luigi di Maio to Maurizio Martina, and institutions such as Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Senate President Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati. The appointment for Vinitaly 2019 as always in Verona, to be marked on the calendar from 7 to 10 April.
For more information on the event visit vinitaly.com
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