The 54th edition of Vinitaly brings some changes. The roller coaster ride of Covid waves is going steeply up again, which is probably why there are no buyers from China coming. Putin's war cancelled all registrations from the Eurasian region overnight, and the Vinitaly Roadshow in Moscow planned for March 3, 2022, was also cancelled.
More than 4 million euros were invested by the Veronafiere exhibition company and the Italian Trade Agency ICE (ex-Foreign Trade Institute ICE) to bring exhibitors together with buyers from 60 countries after a two-year hiatus. It paid off. Although the number of countries has been reduced to 50, at the same time the number of commitments from "top buyers" increased from 500 to 680, 130 of them from the USA.
Wide International Representation
According to Vinitaly, the representatives of the Canadian monopolies in Ontario and Québec are on the march, and even wine professionals from the Asian region do not shy away from the journey, which is highly complicated by Covid. Among the invited top sellers of Europe, the group of Germans is the largest. Northern Europe is well presented especially thanks to Denmark and Sweden. From Eastern Europe, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovenia confirmed their participation. South America sends agents from Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Chile. For the first time, Veronafiere organized a delegation from the African countries of Mozambique, Kenya, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Angola.
So, it could be international, even if some producers fear that due to inflation, political uncertainty and Omicron BA.2, mainly European and Italian professionals will crowd the exhibition grounds.
Trade Fair in Times of Pandemic and Crisis
Physically, the fair will hardly differ from the last edition before the pandemic. Special security precautions, masking requirements and distancing rules are not envisaged in Italy after the official end of the emergency on March 31, 2022. At least Covid test tents will be set up in front of the entrances and no one will be admitted without the EU Covid digital certificate.
That the stands are officially fully booked is logical. After all, more than 4,000 exhibitors had already made advance payments for the 54th Vinitaly, scheduled for 2020. Because the fair was not cancelled, but only postponed, the money did not have to be paid back.
Nevertheless, industry gossip says that some wineries are staying away despite advance payments in order to avoid the high additional costs such as hotels and restaurant invitations. They prefer the later ProWein date because it seems safer to them.
Early invitations from large wineries and consortia are also missing this year. The unpredictability of the pandemic and the start of the war, unimaginable until the day before it started, has reduced the desire to plan.
Familiar Territory, New Formats: Mixology
With the small, unexpectedly successful Vinitaly Special Edition in mid-October 2021, the trade show organizers warmed up the engines for the big get-together, the real 54th Vinitaly. On a reduced scale, a test run was also launched for a new addition to the main fair, Mixology. The trendy sector gets its own pavilion between Hall 11 and the international wines in Hall D. On 500 square meters, the professionals from the Bartenders Group Italia association mix cocktails. There are 50 seats for tasting.
Cocktail Master Classes
There will also be a total of 14 one-hour masterclasses, from Sunday to Tuesday and on Wednesday morning. On Wednesday, starting at 2 p.m., the "Cocktail Competition " will take place, followed by an award ceremony.
In terms of content, the seminars will focus on the basic ingredients, the history and evolution of the aperitif, the latest trends and the creation of new cocktails based on wines, liqueurs and distillates. In addition, you can also simply sit down at the bar counter and order (and pay for) one of these drinks.
Rarities on Display:"Micro Mega Wines”
Under the title "Micro Mega Wines - Micro Size, Mega Quality" 27 wineries exhibit niche products. The wines are primarily autochthonous varieties in small editions, but international varieties are also allowed to participate if they thrive on an exceptional terroir. It's a nice idea to give Italy's Hidden Gems their own platform. It is set up in the expanded organic wine producers' exhibition area in Hall F.
Varieties to choose from include Freisa from the Langhe, Tazzelenghe from Friuli, the Apulian Susumaniello, Zibbibo from Pantelleria, the completely unknown Maceratino from the Marche, and even a unique one from the Venice lagoon: the Dorona variety from the island of Mazzorbo, which really would have died out if Gianluca Bisol hadn't discovered the few remaining vines and replanted them at the Venissa winery.
Tasting Rooms Fully Booked
The fair was able to rent out all the conference rooms in the main Palaexpo building. On offer are events on agricultural policy, market analysis, climate change, etc. And, of course, the rooms were booked for classic tastings.
Orange Wine Festival
The Orange Wine Festival, for example, is participating in the party and will send twelve white wines with mash fermentation from Serbia, Georgia, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia and Italy to the launch on April 11 at 12:30 pm. Participation, however, is by invitation only.
"Micro Mega Wines"
The "Micro Mega Wines" will be launched in two tasting sessions. On April 10 2022, from 1- 3 p.m. in Sala B, on the second floor of Hall 10, trade book authors Ian d'Agata and Michele Longo will present the first nine wines, and on April 11 (same location, same time) the second selection.
Community Instead of a Catalogue
In the course of the "Digital Transformation", the paper catalogue weighing kilos had already been discarded at the penultimate fair. Instead, Veronafiere introduced the Vinitaly Directories information platform in ten languages, which could be loaded via the Vinitaly app. In 2021, the Directories became "Vinitaly Plus." The goal is to create a community that connects throughout the year. Schedules can be shared via chats. Of course, information about trade fair activities, stand numbers and the presentation of the wineries are also available.
The usefulness of this tool stands or falls on the content that its users feed in. After two years of forced acceleration in digital literacy, this should work better than in 2019.
A feast for all
Wine enthusiasts from outside the industry would need a high level of criminal energy to sneak into the exhibition centre this year. This will be better for the atmosphere at the fair.
For wine tourists, the parallel event "Vinitaly in the City" will again take place in the heart of the city. The rich program will include tastings and seminars, readings, exhibitions and concerts from April 8 to 13, 2022. The complete offer is summarized on the site https://www.vinitalyandthecity.com/programma/, where - if necessary - you can also reserve seats. In Verona, in any case, the comeback of Vinitaly will be celebrated in grand style, at the fair and in the city.
