ON THE EVE OF THE 47^th VINITALY, VERONAFIERE PROUDLY PRESENTS VINITALYWINECLUB: FROM THE LAND TO THE NETWORK – THE EXPERIENCE OF THE BEST ITALIAN WINES ON THE WEB

Online as of Saturday 6 April, on the eve of the 47^th edition of Vinitaly, the first digital platform promotes Italian wine culture and its finest products – which are now available for sale via Internet.

www.vinitalyclub.com

Verona, 6 April 2013 – VinitalyWineClub makes its debut online today (www.vinitalyclub.com) – Veronafiere’s digital project enters the global network through a new promotion channel to strengthen the ‘Vinitaly system’ even further.

An initial offering of about 200 labels from 125 producers in 18 Italian regions, including companies taking part in OperaWine (with almost 100 companies on the waiting list), VinitalyWineClub aims to establish itself as a platform for the international promotion of Italian wine excellence and thereby further enhance Vinitaly’s role world-wide. For almost fifty years, Vinitaly has been synonymous with Italian wine on markets at home and abroad through Vinitaly International; a strategic brand supporting the internationalisation of Italian wine cellars.

“Nearly half of the turnover generated by Italian wine sales comes from exports,” said Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General of Veronafiere. “Vinitaly has played a leading role for almost fifty years in worldwide promotion of Italian wine, with special emphasis on several key markets such as the United States, Russia and China. This strategy that has helped many quality-oriented producers, often small, to make their names and earn recognition in Italy as well as abroad. Vinitaly is a driving force in the wine sector, Mantovani went on, “and is well aware of the potential for further growth that may characterise the field in coming years, in Italy, Europe and the rest of the world. And in order to strengthen our locomotive role for growth in the sector, we are delighted to present VinitalyWineClub. We have worked on this project for some time. Now that it has attained quality that has always distinguished Vinitaly, it makes its bow in Italian and will be expanded to cover Europe later this year.”

VinitalyWineClub is more than a routine e-commerce platform and was created to provide an introductory and exploratory experience leading to purchases of the best Italian labels from many wine-growing areas – from the most famous to lesser known jewels – with a particularly innovative, engaging and exclusive formula. Flexible subscription schemes (starting from €29/month) and purchase customisation opportunities, as well as editorials dedicated to the characteristics of all the wines and the experience of their producers, mean that VinitalyWineClub will help users to discover, learn about and purchase wines on-line thanks to a simple and interactive formula modelled on the preferences and budgets of every member.

VinitalyWineClub (www.vinitalyclub.com) is an added-value aspect of the “Vinitaly system” which will focus on three different areas: 

• Vinitaly Wine Shop: the online platform selling a selection of quality wines at a fair price, offering theme-based and specific selections as well as the chance to “assemble” personalised wine choices;

•        Vinitaly Wine Club: an exclusive community that helps members discover emerging labels selected thanks to Vinitaly’s expert guidance. The flexible subscription scheme, based on three price ranges to meet the needs of different budgets, helps members discover three different labels every month from all over Italy;

•        Vinitaly Wine Blog: a place for stories, images and experiences on a personal, first-hand level through conversations with producers to guide consumers and their purchasing decisions.

The labels included in VinitalyWineClub  selections are assessed in advanced in order to offer the public a balanced selection of wines ensuring the highest quality, in turn representing the excellence of every Italian region by providing range of products and prices that meet the demands of key markets.