Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM

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MARVELLOUS Vinitaly from 10 to 13 April 2022 in Verona, Italy.

VINITALY: NUMBER OF TOP IMPORTERS EXPECTED IN VERONA UP TO 680.
RECORD FOR US BUYERS.
B2B FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Verona, 16 March 2022. With 130 confirmed top buyers, the United States – the first world market for Italian wine exports – leads the field of international delegations attending the 54th Vinitaly (Veronafiere, 10-13 April). It is the first time that the International Wine and Spirits Exhibition has achieved such a result on the American market. This emerges from the Veronafiere and ICE Trade Agency incoming campaign which, as it now comes to its conclusion – is surpassing its objectives.

So far, 630 ‘super buyers’ of Italian wine from all over the world – with reference exclusively to this international promotion project – have taken up invitations to attend Vinitaly. They are joined by a further 50 profiled market operators who will travel to Verona for the first time thanks to another ‘tailor made’ incoming project, set in motion this year and the result of direct collaboration between Vinitaly and about 30 companies exhibiting at the Show.

As for around 50 countries involved in the promotion and communication programme (the list has seen changes as a result of the conflict), the Vinitaly map welcomes new entries from the high-spending area of the Midwest and Southern United States, proof that there are still ample margins for growth. Representatives of the two monopolies in Ontario and Québec will arrive from Canada thanks to coordination with ICE Trade Agency. On the other side of the world, the Asian market is also moving in the name of wine, despite the persistence of certain travel difficulties associated with the pandemic: Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, as well as South Korea and China, are all accredited.

As regards China, however, monitoring remains alert following the latest lockdown measures issued by the Beijing government. The response from South America was positive with operators travelling from 10 of the 12 states in the macro-region (Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Chile). New entries at Vinitaly 2022 also include Africa, with professional collectives from Mozambique  Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Angola.

Europe sees delegations from Germany and Northern countries – with Denmark and Sweden in first place – among the most numerous (respectively 65 and 40). They also lead the field on the b2b agenda for organic produce at Vinitaly. Then come buyers from the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Greece and Switzerland. Vinitaly will also welcome operators from Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. An incoming event for Germany, Denmark, France and the United States was also organized by Sol&Agrifood, the international quality agro-food exhibition scheduled alongside the wine event, as part of projects financed by the European Community.

The business line-up at Vinitaly 2022 (www.vinitaly.com) will be completed with the arrival of thousands of national and international operators whose registrations are currently being processed.

Promotion efforts in the Russian Federation have been suspended.