54th Vinitaly postponed to 10-13 April 2022
Veronafiere has decided to postpone the 54th Vinitaly – the international wines and spirits exhibition – now scheduled 10-13 April 2022.
“The ongoing uncertainties within the national and international scenario and the extended lockdowns have prompted us to reschedule the exhibition definitively to 2022,” said Maurizio Danese, President of Veronafiere S.p.A. It is a question of making an albeit painful choice of responsibility; yet another compulsory halt that deprives Italian wine of its landmark event for national and international promotion. While waiting for the scenario to become more favourable once again,” Danese concluded, “Vinitaly continues to work hand in hand with all exponents, including sector institutions, such as the Ministry of Agricultural Policies and ICE-Italian Trade Agency, as well as all associations and categories, to continue supporting the competitiveness of Italian wine both on the domestic market and other countries already on the way to recovery, with the USA, China and Russia in the forefront.”
Against this background, the CEO of Veronafiere, Giovanni Mantovani, added: “We confirm OperaWine attended by Wine Spectator and the top companies in the sector identified by the American magazine for the 10th anniversary of this event, which remains scheduled in Verona next 19-20 June. The event will focus on restarting the sector, thanks to the involvement of the trade press and national and international operators,” said Mantovani, “and will also act as a point of attraction and a driving force for all the wine companies keen to take part in a b2b calendar that Veronafiere is already preparing.”
Operawine will be preceded, again in June, by the Vinitaly Design International Packaging Competition (11 June) and Vinitaly 5 Stars Wine The Book (16-18 June). The Vinitaly International Academy (21-24 June) will close the attended events scheduled for the summer.
Innovations also include an exceptional promotional event with significant institutional input next October and which will guide the sector during the run-up to the 54th Vinitaly in 2022.
Giovanni Mantovani went on: “We are talking about Vinitaly – Special Edition, a strictly b2b event that will highlight the resumption of national and international business in Verona 16-18 October.”
“We want to keep attention on Italian wine alive all over the world as one of the most meaningful ambassadors of Made in Italy,” said the President of ICE-Italian Trade Agency, Carlo Ferro. The initiatives implemented by Veronafiere to keep the ball rolling between Vinitaly 2019 and 2022, with the Vinitaly-Special Edition and other events we will develop together share this objective. This seamless approach was achieved despite the global pandemic and thanks also to the use of new tools in terms of digital commerce. I send my best wishes to the entire Veronafiere team and wine producers in the belief that the events scheduled for 2021 will help support Italian wine-making excellence.”
While waiting for the resumption of attended events in Italy itself, Vinitaly continues its operations on international markets, starting off in Russia with stop-offs in Moscow and St. Petersburg scheduled from 23 to 25 March. It will be the turn of Vinitaly Chengdu 3-6 April and then Wine to Asia (Shenzhen, 8-10 June). And China will again open Vinitaly’s international calendar in the autumn (13-17 September) before moving on to Brazil for Wine South America (22-24 September). Veronafiere also makes its know-how available to organise other promotional events in other target markets for the wine sector.
The decision to postpone Vinitaly was shared with organizations and associations in wine-making and agricultural sectors: Alleanza delle Cooperative Italiane Agroalimentare, Assoenologi, Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Copagri, Federdoc, Federvini and Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv).