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Home > CANADA > Business events in Italy
THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S WINES IN VERONA: BUT ITALY LEADS THE WAY
Rome (Ign) - undisputed king of every table, symbol of Italy in the world and also a solid production sector: Italian wine, with its 20 centuries of history, this year once more celebrates its great festival in Verona, from 29 March to 2 April 2007 on the occasion of Vinitaly, the international show for wines and quality distillates (www.vinitaly.com). Vinitaly has for years been the point of reference for the sector on a national and international level, as is shown by the figures of the 2006 edition, which attracted over 144,000 visitors, of which at least 33,000 were from abroad. The expectations for this year are to repeat the successes of recent years, also thanks to the presence of no fewer than 4200 exhibitors representing international excellence in the sector, showing off the best of world wine in an area of almost 80,000 square metres. Vinitaly is in effect not only an opportunity for commercial development, but also a chance for professionals to get together and exploit the occasion to make new contacts and attract new markets. This is why the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) has organised a delegation of international professionals, to bring them to have a closer look at the best of Italian wine.
The reality of the Italian winemaking sector, according to 2005 figures issued by the Italian Wine Union (UIV), is made up of no fewer than 240,000 businesses, dedicated exclusively to winegrowing (195,000 vine-growers and 43,000 winegrowers), and provides 700,000 jobs, also counting those that work in the sector of processing and commercial distribution. This is a widespread business, with a varied landscape ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises, dedicated above all to the production of artisanal products, to large companies able to respond also to the demands of international mass distribution. The model has demonstrated that this approach is successful, above all abroad, where Italian wine has managed to achieve a role as an absolute protagonist. So much so, that the Italian Wine Union has decided to create a single mark for Italian promotional campaigns aimed at foreign markets, in order to relaunch and further reinforce the image of the sector on international markets.
The development of the Italian wine sector is moreover increasingly focused on exports. And with excellent results, seeing that Italy accounts for 20% of total world wine exports. As far as regards the individual markets, we should mention some really unique cases of success and growth, such as India, where, according to the farmers' association Coldiretti, Italian wine imports increased by 70% in 2006, despite heavy import duties, for a total of over 300,000 bottles and a value of around a €1m. The same can be said for the United States, a country in which Italian products are now the leaders in the sector and where, in 2006, as the Italian Wine & Food Institute reported recently, Italian exports accounted for two million hectolitres, in other words double imports from France, four times those from Chile and seven times those from Spain, for a turnover of over $1m. This success was mainly due to the boost provided by small and medium-sized enterprises, which successfully fought off competition from other producing countries.
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