The Bricolo-led management of Veronafiere wants to strengthen Vinitaly’s role as ambassador of Italian wine in the world and for this reason has intensified its activities abroad, both with traveling events and fixed appointments.
The latest in chronological order concerned the Asian markets.
From 12 to 14 June the Wine Exchange took place in the ICE-Agenzia Seoul showroom “High Street Italia”, with the participation of 50 Italian wineries and over 350 South Korean operators.
South Korea has been one of the most dynamic markets in the last 5 years at a global level, with an increase in wine imports of 123%, which led to reaching a value of 450 million euros in 2023.
Italian wine was worth 62 million euros, representing a market share of 14%, behind France (187 million euros) and the USA (71 million euros). Considering the positions that Italy occupies at a global level, there is still potential to be developed in South Korea, both with activities in the country and inviting South Korean buyers to Vinitaly.
The positive notes contrast with the sharp decline that is characterizing the Chinese market from 2017 onwards and the slowdown in the Japanese market. Markets which, however, cannot be ignored due to their size in terms of population (China) and spending capacity (Japan). Vinitaly, in fact, plans the China Roadshow from 2 to 6 September, followed by the Wine Exchange events in Osaka and Tokyo on 7 and 9 October respectively.
However, Vinitaly is placing its strongest Asian bet on India, fifteen years after the last initiatives were carried out.
During the last Vinitaly in Verona an agreement was signed with the Indian Chamber of Commerce to create a two-year plan of initiatives aimed at presenting and strengthening the image of Italian wine in a country that is already demonstrating an increasing interest in our country as a tourist destination.
The first event will take place on 22 and 23 November in New Delhi with the Vinitaly Preview aimed at buyers and opinion leaders.
The other autumn stages of the international promotion calendar already confirmed are Vinitaly USA (Chicago, 20 and 21 October), Vinitaly Wine Vision (Belgrade, 22-24 November) and Vinitaly Asia Roadshow (Singapore 2 December and Tokyo 4 December).
