{"id":28825,"date":"2026-07-01T11:25:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/28825\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T11:25:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:25:33","slug":"vinitaly-returns-italian-wine-fair-celebrates-bel-paese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/28825\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinitaly Returns: Italian Wine Fair Celebrates Bel Paese"},"content":{"rendered":"

The main event
Fun at the (trade) fair<\/p>\n

The person wolfing down a plate of fried food at 09.30 can\u2019t be Italian. A croissant or two perhaps, accompanied by a frothy cappuccino; but that fodder? At that time? Surely not. Once you cross the ticketed threshold of the gargantuan space that houses Vinitaly, the world\u2019s premier Italian wine expo, it soon becomes apparent why early-morning carb loading could be a good idea. Here you might well sample a Pugliese ros\u00e9 for breakfast in the name of research.<\/p>\n

\"ManSardinian pavilion<\/p>\n

\"WomanThe secret is in the pour<\/p>\n

\"ManVinitaly\u2019s ice station doing a roaring trade<\/p>\n

\"TwoWine on the move<\/p>\n

\"BaldMoustacheterpiece<\/p>\n

\"ManQuite the spectacle<\/p>\n

\"OrangeDress for the occasion<\/p>\n

\"Well-dressedTaking work seriously<\/p>\n

Every spring the picture-postcard-perfect northern Italian city of Verona gets gently sozzled on wine. It starts in the historic centre, where every shop, from baker to perfumer, displays bottles in its windows \u2013 often the wineries of friends or family. Restaurant reservations are made months in advance and the city\u2019s taxi industry capitulates under the weight of demand.<\/p>\n

Over in Piazza dei Signori, people are getting wobbly at \u201cVinitaly in the City\u201d, a collection of wine stands. For \u20ac15 you get three tastings and the chance to wear a faintly ridiculous wine glass holder around your neck. A little further away at Osteria del Bugiardo, a long table has been set up outside and people are gathered sipping bubbly. But the main draw remains the fair itself, located slightly out of the centre and held in a vast campus that feels like a Hollywood set. It\u2019s dominated by a series of pavilions representing Italy\u2019s wine regions, from Piedmont and Tuscany to Sicily and Alto Adige. This year one of the buzzwords is \u201crelaunch\u201d after the disruptions of the pandemic. Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, the organisation behind Vinitaly, is keen to tell Monocle that 2022 is \u201ca good vintage\u201d. Despite complications \u2013 namely China\u2019s coronavirus-related limited attendance and Russia\u2019s ban \u2013 some 88,000 attendees are expected. Awaiting them are more than 4,000 wineries uncorking bottles at stands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fair is about finding the right importers,\u201d says Simone Sedilesu, the wine-maker behind Sardinia\u2019s VikeVike. \u201cIt\u2019s not just selling but selling the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Italian wineries here, the goal is to find new markets. And given that the US remains the biggest buyer, it\u2019s no surprise that we hear so many American accents. New Yorker Devi Taraj, attending with US importer Selected Estates of Europe, calls Vinitaly a \u201ccrazy, overwhelming experience\u201d. But she also says that this year is \u201ceven more special as everyone has been out of commission for two years\u201d.<\/p>\n

With a focus on orange and organic wine, the debate rages among wine-makers over whether to join the club \u2013 especially given the mixed quality of natural wine. Arrigo Barion from Tuscan winery Casale dello Sparviero, which will switch entirely to organic by 2023, says that the argument is complex. \u201cOrganic is good but it needs to be sustainable,\u201d he says. \u201cOn its own, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PeopleStriking a pose<\/p>\n

In the Sicilian pavilion there is practically a stampede around the Donnafugata stand, while the Alto Adige\/S\u00fcdtirol area is the busiest that Monocle witnesses. Yet despite the obvious competitive nature of an event like this, there is also a rather festive spirit \u2013 aided, of course, by the alcohol.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen wineries enthusiastic about being back in person,\u201d says Veronafiere\u2019s Mantovani. \u201cSo much information is exchanged.\u201d The chance to swill, sniff and sip in good company feels like more of an elixir than ever. Perhaps 2022 is a rather good vintage after all.<\/p>\n

Shopping List
Chandra Kurt\u2019s Top 10 Tipples<\/p>\n

1.
Soave Classico 2019, La Rocca, Pieropan
This blend is energy, elegance and surprise.
\u20ac27; pieropan.it<\/p>\n

2.
Casalferro 2018, Castello di Brolio, IGT Toscana
A deeply structured and expressive merlot.
\u20ac49.90; ricasoli.com<\/p>\n

3.
RosaMati 2021, Fattoria Le Pupille, IGT Toscana Rosato
This syrah ros\u00e9 is pure palate pleasure.
\u20ac11.90; fattorialepupille.it<\/p>\n

4.
Sette Anni 2013, Angelo Negro, Roero Arneis DOCG
A great white from a maker of fine reds.
\u20ac42; angelonegro.it<\/p>\n

5.
Trebbiano d\u2019Abruzzo 2019, Vigna del Convento di Capestrano, Valle Reale
Refreshes the palate.
\u20ac48; vallereale.it<\/p>\n

6.
Mimesi 2020, Tenuta di Ghizzano
Vibrant and intense with an impressive finish.
\u20ac30; tenutadighizzano.com<\/p>\n

7.
Passorosso 2019, Etna Rosso, Passopisciaro
One of the best Etna wines from Sicily.
\u20ac29; vinifranchetti.com<\/p>\n

8.
Ca\u2019del Bosco Vintage Collection, Dosage Z\u00e9ro
Notes of seaweed, lime and white roses.
\u20ac44.50; cadelbosco.com<\/p>\n

9.
Dolcetto d\u2019Alba 2019, Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio
The Mascarello family vinifies heavenly barolos. A flavour explosion.
\u20ac20; mascarello1881.com<\/p>\n

10.
Taurasi Riserva 2015, Gulielmus, Tenute Capaldo
Ripe plums, liquorice and leather.
\u20ac49; tenutecapaldo.it<\/p>\n

The conversation
Monocle convenes Italian wine-makers discuss Vinitaly<\/p>\n

Who better to speak to about Vinitaly than some of Verona\u2019s wine experts? The conversation flows from the fair to the effect of tourism on the industry. There\u2019s also great food and, naturally, excellent wine.<\/p>\n

Verona is an apt host for Vinitaly given its proximity to Valpolicella, one of Italy\u2019s best denominations, as well as soave and bardolino growing areas. Monocle sits down with six Veneto wine producers to talk about the fair, industry insights and all things grape-related.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleAntica Bottega del Vino<\/p>\n

\"WomanIlaria Nidini<\/p>\n

Monocle: Does Vinitaly matter?<\/p>\n

Matilde Poggi: I\u2019ve attended since 1985. The quality of the fair has improved but this year is a test because consumption in Italy actually went up during the pandemic \u2013 so maybe we need to relook at everything a little.<\/p>\n

Giovanni \u00c9derle: I hadn\u2019t been born in 1985! Before the pandemic, Vinitaly was a place to make new contacts: new importers and distributors. For me, it\u2019s now the place to meet the contacts developed during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Andrea Brunelli: Being a small company, it\u2019s not something that fits for us. We\u2019re looking for a different type of fair.<\/p>\n

Chiara Speri: We\u2019ve been taking part since the 1980s. Since then the world has changed but I have to say that the largest and most important importers we have today are from Vinitaly.<\/p>\n

Ilaria Nidini: It\u2019s a moment of relaxation, of celebration and sharing. I don\u2019t need to find a particular importer and so it\u2019s a moment for getting together.<\/p>\n

Camilla Rossi Chauvenet: The human aspect is key to the wine world. Wine producers need to keep up with new tastes, eating habits and ways of consuming wine. There\u2019s an epochal shift happening.<\/p>\n

Monocle: Is \u201cMade in Italy\u201d a valuable label or does it need to be updated?<\/p>\n

CRC: As a brand, it\u2019s recognised by so many people. Contemporary wine-making in Italy today is more open and has become closer to what younger customers want: diversity.<\/p>\n

AB: I agree with Camilla. [Italian wine has] incredible potential. We just need to look ahead.<\/p>\n

MP: For me, it\u2019s valuable but Italy is still paying the price of not being faithful enough to its history and traditions. I\u2019m completely against the [mass-market] way in which prosecco has operated, for example. We shouldn\u2019t follow fads.<\/p>\n

IN: It\u2019s a super brand. You speak to people about Italy and it warms their heart. They love Italy and don\u2019t have a negative thing to say. We need to play on that. Let\u2019s sell Italy before we talk about smaller areas.<\/p>\n

GE: I was at a fair in Tokyo three years ago with producers from around the world. The Italians\u2019 approach was, \u201cWelcome, this is my company, this is my land.\u201d Nextdoor there was a Frenchman and as soon as anyone came to his stand the first thing he said was, \u201cWelcome to France\u201d \u2013 [only] then would he talk about the winery. We also need to learn to be a group.<\/p>\n

Monocle: Lots of wineries rely on tourism, which has been badly affected. Is there a need to change the model?<\/p>\n

\"Wine-makerWine-maker Giovanni \u00c9derle<\/p>\n

\"AnimatedHeated lunchtime debate<\/p>\n

GE: I\u2019ve always jokingly said that between tourism, our restaurant and the winery, what could possibly happen that would knock out all of them together? I\u2019ve now learnt not to ask certain questions. But now we\u2019re seeing a bounce-back and things are exploding.<\/p>\n

CRC: We also felt this. And in the wine sector too; by December 2021 we were sold out \u2013 we only had Amarone left. It\u2019s not just the foreign visitors either, so many Veronesi, Milanesi and Trevigiani want to celebrate in a winery.<\/p>\n

Monocle: Is making organic wine a choice or a reaction to the market?<\/p>\n

MP: For me, it\u2019s a choice that the producer makes if they believe in it. I\u2019ve been organic since 2009 and I remember at the time some wine reps told me that it was better not to say so. Organic wine was seen as badly made.<\/p>\n

CS: It\u2019s a personal choice and has to be that way because if you start to do the maths, it doesn\u2019t always add up.<\/p>\n

Monocle: Andrea, you make natural wine?<\/p>\n

AB: You\u2019re giving me a label and it\u2019s not always good to be given a label. With natural wine, there\u2019s this association that it perhaps has defects. There isn\u2019t a certification [in Italy]; it\u2019s more an idea or way of thinking from the wine-maker.<\/p>\n

Monocle: What benefit is there from many Italian wineries still being family-run?<\/p>\n

IN: The small Italian company is the driving force of the economy. In the good and the bad.<\/p>\n

CS: With your family, you feel stronger and more supported.<\/p>\n

CRC: I\u2019m on my own and mine is a start-up, a bit like Giovanni\u2019s. The idea was starting from zero. The pros are extreme freedom \u2013 a freedom that leads you to innovation.<\/p>\n

\"ChiaraChiara Speri<\/p>\n

\"WineRaising a glass over starters<\/p>\n

\"ThreeVinitaly workers<\/p>\n

Meet our guests<\/p>\n

Chiara Speri, Speri
Part of an organic Valpolicella family winery.<\/p>\n

Matilde Poggi, Le Fraghe
Wine-maker and president of the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers.<\/p>\n

Andrea Brunelli, Corte Bravi
Organic winery started in 2011 by Andrea and his brother, Ivano.<\/p>\n

Ilaria Nidini, Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde
A boutique winery in Marano di Valpolicella.<\/p>\n

Camilla Rossi Chauvenet, Massimago
Massimago produces wine and has several hospitality offerings.<\/p>\n

Giovanni \u00c9derle, Cantina Giovanni \u00c9derle
\u00c9derle has a small start-up winery with a restaurant and agriturismo.<\/p>\n

The venue
Owned by 13 Valpolicella wineries, Verona\u2019s Antica Bottega del Vino is housed in a 15th-century building.
bottegavini.it<\/p>\n

The menu<\/p>\n

To eat:
Cicchetti (mixed small bites)
Antipasti: salt-cod with polenta; \u201cspillo\u201d calamari with lime and jalape\u00f1o; Cantabrico anchovies with burrata and confit tomatoes
Risotto all\u2019Amarone<\/p>\n

To drink:
Gemin Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry
Azienda Agricola Santa Cristina Lugana 2021
Don Michele Contrada Moganazzi Etna DOC 2019
Col d\u2019Orcia Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The main eventFun at the (trade) fair The person wolfing down a plate of fried food at 09.30…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5534,20168,5,20169,20170,20171,20172,3410,5533,20173,20174,20175,15915,5230,20176],"class_list":["post-28825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-italy","tag-italian-wine","tag-italian-winemaking","tag-italy","tag-natural-wine","tag-organic-wine","tag-trade-fair","tag-valpolicella","tag-verona","tag-vinitaly","tag-wine-business","tag-wine-fair","tag-wine-industry","tag-wine-tasting","tag-wine-tourism","tag-wine-trade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}