Veronafiere Holds Firm With 2022 Vinitaly Event, To Be Held In Verona From April 10th - 13th

USA - English

• USA - English

VERONA, Italy, Feb. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Despite the headwinds of COVID, Veronafiere remains resolute in holding this year's Vinitaly in April, the traditional month of the signature Italian wine trade event of the year. While other trade shows have been postponed and canceled, Vintialy forges ahead. "We think it's an important statement to the global wine market that we hold firm on the Vinitaly dates," says Giovanni Mantovani, CEO, Veronafiere. "In the face of the pandemic, our wine companies have persevered, and collectively made 2021 a historically successful year for Italian wine exports. We want to support and celebrate these great companies in their efforts."

To ensure the utmost safety of the exhibitors, visitors and staff, Veronafiere has implemented a Covid-safety protocol. There will be temperature scanning devices at all points of entry, 400 cameras around the grounds that will be able to detect potential large gatherings, and an overarching constant sanification process of all areas and surfaces.

The 2019 edition of Vintaly, the last before the pandemic, broke previous records with 33,000+ buyers, 4,692 exhibitors from the 20 regions of Italy and 41 countries,125,000+ total visitors including events held in the city of Verona ('Vinitaly in the City') and 5,953 buyers from the US alone. The enthusiasm for Italian wine is reflected in production and sales. In 2021, Italian wine companies exported wine around the world for an estimated 7.1 billion Euro, a new record for Italian wine exports and an increase of 13% over 2020 and 10% over 2019.

Not only will Vinitaly carry on as planned, Vinitaly International Academy continues to educate wine professionals around the world with the hugely successful Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) program. The 2022 VIA program will kick off with a 3-day hybrid course from February 28 to March 2 taking place simultaneously in Moscow and St. Petersburg under the expert tutelage of Sarah Heller, MW. On March 4-6, VIA will travel to New York, taught by Henry Davar IWE. From April 4-7, the flagship annual course will be held in its original home in Verona with the full faculty of Heller, Davar, and Professor Attilio Scienza in person for the event. A further course will be held in Hong Kong, Covid restrictions permitting, later in the year.

"The success of Italian wine sales around the world is predicated on education," says Stevie Kim, founder of VIA and managing director of Vinitaly International. "We're building an amazing group of educators and advocates for Italian wine that will support the continued success Italian wine companies are enjoying globally." The internationally respected VIA course is now in its 21st edition, having successfully pivoted to an agile format during the first wave of COVID lockdowns in early 2020. The VIA community now comprises over 900 candidates, of whom 262 have achieved the title Italian Wine Ambassador (IWA) accreditation and 15 of whom have qualified as Italian Wine Experts. In the USA there are currently 93 IWAs and 20 in Canada.

The VIA course is divided into two sections, the first of which involves access to a students-only learning platform with instructional videos. Self-study takes place at home, before in-person sessions in each of the cities holding the course. The second section is firmly focused on the tasting aspect of the course and master classes covering particular soils, climates, grapes, regions and denominations. All elements of the course are carefully curated by the VIA Faculty team, assisted by scientific advisor Professor Attilio Scienza. The ethos behind the course is a sound scientific focus on the native grapes of Italy and on the characteristics of the 20 regions' biodiversity, history, culture, and business.

Alumni of the Vinitaly International Academy recall their experiences as challenging, life changing and exceptionally worthwhile. "I highly recommend the VIA program," said Paul Bologna, Italian Wine Ambassador class of 2021. "The curriculum offers the opportunity to learn the most cutting-edge information on the origins of hundreds of native grapes as well as the top producers who are changing the future of Italian wines." Annie Replogle IWA, from the same VIA class commented, "The challenge of the VIA course is great for those seeking the utmost knowledge of Italian wine and made me fall even more in love with Italian wine, which I didn't think was possible." Students who take the VIA course come from every aspect of the wine sector, including educators, journalists, importers, hospitality, retailers, and beyond. Faculty member Henry Davar IWE summed up the experience, "at VIA we expand on the bird's eye view not only by appreciating Italy for the breadth of its geography and wealth of native grapes, but for the wealth of its history."

About Vinitaly
Vinitaly, the most prestigious event in the world of wine business, returns in its 54th edition and will take place in Verona from 10th to 13th April 2022. Vinitaly has always played a key role in promoting contacts between exhibitors, buyers and stakeholder, as it is increasingly focused on the development of B2B relationships: guides and competitions, seated and walk-around tastings, conferences and analysis of reference markets. Vinitaly was the first trade fair to introduce thematic areas that help give voice to the latest international trends. The new entry for 2022 is a thematic area dedicated to an increasing phenomenon and popular trend: Mixology. A specific area inside the trade fair is involving the most talented and trend-setting bartenders.

About Vinitaly International Academy
Vinitaly International Academy aims to be the gold standard of Italian wine education. It offers a complete educational path with standardized courses that will teach professionals and educators to master the diversity of Italian wine in a rigorous, organized manner. VIA's main objective is to foster a global network of highly qualified professionals such as Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts: in turn, they will support and promote Italian wine throughout the world. VIA was founded by Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International. The new VIA ecosystem avails of the guidance of Italian trade associations Federdoc, Federvini, Vignaioli Indipendenti FIVI, and Unione Italiana Vini as members of the Institutional Advisory Board. Italian vine genetics scholar, Prof. Attilio Scienza, oversees VIA's scientific and educational direction as the Chief Scientist. VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date, there are 262 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Media Contact

Daniela Porro, Colangelo & Partners, (646) 624-2885, [email protected]

SOURCE Vinitaly