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Vinitaly cancelled for second consecutive year due to Covid
For the second consecutive year, Veronafiere has had to cancel Vinitaly due to Covid-19, with the next edition of the fair due to take place on 10-13 April 2022.
In a release sent to the drinks business yesterday, the decision by organiser Veronafiere to “postpone” Italy’s major national wine fair to next year was described as “painful” but “compulsory” due to the pandemic, with the country now entering a third lockdown due to the virus.
However, Veronafiere said that its Operawine event would be going ahead on 19-20 June, with the attendance confirmed by Wine Spectator, while the fair organiser also outlined a programme of initiatives from this month to October “to promote the recovery on national and international markets”.
This includes a Verona-based event towards the end of this year “to highlight the resumption of national and international business”, according to the fair organiser.
“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.
Continuing he said, “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.”
He 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.
He added, “The event will focus on restarting the sector, thanks to the involvement of the trade press and national and international operators, 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 a promotional event next October, which will guide the sector during the run-up to the 54th Vinitaly in 2022.
Mantovani explained: “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.”
While waiting for the resumption of physical 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).