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DOC delle Venezie toasts increasing appreciation of Pinot Grigio

21 December 2022 By Christian Smith

Consorzio delle Venezie is rounding off another year of intense international promotional activity, during which Pinot Grigio DOC was found to be among the most appreciated and most popular white wines in the world.

The Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC has completed an intense 2022 promotional tour in the USA, Canada, and the UK – countries that rank among the Denomination’s top commercial partners that together absorb over 70% of exports. Promotional activity also took place in Japan, where demand and recognition are growing year after year.

“The Consortium’s goal is to strengthen the positioning of our excellence, the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC, in international markets (North America and the UK firstly) by stressing the variety’s link to the territory and its intrinsic quality characteristics.” Said Albino Armani, head of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOC delle Venezie.

“We have always tried to convey these values through influent speakers who accompany us in intense information and promotional initiatives that are always new and in step with the times. In addition to our reference markets, which are already mature in terms of the presence of Italian wine products, today we are engaged in countries that are brand new to DOC, such as Japan, with an excellent commercial potential for of our Pinot Grigio DOC, also demonstrated by the great participation in the events recently organised in Tokyo. These institutional and promotional tours are our main communication tool to tell the world about Northeastern Italy’s Pinot Grigio, certified DOC delle Venezie, giving the greatest value to this denomination and to the entire supply chain that supports it”.

The Consorzio delle Venezie is aiming to enhance the value of the variety in international markets by launching a series of targeted and coordinated campaigns aimed at significantly increasing both the positioning and perception of the brand by operators, as well as its recognisability by consumers. The Consorzio’s promotional activity is split into two parts. Firstly, the organisation of masterclasses, tastings and seminars intended for the trade – i.e. sector operators, specialised press and buyers, where the pillar themes remain quality in the glass and importance of the territory, all guaranteed by traceability and certification. And secondly on events open to the public and to influencers who boast very varied communities and followers, ranging from lifestyle, food, fashion to wellness, where the communication watchwords remain versatility, familiarity, wine/food pairing and conviviality, always guaranteed by certified quality.

These campaigns carried out by the DOC delle Venezie to all intents and purposes benefit the entire Pinot Grigio system in north-eastern Italy. In fact, there was no lack of in-depth analysis and educational material dedicated precisely to the territory – describing the Triveneto (Northeast Italy) as the homeland of the variety, compared to other national or world productions – or to the qualities and peculiarities of the variety: “peculiarities which are still unknown to most consumers, even regular consumers of Pinot Grigio or buyers, especially overseas, such as the typical grey colour of the grape or the technological process of maceration that characterizes the wine’s typical coppery colour, in a style that distinguishes it from all other rosé wines” as Nazareno Vicenzi, Oenologist and Technical Area of the Consorzio di Tutela describes.

“During all the events we held in the last months, including in the UK, it has been great to reveal to our public, whether professionals or consumers, what is ‘behind the scenes’ of Pinot Grigio delle Venezie. Of course it is crucial to communicate all the values of terroir, quality and certification, but behind this grape and this wine there is also an ancient and incredible history that we want to share and make known, and this too will help us to give deserved recognition and value to our Pinot Grigio. But also it is important to bring us all back to a more human level, made up of relationships and storytelling, by valuing the work of every single member winery that believes in our Consortium every day”.

The Consortium implemented the same successful approach in the United Kingdom, where last summer the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie met buyers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, journalists and enthusiasts at the London Wine Fair through a sold-out masterclass run by Patrick Schmitt MW. Consorzio delle Venezie also met visitors at the Taste of London, the eagerly awaited food festival at Regent’s Park, and, last but not least, met over 80 British media gathered for a great ‘Venetian Happy Hour’ organised in Brighton where the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie and Cicchetti, the typical Venetian canapé, were the protagonists. Finally, in autumn the Consortium was back in London, again in collaboration with media partner the drinks business, for consumer event The Wine & Spirits Show where once again Patrick Schmitt MW led a masterclass entitled ‘Best DOC delle Venezie of Global Pinot Grigio Masters 2022’.

The international tour undoubtedly highlighted the increasing quality and appreciation of professionals and consumers for the denomination. Indeed, there were no lack of positive comments attesting to how much Pinot Grigio delle Venezie has grown in quality in recent years, thanks also to the synergy and coordination work carried out by the main appellations of Northeast Italy that protect the variety, where the Consortium delle Venezie represents to all intents and purposes a sort of “pillar Denomination” . The growing quality of Pinot grigio delle Venezie is also demonstrated by the The Drinks Business Global Masters competitions, which now regularly award medals to Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC.