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‘All systems go’ Vinitaly 2023 closes

06 April 2023 By Louis Thomas

From 2 to 5 April, more than 93,000 visitors from across the world descended upon Veronafiere for the 55th edition of Vinitaly.

The snake of people shuffling down the Viale del Lavoro each morning to make their pilgrimage to the fair was a testament to its draw.

In total, just under a third (29,600) of the visitors were international, from 143 countries, with US, German and UK buyers forming a sizeable portion of the foreign contingent. The success of the Vinitaly’s digital platform, Vinitaly Plus, was also noted, with 11,000 appointments between producers and buyers scheduled through it. More than 45,000 tastings took place, a 50% increase on last year.

Veronafiere managing director Maurizio Danese said that this digital aspect was part of a “new approach” that is “certainly not finished”.

But, beyond the attendance figures, the show was also a success in terms of sheer variety: a Risorgimento of producers, ranging from the biggest names in the business to those just emerging, from every Italian region in one space. And, there was even high culture, as two paintings depicting Bacchus, one by Caravaggio the other by Guido Reni, were loaned from the Uffizi in Florence to be exhibited at the fair.

It was also an occasion marked with political significance, as prime minister Giorgia Meloni visited Veronafiere on the Monday (3 April) to show her support for Italy’s wine industry: “It is a duty to be here today, but not my first time at Vinitaly. Yet all the more so, I hardly could not be here now as Prime Minister of Italy.”

“Wine is a fundamental value chain in our economy and culture, worth more than €30 billion,” continued Meloni. “The sector employs more than 870,000 people and leads the balance of trade for Made in Italy. This sector works so well thanks to its ability to combine long-standing tradition and modernity. This is why the government is committed in taking the dual direction of measures to support businesses as well as young people who receiving awards today during Vinitaly.”

Reflecting on the fair, and Vinitaly’s upcoming international roadshows, Veronafiere president Federico Bricolo said: “Our goal is to build a permanent and coordinated promotional platform together with institutional partners. The aim is to attract incoming investments into Italy, on the one hand and, on the other, to push Italian products abroad as Veronafiere – after Brazil and China – also sets up strong roots in the United States, Japan, South Korea and the Far East.”

The next Verona edition of Vinitaly will take place from 14-17 April 2024.

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