News

Milan poised for 300 wine events across its hippest districts

06 September 2021 By db staff writer

Milan Wine Week 2021 is back next month with an exciting new app that links visitors to local restaurants based on their favourite wines.

Milano Wine Week, the internationally-renowned yearly event devoted to the world of Italian wine, will be taking place from 2-10 October with an extensive program of events in Milan and in 11 major cities around the world, including London and Hong Kong. This year there are big plans to launch an app as well as make the event more experiential. We caught up with founder and president Federico Gordini to find out more.

What can we expect from MWW 2021?
“This year, for MWW’s fourth edition, we’re going beyond anything we’ve ever attempted before. The activities in Milan will increase by about 60%, with over 300 events across the city and 10 Wine Districts pairing some of the trendiest neighbourhoods in town with Italy’s leading wine Consortia, where audience members will be able to take part in engaging, educational and exceptional activities hosted by restaurants and winemakers.

Why is the event so important to Milan?
“In 2019, Milan hosted more than 11 million tourists. October was a top month, with over 1 million people coming to the city. Our aim is to encourage tourists to view Milan as the starting point from which to explore some of Italy’s very best wine regions – many of which are no more than 2 hours away from the city – while being able to enjoy world-class restaurants and venues in town. Milan is also Italy’s financial capital: a place for wine industry professionals to meet, interact and conduct business with the support of a cutting-edge logistics and technological infrastructure.

Why did you decide to launch an app?
“We learned so much during the pandemic, because we had to depend so much on technology to communicate. We decided to use this knowledge to create something different and new: an App
that not only enhances participants’ experience of our event, but actually changes the way they approach and value wine in their everyday lives. “W”, MWW’s new App, will be both a tool to navigate the Wine Week and a permanent archive of the city’s wine lists, with useful information on the wines and wineries featured in venues across town, through which people will be able to
book where to go by looking up the wines they want to try.”

What makes MWW a must-attend event for visitors?
“Milan is already the capital of excellence. It is the capital of fashion and design, where the Italian lifestyle is created. Throughout its trend-setting history, wine has always been a staple in Milan, and now we want to bring this to the world. We are building something innovative here – a new wave. We are the new wine generation and this, well, this is a wine revolution. We want people to be a part of it, from trade professionals to wine lovers worldwide. That’s why, alongside the App, we are also bringing back another technological innovation we introduced last year: the MWW online platform, where anyone around the world can take part in our events live, via streaming and through interactive tools meant to connect the global wine community.

What are you hoping to achieve with the event?
“We want to give people the best and most immersive experiences possible. Be they trade professionals or consumers, people participating in person in Milan or online users connecting via web, we want to provide the highest quality experience possible, as well as to create a concrete opportunity to celebrate wine and everything it stands for, starting with the companionship and unity we’re so happy to finally return to. Now more than ever, we all need to share experiences and keep in touch with other people. We want everyone to join us and become part of our wine city, where hundreds of events will give consumers the chance to increase their knowledge and experience of wine. Our aim is to change the language and the way we communicate it – make it simpler and more experiential.” Last year, MWW gave people something to celebrate after months of social abstinence.

How do you feel about the role the event has played in giving people a boost of happiness?
“It is our reason to do it, actually. What a great opportunity it is to make people happy. The past year has been hard for everyone. We have had to pay so much attention to all of the necessary things, all our events are organized following the latest safety protocols both in Milan and in the 11 international cities connected. But it is important to remember that people need to experience good things too.”

Why is it important that events such as these go ahead?
“The whole country is ready to get back to business, and so is the wine world: trade professionals, wine producers, consumers. They want to do activities and go to events. They want to see and taste things. It is impossible to substitute physical moments – especially for experiences like wine events. That’s why MWW strives to provide both an amazing program of live events and the technology to enjoy them and enhance them, be it during the Wine Week in Milan, online on our platform, or in our daily lives through the W App.