Vinitaly…someone will always complain

Without wishing to minimize any organizational shortcoming, there is no denying that Vinitaly is the most important wine event for Italian wines.

When you read this I will already be up to my neck in activities at Vinitaly, conducting tastings at our stand, in pavilion 10, and elsewhere, meeting producers, discussing wine, markets, winemaking styles and so on. I will actually be busy there a few days before the trade fair officially opens having be selected as a chairman of one of the panels involved in evaluating wines competing in a contest called, a sign of the times, 5StarWines by Vinitaly. This will be the 38th time I have taken part in Vinitaly, the first being in 1980 although I missed one while doing military service. Over the years, things have obviously changed greatly with the participation of wineries and people having at least doubled and sector operators now coming in from all over the world. Although this may not be the most important wine trade fair in the world, it comes close and is, for certain, the most important for Italian wines.

When I hear some disgruntled producer or wine lover complain over logistical difficulties, I always tell them that there is undoubtedly room for improvement but that there is a big difference when you play on your home turf, in Verona, where the attention is extremely focused on Italian wines. It’s a different story at Prowein in Düsseldorf, Vinexpo in Bordeaux or even trade fairs in East Asia, where Italy may be a strong presence but there is more competition from many other countries.

Those who come to Vinitaly, on the other hand, do so because they are primarily interested in Italian wines, which for me is a decisive factor. Thus I urge everyone to take this into consideration, even if it does not justify any eventual organizational or logistical problem that, in reality, can be found in any major event like this one. What is important to understand are the positive aspects that make Vinitaly the most important showcase for Italian wines.

For sure, there will always be someone who will complain: parking at Vinitaly is inconvenient and too far away, in Verona it is easier to win the lottery than find a taxi and hotels cost an arm and a leg. Then there are producers who complain that the price of stand is too high and they prefer to invest in their estates, who believe Prowein is more professional and find Vinitaly too crowded, especially on Sunday, while some consumers prefer to go elsewhere to look for ‘natural’ wines.

We, on the other hand, will be there and hope to see you. Come check us out.