Known to wine enthusiasts for one of the world’s best known annual wine fairs, Vinitaly, Verona is about to host a multi-functional wine museum and visitor centre that promises to rival similar enterprises in Bordeaux and Porto.

The Museo del Vino (MuVin) project was exposed at Vinitaly 2022, with the endorsement of Italian tourism minister Massimo Garavaglia, Roberta Garibaldi of Italy’s national tourism agency, and Prof Diego Begalli, director of the department of business economics at the University of Verona and Enrico Corsi of Veneto’s Regional Council, who promoted and developed the idea behind the project.

MuVin project is an ambitious €50 million museum, visitor and exhibition centre that will be suitably positioned in Verona’s Gallerie Mercatali. The site is just opposite the city’s exhibition quarter, which is active all year long offering tradeshows, including Vinitaly itself.

Corsi affirmed that: ‘Clearly the museum will rely on the huge number of people who already visit the area, including some 32 million tourists who go to Lake Garda every year, as well as 3.8 million who visit Verona, plus everything else happening in the region. Needless to say, Verona’s numerous exhibitions will benefit us with additional visitors too. This will be Italy’s largest museum dedicated to wine, it will be the country’s main hub for enotourism and will also have an international scope.’

The Gallerie Mercatali, once home to Verona’s horticultural market, cover a land area of nearly 20,000sqm. MuVin’s museum area itself will cover about 5,400sqm, with the remaining surface dedicated to complimentary activities. Indeed, MuVin will also feature an experiential “path” of nearly 5,800sqm that will take visitors on a journey of discovery, touching on themes such as the history of wine, viticulture, wine production, the impact of climate change on winegrowing, and wine and food pairing.

The structure is going to offer educational activities too, with wine lovers welcomed to learn wine tasting techniques as well as conduct virtual visits to wineries and UNESCO heritage vineyards in augmented reality rooms.

The MuVin complex will host temporary exhibitions showcasing both Italian and international wines in addition to cultural initiatives – all with a wine angle – such as contemporary art, music, literature and cinema.

‘There will also be a wine and food market, eateries (a concept pioneered by the Eataly business model), a large wine cellar, a conference centre, and a wine auction room,’ added Corsi, ‘as well as a WebTV, and room to showcase other important Italian products that wine enthusiast love, such as vinegar, spirits and olive oil.’

A MuVin Foundation will be responsible for supervising the project’s development and will be eventually in charge of managing the museum. ‘The Foundation will officially kick off the project. It has attracted the interest of several local councils, trade bodies, consortiums, businesses, wineries, which will all be welcomed to join in,’ said Corsi. ‘We expect MuVin to be ready by 2026, when Northern Italy will host the next Winter Olympics Milano-Cortina.’

After a nine-month police pursuit across Europe, a former Mexican beauty queen and ‘Miss Earth’ competitor has been arrested over the now-infamous €1.6 million theft of wine bottles from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain.

When a ‘couple’ operated a meticulously planned wine robbery last year, stealing 45 bottles of wine including an 1806 Château d’Yquem from Atrio, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain, police said it had all the trademarks of professional job.

Spanish officials said the theft had been calculated with “millimetric” detail. It was revealed that the ‘couple’ had visited the restaurant three times to plan the theft before undertaking the robbery.

According to El Pais, one of those arrested is a 29-year-old Mexican beauty queen who competed in pageants in her home country. Her accomplice is described as a 47-year-old “Romanian-Dutch” male. It is believed that the 29-year-old woman checked into the hotel using a false Swiss passport before being joined by her accomplice.

The couple dined in the restaurant before requesting a tour of the wine cellar.

The woman later distracted a member of staff by requesting more food after the kitchen had closed, while the man made his way to the wine cellar, used a master key to enter, and made off with three backpacks full of highly valuable wine.

The names of the pair have not been released by police and the wine has still not been recovered, according to Atrio’s sommelier and co-owner, José Polo.

“That bottle was part of my personal history, almost part of me, of the history of Atrio, but also of Caceres, of its citizens, of wine lovers all over the world,” Polo said in a statement to local media, referring to the stolen 1806 Château d’Yquem.

The pair exited the hotel at 5.30am the following, leaving no forensic evidence of their visit to the hotel. They left Spain a few days later, and were pursued across Europe by police until they were identified by Croatian border guards as they attempted to cross from Montenegro.

The investigation remains open.

Wildfires continue in the Gironde region near the southwestern French city of Bordeaux, destroying some 7,300 hectares of forest in four days, with firefighters still unable to stop the blazes. Firemen fighting the two forest blazes which have been raging in the Gironde region say the situation remains extremely difficult. One thousand men and nine water-bombing aircraft are involved in the struggle to contain the twin fires. In the forest known as Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, several dwelling and restaurants have been destroyed. In the Landiras region, south of the city of Bordeaux, 4,200 hectares of forest have already been lost and 480 people had to be evacuated during the night. In total, nearly 11,000 people, most of them holiday makers in campsites, have had to flee the two regions of Arcachon and Landiras since the beginning of the crisis earlier this week. Tourist attraction the Dune de Pilat, Europe’s highest sand dune, was closed to visitors after several thousands were evacuated from local campsites this week.

Thai Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), Koelnmesse (KM) Germany, announced the success of the THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2022 “Hybrid Edition” grandly held this year both on the ground and online between 24-28 May 2022.

This Asia’s largest F&B event welcomed an unprecedented number of buyers and importers since the COVID-19 pandemic period traveling from many countries around the world, bringing in over 68,851 million baht and substantially exceeding the targeted trade order value of 10 billion baht. The trade show also helps reaffirm the potential of Thailand as the global hub for quality agricultural products and food, in response to the “Thai food” to “The World’s Food” policy of Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce.

Mr. Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, Director-General of Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), revealed that this great achievement of THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2022 stems from the fruitful collaboration between public and private sectors, namely, Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) Koelnmesse (KM) Germany. The success of this event has proven that the Thai food and beverage industry is in high demand in the global market and gaining trust for its food safety standards.

Vinitaly is back in 2022, after a two-year break due to Covid pandemics. In fact, the most awaited event for business and promotion of the Italian wine sector was hosted in Verona on the last 10-13th April.

According to organiser Veronafiere, the 54th edition of this international exhibition of wines and spirits presented itself with a sold-out exhibition area.

Vinitaly 2022 in numbers:

• 4,400 companies from 19 countries
• over 30 conferences and 76 super-tastings scheduled
• an integrated system with VinitalyPlus online b2b platform, with over 17,000 labels uploaded in digital format by producers.
• 700 top foreign buyers of Italian wine coming from 50 countries subscribed
• 50 operators profiled in demand at their debut in Verona and part of a new ad hoc incoming project (collaboration between Veronafiere and 30 exhibiting companies)

Attention to global and local production and sales constraints was discussed during the inaugural conference “Vinitaly Restart”, which was attended by Italian institutional representatives. There, Maurizio Danese, president of Veronafiere, underlined that: “After the pandemic, Italian wine is in the midst of the whirlwind of cost increases which risk impacting 1.3 billion euros in additional costs, causing market shares to be lost in favour of producer countries in the new world and in Europe, less exposed to the energy crisis. This is a particularly delicate and strategic theme which will be at the centre of the Vinitaly days and which, consequently, will also impose new criteria for selecting markets and high potential buyers “.

More news on Vinitaly 2022 to come.

Vinitaly International Academy, the educational arm of the Verona show which aims to showcase the breath and diversity of the Italian peninsula, is launching a brand new focus in the UK.

Through funding from the Italian Trade Commission, buyers and members of the press will be supported to visit the Verona show, with packages available to cover entry, travel and accommodation for 2022.

This is just one facet of the planned work. The academy also aims to place more focus on Italian wines, which – despite their popularity – remain largely undervalued in the UK.

“Though Italy has been successful in the UK to a point, the wines carry a considerably lower price point than France,” Sarah Abbott MW told Harpers.

“We just don’t have the same level of awareness and expertise in Italy despite fact there are many specialists bringing in fantastic wines. The UK academy has been set up to address this. If there’s one country where it really helps to know the detail, it’s Italy.”

Italy had found huge favour within the UK market, its top export market by volume. By value, however, Italy falls by the wayside. Average price for Italian wines in the UK sat at £5.81 for the past 12 months, behind French wine at £8.06, and also the USA, Spain, New Zealand and Argentina (WSTA figures, average RRP based on price per litre).

The Vinitaly International Academy was launched to convey “the value and diversity of Italian wine” to international markets by fostering a global network of professionals such as Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts. It organises Wine Expert and Wine Ambassador training courses every year in several countries, with the USA being a key market. The UK academy will officially launch in September, with funding packages available for those looking to visit this year’s show, running in Verona from 10 to 13 April.

From Europe to the United States, Singapore, Japan, Eurasia and emerging African markets. Veronafiere accelerates its strategic plan for the 54th edition of Vinitaly which returns “sold out” – with more than 4000 exhibiting companies -next 10 -13 April. The campaign already underway involves 60 countries in the promotion, communication and incoming programme implemented by Veronafiere S.p.A and ICE-Trade Agency sharing not only a total investment of 3 million euros but also the selection of a business list of 500 top buyers from all over the world, joining thousands of trade operators. from Italy and abroad.

“We are seeing a high rate of trust and expectation from international operators and exhibitors alike. Currently,” the CEO of Veronafiere, Giovanni Mantovani, added, “we have already confirmed delegations from areas in Canada and the USA, especially the Midwest, West Coast and Texas, as well as Singapore, Malaysia and, for Europe, the United Kingdom, Scandinavian countries, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and some of the most interesting Eastern European countries, starting with Poland. Furthermore, we are working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create a specific corridor with Japan to encourage attendance by Japanese operators. We are receiving very positive feedback from the Eurasian region and markets potentially interested in Italian wine. All the more, we recently concluded a strategic collaboration agreement with a number of exhibitors to implement another special incoming promotion plan involving an investment of 1 million euros.”

Global wine production in 2021 is set to fall by 4% vs. 2020, to around 250 million hectolitres (mhl), close to the historic low of 2017, the International Organisation for Vine & Wine (OIV) has projected.

Such figures are preliminary, but they highlight the “severe impact” of adverse climatic conditions on the 2021 vintage in parts of Europe, said OIV director-general Paul Roca.

Europe’s major producing countries, France, Spain and Italy, lost about 22mhl of potential wine production to weather-related factors like frost, hailstorms and mildew, the OIV estimated.

France could see its tiniest wine harvest in decades and Roca said it is likely to fall behind Spain to third place in world wine production figures. France’s 2021 harvest is expected to hit 34.2mhl, down 27% on 2020, with Spain on 35mhl, down 14%, the OIV said. Italy, the world’s biggest producing nation, is likely to see a 2021 harvest of 44.5mhl, down 9% on last year.

Smaller harvests don’t necessarily offer lesser quality, and several winemakers have told Decanter that they remain optimistic about grapes that survived the 2021 conditions. Roca also cautioned against assuming that wine lovers will see shortages. Even though the OIV expects global wine consumption to rise, he said, “we cannot say there will be a shortage, because there is inventory”. Actually global wine stocks were high already before Covid crisis.  Stock levels may naturally vary by area, of course.

Many Southern hemisphere countries saw bigger vintages in 2021. Australia and Chile both increased wine production by around 30% versus 2020, to 14.2mhl and 13.4mhl respectively. US wine production was likely to rise by 6% versus 2020, to 24.1mhl, but is down by 3% on a five-year average. Drought has hit yields in some areas. On a global measure, however, 2021 is “the third year in a row that world wine production is below average”, Roca said.

Coming in the week of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, a significant amount of the OIV’s press conference was devoted to climate challenges. Climate scientists have repeatedly warned of more frequent and unpredictable extreme weather events, which impact vineyards alongside whole communities. Roca spoke of a “destabilisation” of climatic conditions but also about the importance of work being done within the OIV and elsewhere to help winemakers adapt.

Film director Francis Ford Coppola’s Domaine de Broglie winery in Dayton was ravaged by fire in the late hours of Sunday, Oct. 31. It is unclear when it will be able to re-open.

Domaine de Broglie winemaker David Petterson was alerted shortly after midnight on Nov. 1. Petterson spent the night watching fire crews sift through the fire’s aftermath.

Petterson said the call reporting the blaze came into the Dayton Fire Department switchboard at approximately 10 p.m. According to Petterson, the fire began in the north end of the building, the location of the winery’s offices. While the full extent of the structural damage is unclear at the moment, Petterson said the offices were destroyed and the tasting room suffered smoke and water damage. “The destruction is significant,” Petterson said. Domaine de Broglie, the former Vista Hills Winery, opened its doors under Coppola’s ownership in the spring of 2019. Their wines are made at the Elizabeth Chambers Cellars facility in McMinnville. Petterson informed Coppola of the damaging fire via email.  “Francis immediately said ‘the show must go on,’” Petterson said. The cause of the fire is under investigation

Verona – Attendance by more than 12,000 professional operators, with more than 2,500 buyers (about 22% of total) from 60 countries: the special and extraordinary edition of Vinitaly closes today as the third and last Italian stage in the run up to 54th edition scheduled 10-13 April 2022.

“This result goes far beyond our expectations,” said the President of Veronafiere, Maurizio Danese. “Companies, consortia, agricultural and supply chain associations and operators rewarded this business initiative project with a high rate of contacts and sales, as well as a unanimous index of satisfaction. The third event attended in person with Vinitaly today,” Danese concluded, “is part of a scenario of impressive acceleration of Made in Italy exports and Italian wine on all the main target markets, including the domestic market thanks to collaboration activated with Fipe and Vinarius. We are experiencing a strong recovery in which Veronafiere plays a fundamental driving role for the internationalization of SMEs and Italian wine, with a commitment towards increasing the value of sales.”

The map of countries taking part in Vinitaly Special Edition sees Europe (with Northern countries, Germany and France at the vanguard), Russia, the United States and Canada lead demand for Italian wine at the trade fair, followed by Eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic), the United Kingdom and China, returning to Verona again. “This geography,” commented Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, “is perfectly aligned with the growth figures seen on international markets which, in the first 7 months of this year, posted an overall leap ahead of 15% compared to the same period last year. We upheld our declared commitment to organise a highly qualified Special Edition thanks also to the support of ICE Trade Agency,” Mantovani went on, “with international operators arriving precisely from the areas where Italian wine is growing significantly. “Now,” Mantovani concluded, “we are aiming to achieve a great 54th Vinitaly in 2022.”

Areas of interest among operators and buyers saw those dedicated to organic wines achieve a surge in attendance. Over the three days, 42 exhibitors in this segment saw their agendas crammed with b2b appointments, especially with buyers from Northern Europe and Germany. And in relation to new trends, the Mixology Masterclass calendar was sold out. There was also positive feedback for the equally Special Editions of Sol&Agrifood and Enolitech.

Based on Vinitaly press release, October 19, 2021