Vinitaly 2016. Game over
Vinitaly, fiftieth edition. Game over. This is the ground noise that accompanied the largest, and the most visited, Italian wine fair in the world, with an astonishing final balance sheet (130,000 visitors, 50,000 of which from 140 countries, with 28,000 accredited buyers) which leads us to think that it’s better to let the figures speak for themselves. Now that time is leaving enthusiasms and disappointments to settle, now that we realise that there is a life beyond Verona, it’s possible to reflect on the real subjective outcome, everyone in their own room.
Because Vinitaly is so immense and rich in different facets and parallel worlds, it seems difficult to draw a line of common balance. For Veronafiere, the organising body, it couldn’t have gone better: everyone could see the significant efforts to improve internal services and the quality of the public (meaning professionalism, with more expensive tickets and more efficient management of the entrances), and also to continue on the path of internalisation. The half century was celebrated in great style, with the President of the Republic at the inauguration. For the wineries, the summary of the conversations between stands is positive: as always, there were many interesting meetings (restaurateurs, buyers etc…), and some had the usual throngs of people. Visitors could choose from 4,100 wineries, for an astounding cross section of Italy’s winemaking, including a substantial representation of organic, natural wineries, independent vinegrowers etc…
And finally, also for us it was a good Vinitaly, and we came home with our bags full of ideas and business cards. It is well known that the most serious problem is the traffic in a city that is paralyzed at a worrying level, but all-in-all also Milan (where we live, while I’m writing, the Furniture Exhibition is currently on) is not free from these problems. Large events always bring a good dose of stress with them. After all, the Expo showed that Italians know how to queue up for eight hours for much less, so a one-hour wait to get out of the car park is clearly bearable when the offset is interesting contacts or a day in the Circus Maximus of Italian wine.
Take a look at our photos of Vinitaly 2016:
