The biggest annual event in the Italian wine world did not disappoint in its 56th edition, held this year from April 14 to 17 in the beautiful medieval city of Verona. Attendance clocked in at 97,000 individuals over four days of nonstop action, which coincided with unseasonable heat and wild wind. Vinitaly 2024 confirmed that Italian wine largely aligns with an emerging set of values for new-to-wine consumers—including sustainable, conscientious practices and high quality at reasonable price points paired with rich history and exciting stories of personal passion.
The Next Generation
The new generation of Italian winemakers and wine drinkers was out in full force, who breathed fresh air and a palpable electricity into an already lively scene. Gabriella Favara, a prime representative of this youthful wave as she gears up to take the reins of her family’s historic Sicilian winery Donnafugata, was struck by the fair’s youthful energy.
“I think this edition of Vinitaly had even more young protagonists than previous versions, in terms of new generations who are now moving up to lead their family businesses, but also in terms of young wine lovers who are just beginning to approach our world,” she says. “And this combination is really magic: It gives us an opportunity to work in sync, continuously streamlining communication and allows us to tell the story of the products of our unique territories and provoke curiosity.”
That storytelling is critical, Favara stresses, because it means that “young people are able to have a 360-degree experience—from the vineyard to the glass.”
International Appeal
The breadth and depth of representation at Vinitaly also confirmed a suspicion many people in the industry have voiced: Vinitaly is becoming the world’s singularly major international wine event. The shift comes as the once-dominant ProWein enters a waning phase, and the relatively new Wine Paris remains in a building phase. Vinitaly, meanwhile, has established itself as the annual point of reference and cornerstone of international wine commerce and exchange, with 3,700 foreign operators participating this year.
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“For us, [Vinitaly] was rich with opportunities and encounters, especially with international buyers—a fantastic event, thanks also to a refresh we gave to our Lazio pavilion,” says Giovanna Trisorio of Cincinnato, a cooperative of wineries in the Lazio region. “It was important to have this positive feedback after a not particularly exciting ProWein and with other fairs in general having low attendance this year.” Indeed, excitement is already high for next year’s iteration of Vinitaly, which will be held from April 6 to 9 in 2025, again in Verona. It’s not only because of the wine.
“I think that Vinitaly is more than just a fair: it’s a sort of turbine for work, friendship and exchanges in a magical city,” Trisorio emphasizes.
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Published: April 25, 2024
