Hundreds of wine producers from Italy are gathering in New York for the Italian Wine Week, the largest promotional event in the United States dedicated to Italian wine.
As part of the events, over 200 wine makers will meet on February 8-9 at the Hilton Midtown to present more than 1,000 labels of wines, spirits and craft beers to a growing number of customers thirsty for artisanal quality and eager to taste new varietals from the Mediterranean country.
Exports of Italian wine to the US increased by 20% in January-November 2015 from the previous year and are worth over 1.4 billion euros. Italy has a market share of 31.5%, helped by booming demand for sparkling wines, whose sales increased 27.2% in the period.
In addition to the traditional “Grand Tasting” meeting, the program includes a “Meet and Greet Expo” dedicated to wine makers looking for importers in the US market. Promoted by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA-ICE), Vino2016 includes 11 seminars and will also pay a tribute to southern Italian wines.
“The Italian Wine Week celebrates the spirit of joy and good taste that represent New York and Italy,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, adding that VINO2016 “contributes to strengthen the ties between New York and Italy.”
The week ends on February 9, with the event Three Glasses Gambero Rosso, where around 190 vintners will present their wines in a Grand Tasting reserved to commercial operators and the media.
The Italian Wine Week is part of an unprecedented plan to support the Italian food industry in the US promoted by the Ministry for Economic Development and led by the ICE agency.
Partner of the event is Fiera di Verona, which is present with the Vinitaly Wine Academy, which will organize two seminars dedicated to artisanal Italian wine and Grignolino.
“We have created a big network that allows to meet every year trade operators, the media and experts of the sector with the goal of confirming and strengthening the leadership of Italian wine in this key market,” said Maurizio Forte, director of ICE in New York.
Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International “We are honored and happy to be part of Vino and bring two exclusive seminars which focus on exceptional issues like Grignolino (one of the over 500 grape varietals) and the strategic importance of artisanal wines (the heart and soul of Italian wine production).”
