(Jul. 19) – An event that is going to be a milestone for the italian wine sector: a delegation of operators from the mayor winemakers in Italy, together with representatives from Veronafiere, has been received in Capitol Hill for the very first time. The italian group, introduced by Ambassador Claudio Bisognero, has met the members of Congress who represent the Wine Caucus, the Committee regulating the wine market in the United States. The objective of the meeting was to present some of the most famous Italian wineries exporting to the United States. The mission has seen the participation of Veronafiere, organizer of Vinitaly (www.vinitaly.com), the most important international exhibition dedicated to wines and spirits, which gathered in Verona 4,200 exhibitors and 140,000 operators from 120 different countries in the last edition. The visit to Washington has been the occasion to discuss present and future scenarios of the U.S. wine industry, strongly influenced by Italian products, equal to a third of total imports, both in quantity and value. The meeting has been attended by Giovanni Mantovani, Director General of VeronaFiere, Cristina Mariani-May from Cantina Castello Banfi, Marilisa Allegrini from Cantina Allegrini, Daniela Mastroberardino from Cantina Terredora, Matteo Lunelli from Cantine Ferrari, Luca Paschina from Casa Vinicola Zonin/Barboursville Vineyards and Odila Galer-Noel in representation of the Giv. Gruppo Italiano Vini. Mike Thompson, president and founder of the Wine Caucus, did the honors, emphasizing that “the wine sector is higly important for the economies of both nations.” (Roc/Peg)
