Feb. 5 – More than 110 Italian wineries have arrived at the Metropolitan Pavillion in New York for the first leg of the 2014 Vinitaly International tour. The opening ceremony was attended by the Consul General of the city, Natalia Quintavalle, the director of VeronaFiere, Giovanni Mantovani, the manager director of Vinitaly International, Stevie Kim, and the commercial director of VeronaFiere ,Diego Valsecchi. The ceremony introduced the new strategic tools developed for the service of producers and importers: Importer Connect and the Vinitaly International Academy. “Vinitaly’s presence in the United States does nothing but emphasize the great success that Italian wines have been experiencing in recent years in the largest wine market in the world,” said the consul Quintavalle. New York was thus the starting point for Vinitaly Importer Connect, the new extension of the company’s ambitions: “Importer Connect aims to help exporters increase their visibility in international markets and fairs,” said the Director General of VeronaFiere, Giovanni Mantovani, “they will get the most from their participation in Vinitaly events in Italy and in the world by selecting in advance the most interesting contacts based on their activities. This increases the chances that a meeting will result in the initiation of a real partnership with a new importer, or the acquisition of a new client in a strategic area.” Vinitaly International also launched the Vinitaly International Academy, presided over by scientific director Ian D’Agata. “This is an important amplifier of the cultural and educational work carried out by Vinitaly. It aims to increase – said Mantovani – knowledge of Italian wines among international operators.”
