Feb. 23 – An evening to celebrate the thirty years of Gala Italia, created by Lucio Caputo, President of the Italian Wine & Food Institute. The big event at the Grand Ballroom of the Pierre Hotel in New York is organized by the Italian Wine & Food Institute under the patronage of Italian Ambassador in Washington and with the sponsorship of the Italian Trade Commission and Veronafiere – Vinitaly. Gala Italia is the perfect occasion to tell the extraordinary success of Italian wine in the US, with soaring exports, from $44 million thirty years ago to over $1.3 billion in 2014. The event, sponsored by Fiera di Verona, saw the participation of Giovanni Mantovani, Director General of VeronaFiere and organizer of Vinitaly. Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi was also present. During the Gala, the Italian Wine & Food Institute awarded Veronafiere the Grand Awards of Merit for its contribution to the international success of Italian wine. 700 selected operators (importers, wholesalers, retailers), many restaurateurs, the most influential Wine & Food Editors, media and prominent personalities of the East Coast took part in the celebration. (Cle)
