Vinitaly is an international

wine competition A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages, categories, and/or brands of wine. Wine competitions generally use blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the judges. Types of ...

and

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

that is held annually in April in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

city, region of

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

, in northeast Italy. The event is exclusively for wine professionals featuring an average of 3000 wines from several dozen countries. First held in 1967, VinItaly has been called the "most important convention of domestic and international wines" and the "largest wine show in the world". For producers in the Italian wine industry, attendance and the reception that their wines receive is considered a barometer for measuring the health and success of the market, particularly for emerging Italian wine regions. The event is also used as an opportunity by wineries to release new wines and wine styles or announce partnerships with universities,

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

and

biodynamic wine Biodynamic wines are wines made employing the biodynamic methods both to grow the fruit and during the post-harvest processing. Biodynamic wine production uses organic farming methods (''e.g.,'' employing compost as fertilizer and avoiding most p ...

organizations or even other wineries. Along with

Vinexpo Vinexpo is one of the largest exhibitions for wine and spirits professionals from all over the world, held in Bordeaux in uneven years. The first event dates back to year 1981 gathering 524 exhibitors from 21 countries 11,000 professional visitors f ...

, which is held every other year in the

French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and America ...

region of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

, VinItaly is considered one of the premier international wine events.

Wine competition

Civiltà del Bere a Vinitaly, 12 bianchi immortali

The wine competition aspect of VinItaly involves a sensory judgement of wines grouped within their own category—dry wine,

sweet wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal ...

, still wine,

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne regi ...

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commanda ...

, etc. The wines are judged by five member panels which usually includes two Italian judges, two members of the international wine press and an additional, non-Italian judge. After calculating the average of the scores received by the five judges, with the highest and lowest scores tossed, wines are awarded medals (in descending order of prestige) of Grand Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Industry awards

Vinitaly, vista dei padiglioni dall'alto

In addition to awards giving to individual wines, the VinItaly expo also host the award presentation for several industry awards in the field of wine journalism. These awards include ''Best Foreign Magazine'' which has been won by such wine publications as ''

Wine Enthusiast Magazine ''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...

'' (2010) and ''

Decanter A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal. Their volume is usually equ ...

'' (2012),Claudia Ricci '
Monica Larner Named Best International Journalist
'' ''Wine Enthusiast Magazine'', Web 2012. Accessed: December 19th, 2013 '' Best Young Journalist'' won by wine writers such as

Monica Larner Monica Larner is a wine critic and author based in Rome. She is the Italian Reviewer for ''The Wine Advocate'' and eRobertParker.com, the bimonthly wine publication and website founded by wine critic, Robert Parker. She was selected in 2013 by Pa ...

(2008 and 2010)Editors '
Wine Enthusiast Magazine Wins Best Magazine at Grandi Cru Vinitaly Awards
'', Wine Enthusiast Magazine, April 2010. Accessed: December 19th, 2013 and

Matt Skinner Matthew "Matt" Skinner (born 23 December 1974) is an Australian, sommelier, wine author, consultant and educator. Matt co-founded Fifteen Restaurant with Jamie Oliver and Tobie Puttock, and appeared in two television series with Puttock called ' ...

(2012), ''Best Italian Journalist'' won by Ian D'Agata and ''Best International Journalist'', also won by Larner (2012). Since 1996, VinItaly has also given out a top ''International Vinitaly Award'' to wineries and individuals who have contributed to spreading wine culture international. Previous winners of this award have included:Wine News '
CRISTINA MARIANI, JEANNIE CHO LEE, AND LIDIA BASTIANICH RECEIVE THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL VINITALY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION, THE DISPERSION OF THE WINE CULTURE IN ASIA, AND THE PROMOTION OF THE ITALIAN WINE AND FOOD CULTURE IN THE U.S.
'', April 8th, 2009. Accessed: December 19th, 2013 *

Marvin Shanken Marvin R. Shanken (born October 4, 1943) is an American publisher and founder of M. Shanken Communications. Shanken's roster of lifestyle publications includes ''Wine Spectator'', ''Cigar Aficionado'' and ''Whisky Advocate''. Based in Manhattan, M ...

, founder of ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

'' (1996) * Nicolò Incisa of Rocchetta, owner of the

Super Tuscan Tuscan wine (Italian ''Toscana'') is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di ...

wine

Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido is an Italian wine producer in the DOC Bolgheri in Toscana, known as a producer of "Super Tuscan" wine. It produces Sassicaia, a Bordeaux-style red wine. The estate also produces a second wine, Guidalberto, and a third wine, Le ...

(1996) * Corinne Mentzelopoulos, owner of the

First Growth First Growth (french: Premier Cru) status is a classification of wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France. The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank of Premier Cru; only five wines, Château Lafite Rothschild, Châtea ...

Bordeaux wine estate Chateau Margaux (1997) *

Robert Mondavi Robert Gerald Mondavi (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008) was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted label ...

California wine California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. I ...

producer (1998) * Pablo Alvarez, owner of the

Spanish wine Spanish wine () includes red, white, and sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 1.2 million hectares (2.9 million acres) planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely pla ...

ry Vega-Sicilia (1999) * Aldo Conterno,

Piedmont wine Piemonte wine is the range of Italian wines made in the region of Piedmont in the northwestern corner of Italy. The best-known wines from the region include Barolo and Barbaresco. They are made from the Nebbiolo grape. These wines are ideal for ...

producer (2000) *

Penfolds Penfolds is an Australian wine producer that was founded in Adelaide in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries, and is currently p ...

Australian wine The Australian wine industry is one of the world's largest exporters of wine, with approximately 800 million out of the 1.2 to 1.3 billion litres produced annually exported to overseas markets. The wine industry is a significant contributor ...

ry (2000), * Trapiche-Peñaflor,

Argentinian wine Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 300-301 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Cuisine of Argentina, Argentine cuisine, has it ...

ry (2001) * Gianni Zonin, Italian producer of

Prosecco Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...

(2003 * Kendall Jackson, California wine producer (2003) *

Mastroberardino Mastroberardino is an Italian winery located in Atripalda, in Provincia di Avellino, in the Campania region. Founded in 1878, the winery is known for its production of Taurasi DOCG as well as its ampelography work in identifying and preserving ...

, Campanian wine producer (2004) * Segura Viudas,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Cava producer (2004) *

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), ''Sideways'' (2004), ''The Desc ...

, film director of ''

Sideway Sideway (pronounced "Siddaway") is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, approximately one mile south west of Stoke-upon-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England. It is located on the junction of the A500 and the A50 adjacent to the Bet365 Sta ...

s (2005) * Hugh Johnson,

Master of wine Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification (not an academic degree) issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowle ...

and wine writer (2008) *

Jeannie Cho Lee Jeannie Cho Lee (born 1968) is a Hong Kong-based, Korean-American wine critic, author, journalist, consultant, wine educator and Master of Wine, the first ethnic Asian to achieve this accreditation.Pilling, David, ''Financial Times'' (March 05, 2 ...

, first Asian Master of wine and wine writer (2010) *

Lidia Bastianich Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich (; born February 21, 1947) is an Italian-American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular contributor to ...

, Italian chef and wine writer (2010) * Castello Banfi,

Tuscan wine Tuscan wine (Italian ''Toscana'') is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di ...

producer (2010)

References

{{reflist

External links

VinItaly
- Official Site (in English) Wine tasting Wine-related events Food and drink festivals in Italy Wine festivals

Wine competition

Industry awards

See also

References

External links