Vinitaly is an international wine competition 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 A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade e ...

that is held annually in April in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

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 ...

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 Ameri ...

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 prefectu ...

, 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, still wine, sparkling wine,

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, Comma ...

, 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'' (2010) and '' Decanter'' (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 P ...

(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 (2012), ''Best Italian Journalist'' won by

Ian D'Agata Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

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, ...

, 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 enterta ...

'' (1996) *

Nicolò Incisa of Rocchetta Nicolò () is an Italian male given name. Another variation is Niccolò, most common in Tuscany. It may refer to: * Nicolò Albertini, statesman * Nicolò Amati, luthier * Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer * Nicolò Barattieri, Italian engineer ...

, owner of the Super Tuscan wine Sassicaia (1996) *

Corinne Mentzelopoulos Corinne Mentzelopoulos-Petit (born 6 July 1953) is a French-Greek businesswoman who owns and runs the prestigious Bordeaux wine estate, Château Margaux. Her wines have often won Bordeaux's Wine of the Vintage. She has been cited as one of the lea ...

, owner of the First Growth Bordeaux wine estate Chateau Margaux (1997) * Robert Mondavi,

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 servic ...

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 ...

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 f ...

producer (2000) * Penfolds,

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 winery (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, 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 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 D ...

, 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 Stadiu ...

s (2005) * Hugh Johnson, Master of wine and wine writer (2008) * Jeannie Cho Lee, first Asian Master of wine and wine writer (2010) * Lidia Bastianich, 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 d ...

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