42nd Vinitaly Wine Fair in Verona

From April 3rd through 7th 2008 Verona Fiere hosts wine and food tastings alongside events defining the latest scenarios for Italian wine marketing and exports

Anyone who's anyone in the wine business - producers, traders, restaurateurs, sommeliers and humble wine lovers - from Italy and beyond will be flocking to Verona for the 42nd Vinitaly wine expo this week. About 4,300 exhibitors from around thirty countries attract 150 thousand professional visitors from over 100 different countries.

Running from April 3 to April 7 at the VeronaFiere trade and exhibition centre, this year's Vinitaly focuses on the new commercial scenarios for Italian wine such as:

• domestic wine consumption in Japan;
• the impact of the dollar/euro exchange rate on Italian wine exports to the USA;
• the influence of the tourism industry on wine consumption in China;
• Russian consumers from the large-scale distribution to top quality cuisine;
• Brazil as the next frontier for Italian wine exports.

Meanwhile, on 3-6 April (Thursday through Sunday) the historic Palazzo della Gran Guardia in downtown Verona hosts the side event Vinitaly for You. Admission costs 12.00 Euro and includes three wine tastings of your choice with a "mixed food" dish, plus a copy of the Wine Guide published by VeronaFiere and edited by the Italian Sommelier Association with fact sheets about the wines on offer.

For those unfamiliar with Italian geography, the city of Verona (best known as the hometown of Romeo and Juliet) lies inland from Venice in the Italian north-east region of Veneto.

Later this year, catch the following Vinitaly events internationally:

• 9-10 June 2008 Vinitaly Russia - Moscow
• 12 June 2008 Vinitaly Russia - St Petersburg
• 27 October 2008 Vinitaly U.S. Tour - Chicago
• 29 October 2008 Vinitaly U.S. Tour - New York
• 30 October 2008 Vinitaly U.S. Tour - Washington D.C.
• November 2008 Vinitaly Japan - Tokyo
• November 2008 Vinitaly China - Shanghai