Milano Wine Week 21
Milano Wine Week 21
I’ve just returned from Milano Wine Week (MWW). It was held in Milan, though the the master classes are broadcast around the world. Last year in 2020, I attended Milan Wine Week “virtually” in New York City.
The MWW21 Program
I had a fabulous lunch in Milan with MWW co-founders GaiaRossi and Federico Gordini last week. During that time, Federico explained that Milano Wine Week was an “event””and not a “fair.”
To Federico, a “wine fair” is held in a destination outside the city limits. It’s typically is for the wine trade business only.
In contrast, an “event” is held in the center of a city. It brings in both business and consumer, with events orchestrated for consumers and wine brands to meet.
4th Edition of Milano Wine Week
The 4th edition of Milano Wine Week (MWW) took place from October 2nd to the 10th in Milan.
MWW included over 300 events for industry professionals and consumers hosted in MWW headquarters (Palazzo Bovara, Wine Business City).
MWW also took place in various venues around town.
I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous art exhibition created by the Venetian wine brand Pasqua Vigneti. They are founding supporters of MWW.
The exhibit “Falling Dreams” represents Pasqua’s support of talent and creativity through patronage projects.
These involve 20 culturally diverse artists from all over the world called to express their vision of the Pasqua brand and its values.
Milano Wine Week 2021: Wine Districts
Kicking off Milano Wine Week 21 was the gala dinner supporting the Fondazione Humanitas HiPPO project. Its aim is to assign work grants to young Italian talents in medical and scientific research.
The 10 Wine Districts of Milano Wine Week
The 4th edition of MWW2021 featured wine events (Wine Districts) in some of Milan’s most frequented neighborhoods.
The aim was to help consumers discover Italian wines from North to South, as well as their best pairings, history, and innovations.
Wine Business City
I enjoyed my time at Wine Business City, taking place at MegaWatt Court in Milan.
Imagine an airline hangar and you’ll know this cavernous space, filled with representatives from 250 wineries from across Italy.
Like wine trade shows all over the world, producers stood at their stands and spoke with consumers and trade representatives about their wine.
Sections of producers appeared to be divided: some by soil type (I loved the volcanic section) and some by specific regions (i.e. Abruzzo) and some by wine style (i.e. sparkling wine).
Walking-Around Tasting at Wine Business City
It was interesting to visit the various producers and speak to them about their wine. Everyone was proficient in basic English.
At the Abruzzo table, the various producers showcased their Trebbiano and Montepulciano wines.
“Trends” are not a factor in this classic region, yet it was interesting to note that an unusual number of wineries are quite young, many starting in the 1990s or early 2000s. In most cases, the owners had been selling their grapes to the larger wineries for decades and wanted to bottle their wine as their own brand.
MWW 2021: Master Classes at Palace Bovara
Master classes at Palace Bovara
Palace Bovara, a beautiful place, offered several fantastic Master classes and guided tastings for interested consumers.
MWW gave master classes in both Italian and English, with translation devices available.
The master classes were simultaneously delivered to industry buyers and professionals in 11 cities across 7 key-countries for Italian wine export. Among them were New York, Chicago, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, London Moscow, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
My first master class was an exploration of the Chianti DOCG – a rare opportunity to try wines from all the DOCG regions within the overall Chianti area.
An exploration of Prosecco followed, given by educator Christina Mercuri. In this presentation, one of discoveries was the flashy new concept in Prosecco DOC as Piera 1899, a prosecco packaged in an attractive, unusual blue bottle.
Other master classes included Native white grapes of Italy, Brunello di Montalcino, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Montalvini Asolo DOCG Prosecco, and the white wine of Lugana DOC.
The Milano Wine Week Experience
Kudos to founders Federico Gordini and Gaia Rossi for pulling off this event amid the Covid period.
While International travel prevented wine-eager consumers from many countries (especially China) from attending, technology allowed the presentations and master classes to reach consumers at wine-focused venues in these countries.
Both founders Federico and Gaia are proud of the work that has been accomplished in this difficult year. They see Milano Wine Week 2022 attracting an even wider audience.
