Only a handful of major wine conferences went ahead last year. Milan Wine Week was one of the lucky events that navigated the COVID-19 lockdowns whilst others cancelled or postponed. Now it returns, promising to make a bang for 2021.
The success of Milan Wine Week in 2020 is credited to the tenacity of the event organisers, lead by founding president, Federico Gordini – and also to a big slice of good luck – it happened at the beginning of October, prior to the second wave and lockdowns around Europe.
Following months of silence and trepidation, MWW 2020 was a jolt in the arm for an industry in need. Once again, early October has been confirmed for the fourth edition of the event, which launched back in 2018.
Starting on 2nd October this year Mr Gordini has substantial ambitions for the event.
Speaking during a press conference to share news of what’s in store the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala said:
“The recovery after the summer will be extremely important for our city,”
The major thematic events will be held between September and October focusing on design with the Super Salone, fashion with Milano Fashion Week, food and hospitality with Host Milano and Tuttofood, wine with Milano Wine Week.
For about forty days, if the Covid conditions allow, the economic capital of Italy will revive a project that began with Expo 2015 and was cut short by the pandemic.
Wine thus became one of the strategic elements for the renaissance of Milan, a city historically important for consumption but always marginal for events related to the sector, which in Italy has its capital in the city of Verona.
Gordini’s aim is to make Milan a key wine city, transforming the coolest neighborhoods into wine districts and involving restaurants, luxury hotels and locations generally used for events in the fashion, convincing a sometimes skeptical city to embrace the cause of the world of wine.
With the fourth edition of MWW, he is raising the bar further to make Milan a hub for food and wine tourism.
While Gordini presented the programme during the press conference, a map appeared behind him that highlighted how Milan was at the center of a very wide and differentiated wine and food proposal.
In two hours, you can reach prestigious territories such as Valpolicella and Langhe for red wines, Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese for sparkling wines, but also food districts such as Parma or Valtellina.
The wine tours, with transfers departing from the city, will represent one of the most significant innovations to strengthen this role of Milan as a catalyst not only for business, but also for tourist presences linked to the agri-food world.
This year’s wine week will include international tastings in 11 cities in seven key countries for Italian wine exports, including London, where tastings will be held broadcast live from Milan.
The other cities taking part in the event will be: Montreal, Toronto, New York, Chicago, Miami, Moscow, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Hong Kong.
Thanks to the new Milan Wine Week app, Milan will become the first city in the world where people can choose where to go for dinner according to the wine they want to taste.
The Wine Districts project is also back this year. Eight districts have already been involved, each paired with an Italian wine territory: the refined Brera area will host the Franciacorta Consortium, the Garibaldi district will have Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and Porta Romana will have the wines of Lugana.
The event will also feature a kitchen dedicated to wine pairing with the involvement of top Italian chefs for a joint promotion of wine and food.
Another element new for this year is Wine Geek, a new wine science symposium to complement the Wine Business Forum and Wine Generation Forum.
Wine Business City, a two-day event giving wineries the chance to meet with on-trade operators and retailers will also take place this year.
“The world of wine has long been asking for an event in Milan exclusively dedicated to operators. We decided to make it happen with a method taken from the fashion industry: one to one appointments at the showrooms with buyers,” Gordini said.
For more information, head over to Milan Wine Week’s official website.