Where the number one wine producer meets the number one consumer: Vino2010
BY ELENA MANCINI
Aniello Mussella at the Vino2010 Inaugural Press Conference
Vino2010 is where “the world’s number one producer (Italy) meets the world’s greatest wine consumer (USA).” This was renowned wine-educator, Kevin’s Zraly’s lively opening statement for the vino2010 conference in New York City yesterday. According to the latest data, Italian wines represent circa 31% market share of U.S. wine imports. The year 2009 also signaled a 14% increase in the consumption of Prosecco in the U.S. These statistics about Italian wines in the United States were highlighted at yesterday’s vino2010 inaugural press conference at the Waldorf Astoria attended by journalists, wine producers and wine industry VIPs.
Presenting the data was a panel of renowned experts from the Italian wine industry including representatives from Buonitalia and Vinitaly, the Italian Consul General of New York, Francesco Maria Talo and representatives from the Italian Trade Commission and Kevin Zraly, who chaired the panel.
Showcasing wines from the regions of Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto, Vino2010–the largest Italian wine conference outside of Italy–will feature 2,500 wines from Italy and over 450 wine makers.
Members from the audience asked about the future of Italian wines in the USA and the goals of vino2010. Zraly offered that for the past 16 years wine consumption in the United States has been witnessing a robust and steady rise. The coming of age of the millennial generation is also having an impact on the numbers, Zraly argued. “Millennials have taken wine on as their beverage of choice.”
Asked to state the future goals of Italian wine industry in the United States, panelists argued for consolidating promotional efforts and targeting the medium to high segment of the market, i.e., the sweet spot of the $10-$20 bottle range and taking the conference to San Francisco. Dr. Aniello Mussella of the Italian Trade Commission signaled his intention to take on the Californian wine makers, “We should beat them.” It will no doubt be an interesting showdown.
In the meantime for New Yorkers, the adventure in wines from Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto continues beyond the Italian wine week, via the Shop and Dine 2010 wine and menu pairings and flight offerings. Click on the logo below for details.
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