Having visited one of the largest wine trade fairs in the world only three weeks before, it is hard to imagine anything I would want to do less than attend the largest (if you want to know why feel free to read my entry on Prowein 2012). But I was in the same situation I was before, where I wouldn’t be able to arrange any visits to wineries as everyone would be at the fair, and it was also a good opportunity to meet a large number of producers whose regions I would be visiting. Having the experience of Prowein was a huge help as I had some idea what to expect. Without that experience I would have been even more overwhelmed than I was at Prowein. Secondly I knew a lot more Italian regions and producers than I did for Germany and Austria, having specialised in Italian wines and varieties at the store I worked in. Finally I was meeting up with the two most important Italian wine importers in Australia – Arquilla and Trembath & Taylor – to join them for some of their appointments, so it was great to have some structure to the four days.
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| Verona Fiere - where the magic of Vinitaly happens |
