Vinitaly 2023: le Donne del Vino explore new trends in seven glasses
On sunday, 2 april, Master of Wine Candidate Cristina Mercuri leads “New trends – wine to the moon and back”, a tasting featuring wines from countries of the old and new worlds to discover the new frontiers of wine
What are the new frontiers of wine? How can one of the industries closest to the environment adapt to change? What do new consumers want? Le Donne del Vino will attempt to answer these questions at Vinitaly 2023 with an unusual tasting held at 11.30 on Sunday 2 April (Palaexpo, Tulipano Room, floor – 1) entitled “New trends – Wine to the moon and back”.
For accreditation: press@ledonnedelvino.com, donne@ledonnedelvino.com
Cristina Mercuri, wine educator and candidate to become Italy’s first female Master of Wine, has been invited to accompany the journey through the new frontiers of consumption.
Following the theme for the year “Women, wine: a united world”, we will be tasting seven glasses from different countries in the Old and New Worlds to discover how Women in Wine are making a tangible contribution to a more sustainable future. The event will involve the international network formed in 2019 with ten women’s associations in other parts of the world, with which we are working to create a solid alliance capable of increasing opportunities and internationalisation.
“We are swapping experiences with Women in Wine from all over the world”, says the national president of Le Donne del Vino, Daniela Mastroberardino, “in order to understand the current situation and the future that awaits us. With this in mind, we will be discussing the new trends in wine at a tasting, examining the innovations that could bring us new opportunities, along with the rediscovery of certain traditional production methods that could represent an interesting source of identity for the market. A trip to the moon and back, as we wanted to call it, with Cristina Mercuri who will lead this interesting discussion. Our top event at Vinitaly accurately represents the state of the art of the association, its ability to interpret the complexity of the wine sector, influenced by so many trends, and summarises our message of working for a world in which diversity equals wealth”.
“Environmental and social sustainability”, adds Mercuri, “are the new trends that identify an increasingly aware and attentive consumer. Tomorrow’s market will move towards the production of wines that are more sustainable not only economically, but also environmentally and socially. Operations in the vineyard, approaches to production in the cellar, as well as innovation in packaging, are spreading and meeting the needs of the next generation”-
LE DONNE DEL VINO CELEBRATES 35 YEARS OF ACTIVITY
This is an important Vinitaly for the world’s largest female wine association, which celebrates 35 years of activity this year. Established in 1988, it now has 1059 members including winemakers, restaurateurs, wine shop owners, sommeliers and journalists. Le Donne del Vino are represented in every Italian region, coordinated into delegations. The association is non-profit and promotes wine culture and the role of women in the wine production chain. In 2019, they formed an international network with ten similar associations in other parts of the world. During the 2nd World Convention of Women in Wine hosted at Simei Milan in November 2022, they signed an international cooperation pact with representatives of Amuva – Argentina, The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society-Australia, 11 Frauen und ihre Weine – Austria, Chile, Wow- Croatia, Femmes de Vin – France, Baia’s Wine – Georgia, Vinissima – Germany 2022, Women in Wine – New Zealand, Las Damas del Pisco – Peru. The Italian Donne del Vino promote surveys on the gender gap in wineries and the use of light glass. Collaboration with universities and training facilities has led to a significant increase in teaching activities for members, especially in the fields of marketing and communication. As of the 2021-2022 academic year, the experimentation of the D-Vino project organised directly by the Donne del Vino was launched to introduce the teaching of wine in tourism and hospitality schools. The members are currently compiling the first Italian recipe book that draws on native grapes or wines to describe traditional local dishes. Actions in favour of preserving local identity and the historical heritage of Italian vineyards also include tastings of wines from “reliquary grapes” and “ancient vineyards”. Le Donne del Vino promote wine tourism en plein air with the Camper Friendly project. They combat violence against women with fundraisers, conferences and awareness-raising actions such as #tunonseisola and the more recent sharing corner of the website to help those looking for jobs. More news can be found on the website and blog www.ledonnedelvino.com as well as in the monthly supplement to Il Corriere Vinicolo, D-News.
WHO IS CRISTINA MERCURI?
Cristina Mercuri DipWSET, is a Presenter, Wine Educator and Master of Wine Candidate. Cristina left her career as a lawyer to devote herself to her greatest passion, wine. Today she is the Founder and Head of Education of Wine Club, an innovative wine education academy. She teaches students at all levels, from beginners to WSET Diploma Candidates, as well as Sommeliers and Wine & Spirits companies. She is a presenter for the most important wine events in Italy, such as Vinitaly and Milano Wine Week, as well as for private and promotional events. She is VDP Ambassador for Italy, as well as Sherry and Cava Educator. Cristina has over 10 years’ experience in the industry and is distinguished by her extensive multidisciplinary knowledge. She is a candidate to become the first female Italian Master of Wine, and is preparing her research paper on a very topical subject: hybrid grape varieties.
WOMEN AND WINE: DATA AND TRIVIA
In Italy, women lead 28% of agricultural enterprises with vineyards and/or cellars, 24.8% of wine retail businesses and 12.5% of wholesale businesses. They manage 12.3% of the country’s industrial wineries and 26.5% of the 73,700 Italian wine companies (2017 CRIBIS, a Crif Group company specialising in business information).
A more recent survey (2022 Nomisma Wine Monitor Viaggio nell’Italia del vino) gives us a more detailed indication of the presence of women in Italian wine companies: they account for 14% of presences in the vineyard and in the cellar, and women also account for 14% of the membership of Assoenologi. The fairer sex increases in terms of role and number as wine gets closer to the consumer: women account for 80% of marketing and communication professionals, 51% of salespeople and 76% of wine tourists.
The UAA, Usable Agricultural Area, run by women is just 21% of the total but produces 28% of agricultural GDP (Censis 2018).
The average area of agricultural enterprises run by women was 11 hectares in 2018.
In terms of environmental commitment, the organic vineyards or those undergoing conversion run by women already accounted for 27.4% in 2016, compared to an overall Italian figure of 11.8%.
According to Divinea (2021), 66% of winery experiences are booked by women. This figure is confirmed by another very strong wine tourism portal, Winedering (2022), according to which women convert contact into bookings 14% more than men and represent 53% of winery visitors.
Italian wine tourism is also female when it comes to the people who welcome visitors to the winery: 28% of wine businesses open to the public have female staff only, 27% are female-dominated and only 6.1% have all-male wine hospitality staff.
Women pay more attention to the packaging of wine than men. The bottles have to look good. While men prefer colours such as black, grey and blue, women like purple, red and generally pastel shades.
The countries where most of the wine market is in the hands of women are Japan, India and Asia in general.
An interesting fact: according to a survey by Professor Gabriele Micozzi of the Luiss University in Rome and the Live Spin Off Università Politecnica delle Marche, teetotal men seem dull and uninteresting to women compared to drinkers with a cultured, interesting and amusing profile.
