- The event was originally
the brainchild of the Italian Wines Committee of the
Wine &
Spirit Trade Association who, frustrated with the lack of a generic platform
from
which to promote Italian wine, took the initiative to organise their own
event
- Hunt & Coady have organised
the event since its inception and now have
‘ownership’ since the disbanding the WSTA’s country-specific
importer committees
- The Definitive Italian Wine Tasting
was first held in 1999 at Chelsea Galleria,
Chelsea Football Ground and has been held
annually ever since
- The
Definitive Italian Wine Tasting
is the only ‘generic’ trade
event for Italy in the
UK organised specifically as
a platform for UK importers of Italian wine
- The Definitive
Italian Wine Tasting is funded entirely by its exhibitors
- Since
1999 the tasting has grown in size from 51 Exhibitor
tables in 1999 to 97
Exhibitor tables in 2008
- All the UK’s leading Italian specialists
exhibit at this event
- All wines on show are commercially
available in the UK market through a UK
importer or dedicated UK office (with the occasional
exception of one or two
‘generic’ regional tables)
- The event does not permit producer ‘exhibitors’ who
are not currently represented in
the UK
- This event is targeted at all trade
buyers and wine writing press, consistently, the
biggest attendance is from the on trade, who regularly
attend in significant numbers
- Each year, a ‘themed’ or ‘snapshot’ style
tasting is organised to which each exhibitor
may submit a maximum of 2 different wines
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