italy at the
london wine fair

Dear Visitors,

I am delighted to welcome you to the London International Wine & Spirit Fair 2008, one of the most important wine industry shows.

ICE (Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) is this year taking part in a national area of Excel that sees the presence of the majority of the Italian wine producing Regions. The individual producers’ stands will take you on a journey through the major Italian vineyards and to complement these displays we are also organising 4 tastings every day in stand n. V.40. These will help you find out more about the treasures that are our native grape varieties and the diversity of our regional ‘terroirs’. The wines presented will extol the virtues of our wine-making traditions and the expression of their regional diversity.

The very high quality of Italian wine production is ensured by the many DOC and DOCG appellations, which are recognised within the European Community and internationally. Our institutional organisations and the sector itself have developed careful policies in recent years to enable our wine producers to promote their expertise and products and use the most modern vinification methods accompanied by proper respect for tradition and offering international consumers high-quality wines typical of their ‘terroir’.

Our Institute is a public body responsible for promoting and developing trade between Italy and the rest of the world. It helps Italian companies take on an international dimension, particularly in foreign markets, by facilitating the flow of productive investment. It has its head office in Rome and works in liaison with a vast network of offices in Italy and abroad (17 regional offices in Italy and 110 offices in 80 countries worldwide).

You will find our information office in Stand V.50, where qualified staff will be pleased to provide you with further information about Italian wine production and assist you on your journey to the heart of the vineyards. At stand V.50 you can also find Federdoc www.federdoc.com, and the Consorzio per la Tutela dell'Asti www.astidocg.it, the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico www.chianticlassico.com; the Consorzio per la Tutela del Franciacorta www.franciacorta.net and the Consorzio Tutela Vino Soave www.ilsoave.com; all their wines will be available for tasting throughout the Show.

So let yourselves be guided along these paths of taste and tradition, and come and discover the flavours, colours and aromas of Italian wines, the fruit of thousands of years of wine-making expertise.

Enjoy your visit.

Fabrizio Di Clemente
Director of the Italian Trade Commission in London