Look Ahead: Giovanni Mantovani, Vinitaly 2015

Gama spoke to Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Vinitaly, ahead of the latest edition of the wines and spirits tradeshow.

What should manufacturers do to be successful in the current economic climate?

Global wine consumption is evolving, with a shift away from the traditional European producers and consumers of wine and towards new markets. This is resulting in growth in international trade. In mature markets, and also in those where there is a degree of everyday off-trade consumption, demand is growing for wines that are high quality but also easy to drink and at an accessible price. In line with this trend, the influence of large scale distributors in countries such as the USA is increasing, at the expense of specialist retailers.

As a result of the success of “international” wines, however, there is also an inverse trend where consumers are reacting against formulaic products with no defined sense of provenance and instead are seeking out new flavours, and also the real stories behind producers, regions and cultures.