The ‘most beautiful ship in the world’ is engaged this year in a long cruise around the world that not only teaches the secrets of the sea to the future officers of our Navy but also wants to bring the best of Made in Italy to the world. And after rounding Cape Horn for the first time, the Amerigo Vespucci has recently reached Tokyo, the capital of Japan, one of our most important commercial and strategic partners in the world.
And wine is also among the Italian excellences that set sail with the Amerigo Vespucci: yesterday an exclusive masterclass ‘Iconic wines of Italy’ was held, promoted by Agenzia ICE and organised by Vinitaly, the most important international exhibition dedicated to wines and spirits. In fact, every stage of the Navy training ship hosts the Italy Village, the ‘Multi-annual Itinerant World Exhibition’ of Italian excellence that offers visitors a unique experience to get to know the beauty of Italy through its art, culture, music, food, cinema, technology and scientific research.
The Tokyo masterclass featured seven iconic wines from Italy’s wine-making heritage: Trento Doc Brut Millesimato ‘Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore’ 2009 (Ferrari Trento), Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva Docg Classico 2017 (Villa Bucci), Toscana Igt Rosso ‘Tignanello’ 2020 (Marchesi Antinori), Bolgheri Sassicaia Doc ‘Sassicaia’ 2021 (Tenuta San Guido), Bolgheri Doc Rosso Superiore ‘Ornellaia’ 2020 (Ornellaia), Barolo Docg Riserva 2017 ‘Vigna Rionda’ 2017 (Massolino) and Passito di Pantelleria Doc ‘Ben Ryè’ 2022 (Donnafugata).
The two Italian wine ambassadors certified by the Vinitaly International Academy, Asami Yoshikawa and Irving So, guided the Japanese audience – made up of buyers, importers, sommeliers, high-end restaurateurs, influencers and journalists – on a sensorial journey to discover Italy’s most renowned wine regions.
The event was attended for Veronafiere by the President, Federico Bricolo, and the Director General, Adolfo Rebughini (pictured above), for Agenzia ICE by the President, Matteo Zoppas, and the Director of the Tokyo office, Gianpaolo Bruno.
The initiative is part of the broader framework of joint activities by Vinitaly and Agenzia ICE to consolidate the presence of Italian wine on Asian markets, at a time when demand for medium-high range products is constantly growing. Japan, in particular, is the main partner for Italian wine throughout Asia, with more than 200 million euros of imports every year, 80% of which are PDO and PGI wines.
This interest in Made in Italy labels is confirmed by the growth trend of qualified Japanese buyers attending the Verona Exhibition Centre during Vinitaly: a total of almost 700 at last April’s edition, 100 more than in 2023.
