A s the thirtieth edition of its Vini d’Italia guide is being printed, the Gambero Rosso world tours begin. Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia Tour comes back to Switzerland with some of Italy’s most awarded wineries in the 2017 guide. The event is scheduled on Monday, November 28 in Zürich, in the prestigious Swissôtel Zürich. The press conference will take place at 2 p.m. while the walk-around tasting will start at 3 p.m. for professionals and at 4 p.m. to the public. During the opening ceremony, the best Italian restaurant in town according to the digital guide Top Italian Restaurants Around the World will be honored. The guide will be released in the first months of 2017. The picture that comes out of the Guide is that of an Italy of wines that notably emphasize the country’s wide range of excellence. They are more articulated than ever, and less centered on a Piedmont and Tuscany duality. Ten years ago, if we had chosen a Bonarda Vivace dell’Oltrepò Pavese for a Tre Bicchieri award, we would have had to duck the flying stones. But that’s not the only example. Wines that attained Tre Bicchieri for the first time came from denominations like Piedirosso dei Campi Flegrei near Naples, Ciliegiolo di Narni or showed the light expressiveness of Grignolino d’Asti. Now, everyday wines for the household table are handled as carefully as the great names, a change of mentality that begins in the hearts and intentions of producers who are offering more selections and labor aimed at raising the denomination bar. 2016 / 2017 Vini d’Italia Tour gives a focus on production that has an appealing price/quality rapport, the pride of the Italian production panorama, those wineries that manage to express a cultural patrimony unmatched elsewhere in the world. After Zurich the tour will stop in Warsaw on November 25, the latter market in marked expansion with an ever more competitive wine panorama. On January 18, Vini d’Italia will open the year in Oslo, moving on the next day to Copenhagen, a lively market stimulated by a hyper-dynamic restaurant scene. On April 6, Vini d’Italia will land in Miami, and then, for a final triple run, visit Moscow, Vancouver and Seattle in the month of June. Italian wine exports are enjoying an extraordinary upward trend. They have grown over 500% over the last 30 years. The Italian wine system is joining forces to strengthen an image that has never before been so powerful and well-positioned on a global level. Last data on wine exports for the first five months of 2016 show a 1.3% increase in volume and another 3.7% increase in value. Switzerland is the fourth world market for Italian wine and it has shown an incredible interest on the thousand typical grape varieties which make the Italian wine scene so exciting. ZURICH - NOVEMBER 28, 2016 Swisshotel Schulstrasse 44 - 8050 Zurich Programme 2 pm – 3 pm Opening Ceremony 3 pm 8 pm Professionals 4 pm 8 pm Consumers RSVP: [email protected] Gambero Rosso Live in Zürich Gambero Rosso celebrates its 30 th year with an unmissable event Vini d’Italia Tour YEARS YEARS V i n i d ’ I t a l i a