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FEB. MAR. 2021 XIV “We had planned an event of extraordinary size and charm with wineries and restaurants united,” says the Sienese producer of Brunello di Montalcino, “to offer dinners with tasting by the glass. Unfortunately, the size and duration of the second wave of Covid-19 blocked us, confirming the fear of having to postpone everything until 2022”. A similar situation has arisen in the sparkling wine area of Cantina Col Vetoraz, Veneto, which has always believed in the importance of corporate hospitality, long before wine and food became fashionable. Over the years the presence of wine tourists in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area has undergone considerable changes: from mainly national, mainly from the neighbouring regions, it has expanded to include neighbouring German-speaking countries and, in recent years, has also seen an increase in Anglo-Saxon and Eastern interest. Today all this is almost completely frozen, despite the fact that all the required safety measures have been respected: distancing, sanitising and sterilising the premises on a daily basis, but “fortunately the losses suffered during this lockdown period,” emphasises Loris Dall’Acqua, oenologist and Managing Director of the Col Vetoraz Spumanti spa winery, “do not correspond to the drastic drop in wine tourists, because many of those who are unable to reach us still wish to receive our Valdobbiadene docg at home”. CANCELLED EVENTS AND FESTIVALS In this scenario, the segment most affected is that of food and wine events and the companies that are part of them. They are in extreme difficulty because they are forced not to be able to contribute with their induced activities to the development of the areas where they operate. Figures reported by FIPE (Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esercizi) in 2019 show that until two years ago, more than 42,000 festivals and events were organised every year in Italy, with a turnover of around 900 million euros. All this is now just a memory! At this point we need to get Italy’s farm holiday centres (around 24,000) back on their feet again. Scattered throughout the Italian countryside, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves with ample indoor and outdoor space, they have great potential for offering tourists our assorted cultural and food and wine heritage: ideal places for tastings and outdoor sporting activities such as trekking, Nordic walking, mountain biking, yoga or artistic activities. The President of the Italian Association of Food and Wine Tourism says: “The proposals to enjoy sensory experiences, and not only those outside the premises, are there. There is often a wide variety of proposals in the vineyards, including independent tours also with the use of digital support systems, aperitifs, picnics and dinners, organised with the winery or in agreement with local restaurants. All the sporting activities, especially e-bike tours, respond to the new needs of travellers and meet all the requirements imposed by the health crisis; however, this shift from traditional tours and tastings to more sophisticated and active proposals requiring more effective management of the offer and a change in communication”. WILL TECHNOLOGY SAVE US? From the above picture it can be seen that innovative concepts have emerged which, based on technology, have created digital experiences with wineries. Professor Roberta Garibaldi identifies two of them: free digital tastings, organised mainly on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, which have the general aim of increasing brand awareness, and paid digital experiences organised on digital communication platforms such as Zoom, with participants able to pre-order a pack of vintages or a wine + food box and have a guided tasting with a professional oenologist or sommelier. Using the web to dialogue with customers has therefore become a necessity for both producers and restaurateurs, who continue to strengthen their presence on portals, OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), booking channels and reviews. But this is not enough. To be 100 per cent effective towards the visitor, more needs to be done. “What the entire sector is lacking,’ Donatella Cinelli Colombini points out, ‘is a national portal for the promotion and marketing of ‘wine destinations’ like the French one, even though many wineries are already activating social channels to organise themselves and promote online sales; adequate road signs and digital coverage in places where it is not yet possible to navigate. AT PAGE 38 HEALTH AT THE TABLE IT’S VEGETABLE TIME! After months of binge eating due to the boredom of the prolonged lockdown or the closure of restaurants, consumers are increasingly looking for healthy, nutritionally balanced dishes. Restaurateurs be warned... by Barbara Panterna The first lockdown caught us unprepared. Fear, uncertainty and alienation characterised our days, which became interminable because we had too much free time at our disposal. A time for which, let’s face it, MAGAZINE