After breakfast presentation of Anniversary Bottles celebrating 150 years of modern Italy at Vino 2011, I had the pleasure to talk with Stevie Kim.
Stevie's job is to help spread the Italian Wine Gospel beyond long established markets like the UK and the US.
Her official title is General Coordinator of Vinitaly International and senior advisor to the CEO of Veronafiere whose largest happening is Vinitaly in Verona. This year's event from April 7 to April 11 marks the 45th edition.
Stevie joined Veronafiere a year and a half ago.
Her background in economics and time spent training staff in the medical and scientific fields, mostly in nutrition, has proven very useful.
One example of that has been her work with the new association of wine importers in Moscow. Wine consumption in Russia represents only 2% of the alcoholic beverages. A law in the works to combat alcohol's impact on health would have wrapped wine in the same cloth as vodka, the main culprit. Stevie and her team put together a portfolio of scientific data on wine to inform local lawmakers of the differences.
Moscow should actually see a 3 Day Wine Fair this year showcasing all that Italy has to offer. It will follow an event in Stockholm.
High on Stevie Kim's agenda is her organization's work as a partner in Hong Kong's International Wine and Spirits Fair from November 3rd to November 5th, 2011.
After coming on board, she realized that with Vinitaly having grown tremendously in the past 10 years (it occupies 18 halls and literally takes over the city of Verona), a lot of the energy was concentrated on the Italian fair even though exports represents 70 to 80% of sales for some producers like Allegrini.
As a consequence of the focus on Italy, the organization of efforts like Vino 2009 and 2010 in New York had been outsourced. She changed that with Vino 2011where her team took back control.
Another way to spread the gospel of wine is the Vinitaly Tour. Over past year, it made stops at Eataly emporiums in New York and Tokyo and in a number of other cities.
Stevie Kim's approach has also led to a streamlining of events around the world putting the calendar in tune with producers own schedules.
She combined that with an ongoing dialogue with producers to better understand their needs and align her organization's efforts with export needs.
Stevie notes that in Italy, many areas from food to fashion to wine combine high creativity with strong individuality. She is doing her best to unite the various forces for the benefit of all.
Coordinating the various groups is not always easy. In 2011, the Italian Wine Masters (Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Prosecco Superiore and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) are staging separate events in the US.
On consumer side, separate events focused on wine tourism, a growing segment, are also considered.
Rome was not made in one day.