Wine is also among the Italian excellences that set sail with the Amerigo Vespucci on the world tour that stops in Tokyo until August 30. And to celebrate it, yesterday, in the Japanese capital, an exclusive masterclass "Iconic wines of Italy" was held, promoted by Agenzia Ice and organized by Vinitaly, the most important international exhibition dedicated to wines and spirits. In each stop of the Navy training ship, in fact, the Villaggio Italia is set up, the "Multi-year Traveling World Exhibition" of Italian excellences that offers visitors a unique experience to learn about 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 winemaking 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 – composed of buyers, importers, sommeliers, high-end restaurateurs, influencers and journalists – on a sensory journey to discover the most renowned Italian wine regions.

The event was attended by Veronafiere's President Federico Bricolo and General Manager Adolfo Rebughini, while Agenzia Ice's President Matteo Zoppas and Director of the Tokyo office Gianpaolo Bruno participated. The initiative is part of the broader framework of joint activities between 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 of Italian wine in all of Asia, with over 200 million euros of imports per 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 present at the Verona Fair for Vinitaly: in total almost 700 at the edition last April, 100 more than in 2023. «The masterclass held in Tokyo, in collaboration with Vinitaly, represents a unique opportunity to present the excellence of Italian wine in a highly strategic context such as Japan, which represents the first Asian market for the sector.

For Vinitaly, now, the internationalization mission in Asia continues with a calendar that sees the Verona fair busy from 2 to 6 September with the seventh edition of the Vinitaly China Roadshow, in Shanghai, Xi'an and Guangzhou. We then return to Japan, together with Agenzia Ice, for the Borsa Vini 2024 scheduled in Osaka and Tokyo, respectively on 7 and 9 October. In 2025, the third edition of Wine to Asia has already been scheduled, from 9 to 11 May in Shenzhen, China.