Japan and South Korea are increasingly confirming themselves as reference markets for Italian fine wines.
Over 800 people including press, trade and industry professionals attended the institutional event of the 18 IGM wine families.
The institutional appointments of Istituto Grandi Marchi in the world’s wine capitals continue. After the stops in New York and Toronto last October, the 18 wine families set off for Tokyo and Seoul, two of the reference metropolises for the Italian fine wines market. A double appointment that highlighted the growing interest of these two countries for quality Italian wine, a trend already outlined by the Nomisma Wine Monitor survey on the positioning and prospects of Italian fine wines in the Far East, presented in Rome in December 2023. Japan and South Korea, in line with the results of the survey, proved to be the two most strategic markets in the Far East, both in terms of consumption and perception, outlining even rosier prospects for the future.
“ We are back in Asia, in Tokyo and Seoul, with the most important institutional event of the year for IGM, in the presence of all the members of the Group’s families. A double event – said Piero Mastroberardino, President of IGM – which has allowed us to further consolidate the positioning of our wines in this area of the world, in synergy with the activities regularly carried out by our companies with their importers. Japan and South Korea have once again proven to be two key markets for fine wines, thanks to quality Italian catering and the notable level of consumers, attentive, curious and in tune with our production philosophy, who never miss an opportunity to visit our territories. We were pleased to have given continuity to this cultural and commercial commitment and to have contributed, once again, to the growth of excellent Italian wine through meetings with the trade, press, expert sommeliers and great professionals from the catering world”.
This mission is in fact part of a long-standing project. The initiatives of Istituto Grandi Marchi in the Far East began in 2005 in Tokyo, immediately after the birth of the Group, with the first institutional event, which was followed by the meeting in South Korea the following year. An ongoing commitment that has made IGM one of the first Italian wine companies to be a protagonist in these territories, organizing masterclasses and meetings with producers, dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of the culture of quality Italian wine.
The double Asian event opened on Monday 2 June, coinciding with the Festa della Repubblica, in the magnificent spaces of The Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo, which first hosted the masterclass led by Isao Miyajima, journalist and wine educator, followed by the Walk-around tasting to discover the Group’s great labels. A tasting journey of the highest level for an opportunity to delve into the territories, stories and high quality standards that make the Institute’s cellars one of the greatest examples of Italian winemaking excellence.
On Wednesday 4 June, it was Seoul’s turn with the masterclass led by wine educator In Soon Lee, at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun, followed by the traditional Walk-around tasting which also here, in South Korean territory, was met with great appreciation.
“ It is thanks to events like these – he concluded Piero Mastroberardino – that Istituto Grandi Marchi continues to promote and enhance the vines, the terroirs and the great people who every day write the excellence of Italian wine, through education in the correct culture of wine and awareness towards conscious consumption, messages of which the IGM families have always been spokesmen.”