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.”

In July, the Roncà company will propose a food and wine initiative to promote the Monti Lessini Spumante and the typical cuisine of the Veronese mountains.

The Giannitessari winery renews its commitment to promoting the area with Durello in Malga , a food and wine initiative aimed at strengthening the link between the native wine offering and mountain gastronomy .

The project was born from the involvement of refuges , mountain huts and restaurants in Lessinia that will offer dedicated tasting experiences in July 2025. Walkers and gourmets will be able to taste typical local dishes paired with two labels of Monti Lessini Metodo Classico from Durella grapes. from the Roncà company: the Brut , a more immediate and versatile version, and the Dosaggio Zero , designed for those seeking greater complexity and depth.

“Durello is a wine of great character, an authentic expression of the volcanic terroir from which it originates, which in the Metodo Classico version reaches its maximum elegance and aromatic richness – says Gianni Tessari , owner and winemaker of the company of the same name, newly elected President of the Consorzio di Tutela Vino Lessini Durello DOC –. With Durello in Malga our goal is to underline how fundamental it is to create and strengthen a territorial system that unites the world of wine and catering , united in the intent to certify Lessinia as an attractive destination for food and wine tourism”.

Several restaurants in Lessinia are taking part in the project: Lenci 3 in Bosco Chiesanuova, a historic restaurant open since 1973, renowned for its traditional cuisine and artisanal pizzas; Ristorante Al Caminetto in Malga San Giorgio, which offers zero-mile dishes and specialities of its own production; La Stua in Erbezzo, with a Trentino-Tyrolean influence, whose offer ranges from game to selections of cheeses and cured meats from Lessini; Parparo Vecchio in Rovere Veronese, a rustic restaurant that offers mountain cuisine, with dishes cooked in its large fireplace; Rifugio Primaneve on Monte Tomba, at 1766 meters, the highest in the Lessinia Natural Park, where you can taste genuine dishes prepared with quality ingredients; Osteria al Ritorno in Grezzana, whose menu reinterprets traditional Venetian dishes with a contemporary eye; finally Braceria Al Fenile Zoccante in Vestenanova, a restaurant in eastern Lessinia managed by the Dal Zovo family, famous for its home-made game-based cuisine.

For more information and periodic updates on the initiative, visit the social channels of the Giannitessari company.

An initiative designed to ensure consistency with the Association’s production protocol and accompany winemakers on a path of qualitative growth.

VinNatur confirms its role as a reference in the natural wine sector with the launch of Clean Enology..

A program dedicated to members that includes microbiological analysis at the expense of the Association and a technical path of continuous improvement . The initiative is carried out in collaboration with Food Micro Team , a reference reality in the field of oenological microbiology.
During the 2025 edition of VinNatur Tasting , held from 5 to 7 April at the Margraf showroom in Gambellara (Vicenza), a commission of experts selected 26 wines that showed evident olfactory alterations. The samples were then subjected to more in-depth checks by the oenological department of Food Micro Team , under the guidance of Dr. Giacomo Buscioni. The winemakers involved were then offered the opportunity to join the Enologia Pulita project , which analyses wines under conservation with the aim of preventing alterations and defects and guaranteeing their healthiness.
“We do not want to judge or penalize, but to help those who want to improve. This is the deep meaning of being part of our Association: we believe that natural wine is not just an agricultural or philosophical choice, but a responsibility towards the consumer that must translate into a quality perceptible in the glass – comments Marino Colleoni , advisor to VinNatur –. Enologia Pulita was born precisely to accompany our members on a path of transparency and continuous growth”.
Giacomo Buscioni specifies: “We have always known VinNatur, and the goal of this project is certainly not to standardize the peculiarities of each individual company. On the contrary, we want to provide the tools and knowledge to avoid any type of microbial alteration in wines, improving the aspects of cellar cleaning, the management of spontaneous fermentations and conservation, always remaining within the parameters of the VinNatur protocol. We do not work by adding additives or correctors, but by taking care of every detail of the production process”.
Enologia Pulita represents a concrete example of virtuous evolution , which promotes constructive discussion among winemakers and strengthens a shared, attentive and responsible path.

The season of the long-awaited Dinner Shows by the chefs of Friuli Venezia Giulia Via dei Sapori is underway, the 25 stars of the restaurant industry who for 25 years have been staging the most refined dishes that Friuli Venezia Giulia has to offer in highly evocative locations. Along with the chefs, the refined Dinner Shows will be brought to life by excellent winemakers and agri-food producers: in all, a close-knit team of 72 top-level businesses, standard-bearers of the region’s food and wine excellence.

The first of the most glamorous events of the Friulian summer is Tuesday 17 June at the Castello di Spessa in Capriva del Friuli , among the hills of the Collio Goriziano. The event, which will be a tribute to spring cuisine , will be hosted in the historic park of the castle with its centuries-old trees, wisteria pergolas, and balconies overlooking the hills and the sunset. A dream setting for an appointment with haute cuisine that will not fail to amaze and that will take place with the usual successful format.

After the welcome at dusk with the excellent products of the 16 artisans of taste partners of the consortium, an extraordinary journey of taste in 26 stages will begin for those present, signed by the chefs of the restaurants of the group who will cook live in front of the public new dishes inspired by spring and its products: AB Osteria Contemporanea of Lavariano di Mortegliano, Ai Fiori of Trieste, Al Gallo of Pordenone, Al Grop of Tavagnacco, Al Paradiso of Pocenia, Al Ponte of Gradisca D’Isonzo, Alla Luna of Gorizia, All’Androna of Grado, Caffetteria Torinese of Palmanova, Campiello of San Giovanni al Natisone, Carnia of Venzone, Casa Valcellina of Montereale Valcellina, Costantini of Collalto of Tarcento, Da Alvise of Sutrio, Da Nando of Mortegliano, Da Toni of Gradiscutta of Varmo, Enoteca of Buttrio , La Torre of Spilimbergo, Le Fucine of Buttrio, Lokanda Devetak of Savogna d’Isonzo, Mandi Parentesi Friulana of Lignano Sabbiadoro, Mondschein of Sappada, San Michele of Fagagna, Tre Merli of Trieste, Vitello d’Oro of Udine. With them, the chef of Tavernetta al Castello , the restaurant of the location hosting the event. At each station, next to the chefs there will be a winemaker , who will offer tastings of their wines chosen as the best pairing with the proposed food and will be available to the public to answer questions and curiosities. In closing, each restaurant and the pastry chefs belonging to the consortium will present their very personal interpretation of the spring dessert, and stations for coffee and spirits will be set up.

The menu details will be available on the website www.friuliviadeisapori.it. The Dinner Show will start at 7:30 pm. The price is €90. Tickets can be purchased in the group’s restaurants, at the consortium secretariats (info@friuliviadeisapori.it, tel. 0432 530052 from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm) and at Castello di Spessa. In case of bad weather, the dinner will be held on June 18.

The next Dinner Show events will be on July 8th (when the Consortium will celebrate its 25th anniversary at Udine Castle with a big event, during which each restaurant will present its own iconic dish – which has survived intact through time and fashion – that best represents it) and on July 29th , when summer cuisine creations will take center stage on the beach at Grado , with the sea at sunset as a backdrop.