TORONTO – The Italian Trade Commission held its annual wine tasting event at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall Nov. 2, attracting more than 2,000 registered guests.
One hundred leading wine producers from every region across Italy were featured, from Piedmont to Sicily and Puglia to Friuli Venezia Giulia. The event also included a technical tasting highlighting the wines of Sicily, led by professor Attilio Scienza and one of Canada’s best-known wine writers, David Lawrason.
In introducing the 14th edition, of what has become a November tradition, Paolo Ponti, Italian trade commissioner, stressed the importance of wine as an Italian export. “Wine ranks first in Italian exports,” said Ponti. It represents 15 per cent of total exports to Canada. In 2008, Italy exported $323 million wines to Canada, making it the fifth largest destination for Italian wine exports. During the last 10 years, the import of Italian wines to Canada has grown steadily, with an increase of 4.10, compared to 2007, making Italy the second largest supplier.
Capping off the day, the “Vino della Vita” fundraising event was held in collaboration with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It was replicated in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax and Ottawa, where the Ambassador of Italy in Canada held a VIP reception.
