The second edition of the Slow Food event for good, clean and fair wine is in Bologna, Italy from February 26 to 28 with over 500 exhibitors from 26 countries

Winemakers, professionals and enthusiasts return to Bologna, Italy to continue their revolution in the wine world in late February.

Slow Wine Fair is the second international gathering of the Slow Wine Coalition, an inclusive and collaborative network that brings together the protagonists of the wine world to shape the future of wine, following in the footsteps of Terra Madre, the largest Slow Food gathering, which is organized biannually in Turin, Italy. The Slow Wine Coalition is represented by over 100 international winemakers and enthusiasts from 24 countries who come together to share their values, experiences and challenges—as well as potential solutions. Among others, the Fair hosts delegates from France, Turkey, Croatia, Chile, Georgia, Uzbekistan, the USA and Ukraine, as well all regions of Italy. Check out the exhibitor catalog: https://slowinefair.slowfood.it/en/scheda_espositore/

Pressing Issues

“Climate change is an urgent issue for winemakers, as highlighted by last  summer. There are reasons for optimism, however, such as the growth of organic winemaking that restores soil fertility and plant health. These topics will be addressed during the conferences, debates and tastings at the Fair,” explains Giancarlo Gariglio, coordinator of the Slow Wine Coalition.

Through the promotion of slow wine Slow Food aims to shape the future of winemaking—a paradigm shift is necessary in a wine world still heavily reliant on the use of chemicals, where monocultures are damaging the  biodiversity of the most prestigious terroirs. Forward-thinking winemakers are well aware of the need to change course, and Slow Food is working to build a system whereby wine can become a tool for the cultural rebirth of the countryside, in which winemakers are custodians of the land and promoters of a system that protects rural landscapes, restores biodiversity and promotes the socio-cultural growth of the countryside.

“Slow Wine Fair is the only event with a Tasting Committee (https://slowinefair.slowfood.it/en/the-international-tasting-commission/) that selects the wineries in the catalog so that Italian and foreign buyers can find companies that truly reflect the philosophy of good, clean and fair,” continues Gariglio. The Commission includes editors of the Slow Wine guide and international journalists such as Deborah Parker Wong from the United States and Juan Gualdoni from Argentina.

Everyone can be part of the change by signing the Manifesto for Good, Clean and Fair wine, a document which aims to foster dialog among consumers, wine makers and professionals and motivate the members of the Slow Wine Coalition to take concrete, consistent actions in support of this transformation.

The program

Conferences

The Slow Wine Fair starts before the end of February: in the weeks before the event, three Conferences highlight the main themes of the Fair. All will be freely available online and translated in Italian and English.

Wine and the climate crisis on February 8 at 6 p.m. CET hosts four speakers with prestigious international experiences who bring their different points of view on climate change in the vineyard: applied research, university research, technology and company experience, together with their experience on the ground.

On February 15 at 6 p.m. CET, we address Denominations: a common good? Experts discuss the positive aspects of these denominations and those to be revisited, taking into account that there have been numerous cases of winemakers choosing to leave a DOC or a DOCG, while there are consortiums who exclude producers who have every right to be part of the denomination.

Life is organic on February 22 at 6 p.m. CET gives us an opportunity to reflect on organic farming, starting with an analysis of the current situation before drawing some potential future scenarios. It is important to raise public awareness of the benefits of organic agriculture for soil fertility, for plant health, and for parsimonious resource use – above all water use – as well as a form of climate change mitigation.

Slow Wine Arena

The stories and struggles of the Slow Wine Coalition members take center stage at the Slow Wine Arena, a political space where protagonists of the wine world share experiences and solutions to ensure a future for good, clean and fair wine around the world. Speakers from France, Croatia, Ukraine, Turkey, Spain, Italy and beyond explore a range of relevant topics from the changing geography of winemaking landscapes to the challenges involved in making glass wine bottles more sustainable. A special workshop dedicated to all Slow Wine Coalition members will trace the next steps for the future. Find out more: https://slowinefair.slowfood.it/en/conferences/

Masterclasses

At Slow Wine Fair there will also be several Masterclasses: guided tastings to explore the Italian and international wine panorama, as well as the world of amaro liqueurs, including wines from the Caucasus,  great reds and whites from France, important Italian wines from 2010, Champagne from Maison Lombard.

“With Slow Wine Fair, BolognaFiere has enriched and consolidated its offering of events on the subject of sustainability,” explains Domenico Lunghi, Direct Events Director at BolognaFiere, “and the 2023 edition of Slow Wine Fair is a promising proposition for the wine sector. We wanted  to extend the possibility of participating to spirits and bitters too, while another section of the Fair will be dedicated to producers of innovative technological solutions related to the wine supply chain—the true partners of sustainability.”

Another new feature for 2023 are the Wine Retail Awards for Terroir and Slow Spirit, awarded by enthusiasts and professionals to establishments selling wine in a range of categories. Throughout January nominations have been collected and the public can now express their preferences, before leaving the final word to the jury of experts who will decide the final winners, who will be announced at Slow Wine Fair on February 27.