[:it]Vinitaly 2020 will not take place, the new appointment is from 18 to 21 April 2021[:]

[:en]It had been in the air for a few days, but yesterday the official confirmation arrived: Vinitaly 2020 will not take place due to the Covid-19 emergency. The appointment is for next year, from 18 to 21 April, as always at Veronafiere. Therefore, as expected, the proposal to postpone the event to June this year was not successful, a period in which, according to the few and uncertain forecasts, Italy will probably be emerging from the health crisis.

The decision also comes following a series of appeals addressed in recent weeks to the management of the Fair by Cellars and Consortia. The concern, in addition to the huge expenses that the participants of the event would have had to bear in an economically difficult period, was the concrete risk of a subdued edition both for the participation of the public and international buyers, and for the presence of the wineries themselves. In Piedmont there were many authoritative voices who spoke in support of the postponement, including that of Franco Morando, owner of Montalbera:

I wrote a letter to the management of Verona Fiere – says Morando – gathering the requests of countless local and national companies – explains Morando – to ask to postpone Vinitaly to 2021, scheduled for next June, a period historically not suited to the needs of wine companies. Ours is not an attempt to boycott a fantastic event that we have always supported, but simply of priorities, investment and opportunities.

Vinitaly therefore raises the white flag, as do many other national and international events that have chosen the line of common sense rather than that of all-out obstinacy which would probably have caused much more damage than a postponement, however painful.[:]