HCM CITY — Choice selections from France, Italy and Spain were being presented at the Traditional Quality Wine Festival held in HCM City yesterday.
The wine tasting festival is part of the larger Italian Festival 2010 that was held from yesterday until the end of August, according to Macro Saladini, director of the Italian Trade Commission in Viet Nam.
He said the trade agencies of France, Italy and Spain in Viet Nam were jointly promoting their wines at the festival at the Sofitel Plaza Sai Gon yesterday.
Eleven wine producers from these countries showcased 70 new types of wines to the Vietnamese importers, wholesalers and distributors through a whole day of wine tasting.
Apart from wine tasting, the event offered the wine makers a chance to meet with potential importers and distributors and to familiarise themselves with the local market.
Martino Castellani, head of the Italian Trade Commission's Intellectual Property Rights Desk said this year's Italian Festival followed on from the success of the earlier one held in 2008.
He said the festival sought to have Vietnamese citizens discover and enjoy Italian culture through interesting events like the Lavazza Invitational Barista Championship on June 20-21.
The competition is estimated to attract 20 competitors with the total prize of VND17 million (US$899.4). It is a wonderful chance for coffee makers to learn experience and improve their coffee making skills, he said.
The festival will also host a seminar on Italian tiles on July 3 held by the Italian Tiles Joint Stock Co. It aims to introduce new technologies in tiles production and promote the "made in Italy" brand in Viet Nam.
Other seminars will launch a new series of energy saving products and provide product information and installation training for safe water heating machines provided by the by the Ariston Thermo Corporation.
An Italian culinary expert will present traditional Italian cuisine in cooperation with Fiordelisi Srl Company in the middle of July.
According to the Italian Trade Commission, the Italian festival 2008 attracted 10,000 visitors during the Italian Week, 500 visitors to the Italian photo exhibition, 700 to the Italian Cinema Week at Idecaf and 170 guests took part in the wine tasting and food festival.
The Italian Festival 2010 is being organised by the Italian Trade Commission and Italian Embassy in Viet Nam. — VNS