Italian Wine and Love - At this Point in Time

Sunday, March 01, 2020

Italian Wine and Love - At this Point in Time

Breaking: Vinitaly is postponed until June.

“It was inevitable,” so the introduction goes. Here I am, on an early Sunday morning, the wind outside is howling, pushing leaves, swaying branches, and offering an eerie air to the day. What will we hear today? We’re, all of us, on this giant cruise ship, earth, is there nowhere to go, nowhere to hide?

That’s the status, for now, here in flyover country, where everyone hopes it will fly over us. But we’re also in the global Petri dish, adapting a wait-and-see attitude. Meanwhile over in Italy…

...cases of the affliction have increased. But, as one friend, writes, “Of the 50 tests done in Rome, not one was positive.”

In Verona, authorities there confirm (as of this moment) that Vinitaly will go forward.

“We can’t just ‘turn off’ our cities,” I read. "We want to offer our service to give a signal of normalcy and tranquility to people." Cites in the north of Italy are being described as ghost towns, business has been disrupted. A sense of dread has set in, although there is also the spirit of “We can fight this, we must not give in to panic and gloom.” But there is also the reality of civic responsibility, to take protective measures at this time.

This is exceedingly difficult for Italians, as they are more prone to extroversion and conviviality. But the numbers aren’t there, businesses are suffering. People aren't going out to eat as much as they normally would.

"The show must go on."

In Germany, Prowein has been ~~postponed~~ cancelled. And Vinitaly, ~~which comes in six weeks, is still scheduled to go on.~~ "The world of Italian wine has already provided positive signs of change in the past. Veronafiere is convinced that, even on this occasion, the sector will contribute to the recovery of our economy and revive a climate of trust in the country," said CEO Giovanni Mantovani. Update: Vinitaly is postponed until June.

Meanwhile America waits. At this time, the U.S. State department lists Italy as “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel,” and lists Lombardy and Veneto as “Level 4 – Do not travel to.” Vinitaly is in the Veneto and Lombardy is where Milan is.

American Airlines has suspended all but one flight to Italy (Philadelphia to Rome) until after Vinitaly. All flights to Venice or Milan as of the present moment. That would make it more difficult for Americans in the wine trade to travel to Italy.(Link here: https://reut.rs/38dkpc2)

This has become an existential dilemma. People in the wine trade often have rigorous and tight schedules, so planning ahead is often necessary. One friend here in the States said to me, “Do I go or do I stay? I must make arrangements now or else I won’t have a way to get there.” Indeed, with American Airlines all but out of the picture. Flights to Milan have been announced to resume on April 24, after Vinitaly, which is the main hub for travel into Northern Italy. There is one daily American Airlines flight remaining, from Philadelphia to Rome. So, travel to Italy will be hindered by that.

This is not to spread panic, or to be that one in the darkened movie theater to shout “Fire,” but to bring up all the concerns people are sharing with me.

Interactive (and regularly updated) map - click on to enlarge

According to the New York Times, on their Interactive map of the Coronavirus, Italy now shares the same C.D.C. risk level (Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel) as Mainland China, Korea and Iran.

Patricia Guy writes, from Verona, "The reason Italy has a large number of reported cases of the virus is because the authorities are testing for it. The government has acted responsibly. My concerns are for people living in countries where these precautions are not being taken."

So, what is one to do? With a large percentage of Americans not believing that civic authorities are telling the truth, the whole truth, and another large percentage believing this is all a hoax, where does one go to find out how to make an informed decision? I have friends who are in Rome right now – will they stay, or will they be able to come home? And compound that in a situation where hundreds of thousands of people converge on a trade show like Vinitaly, the logistical (and potentiality humanitarian) nightmare that it could evolve into is something to take notice of.

For now, many of us, like I said earlier, are in a “wait-and-see” position. But the clock is ticking. And that strong wind is still blowing on the other side of my door.