7th edition Milano Wine Week: innovation, sustainability, and new formats for Millennials and Gen Z

Masterclasses, tasting booths, B2B meetings. And for the public, parties, city-wide events, and walk-around tastings. Nine days that put a new generation of enthusiasts at the center, with dedicated initiatives and inclusive language.

In a year of significant changes in production, markets, and consumption habits, the wine sector is in urgent need of answers. Milano Wine Week 2024 (MWW24) brings revolutionary winds to the world of wine. Now in its seventh edition, MWW24 presents a format packed with new features, aiming to refresh a world often confined by tradition.

From October 5 to 13, the spotlight shines on an exciting schedule of innovative events and engaging activities—offering an immersive experience like no other—not just for top professionals and die-hard wine lovers but with a particular focus this year on the new generation of consumers. This event spans across Milan’s neighborhoods and locations, a city known for innovation, communication, and hospitality.

The seventh edition arrives at a crucial moment for the sector, where younger generations seem to be drifting away from wine in favor of more contemporary and accessible drinks. "If the future of wine depends on the industry's ability to adapt and engage a new generation of enthusiasts, it is time for the wine industry to adopt targeted strategies to stimulate the interest of these new consumers," says Federico Gordini, President of Milano Wine Week and founder of MWW Group.

“The challenges the sector faces are numerous, from addressing climate change—which increasingly affects the production chain—to the need to attract new generations of consumers, who feel distanced from traditional wine communication methods, and the undeniable need to invest in training hospitality and restaurant staff,” continues Gordini. “It’s in this transformative scenario that the seventh edition of Milano Wine Week takes place. Together with our partners, we’ve focused on these topics, making them the foundation on which we’ve built the main innovations of this edition."

THE NEWS

Among this year’s new features aimed at bridging the gap with Gen Z, the consumer hub Enoteca Milano Wine Week moves to one of the city’s most picturesque locations, the Dazi dell’Arco della Pace. Open for nine days, it will host an interactive and tech-savvy tasting area, with a lineup of initiatives designed to bring even the less experienced consumers closer to the world of wine. Additionally, to attract tomorrow’s wine lovers, the One Wine Night party debuts at MWW24. This exclusive event, created in collaboration with Carrefour—once again the Main Sponsor of the event—will be held at the iconic Dazi at Arco della Pace, blending wine storytelling with electronic music.

While Milano Wine Week arrives at a pivotal time for the wine industry, MWW reinforces its commitment to promoting the key figures who play a fundamental role in spreading wine culture. After the success of the first edition, the number of sommeliers from high-end Italian restaurants involved in the Wine List Italia Guide and the Grand Tasting on Sunday, October 6, doubles—from 50 to 100. This year, the event will be held at two prestigious locations: Palazzo Bovara and Palazzo Castiglioni, symbols of Milanese Art Nouveau. A delegation of 30 Head Sommeliers from around the world is also expected, supported by Ice Agency.

There’s also a change of location for the MWW Awards. At the scenic Teatro Manzoni on Monday, October 7, a revamped ceremony will host the third edition of the Italian Wine List Awards, Wine Retail Award, and Best Italian Wine Selection Award, presented by a jury of experts chaired by food and wine critic Andrea Grignaffini. In its second edition, the Freccianera Award will be given to the restaurant with the most engaging sparkling wine selection.

In terms of sustainability, Wine in Action is the first acceleration program dedicated to the most innovative wine startups. Created in collaboration with LifeGate Way, the first Italian ecosystem dedicated to sustainable startups, this initiative will showcase impactful projects at Milano Wine Week, introducing a major new focus on sustainability that will run through various moments of the event.

THE PARTNERS

Numerous important partners have joined Milano Wine Week 2024—Carrefour Italia is the Main Sponsor—once again involving consortia, organizations, and hundreds of companies from all over Italy, as well as entities from outside the sector, institutions, trade associations, and, most importantly, the general public. This year's edition stands out for an increasingly immersive and engaging format, designed to involve consumers through experiences in hundreds of venues across the Lombard metropolis.

Alessandra Grendele, Director of Merchandise, Marketing, and E-commerce at Carrefour Italia, is proud of the partnership, which has been renewed for the third time this year: “We are delighted to take part in a unique event that actively engages visitors and aims to make Italian wine heritage accessible not only to industry experts but also to curious newcomers. Large-scale retail is increasingly becoming a reference point for wine purchases, which is why Carrefour has long embarked on a journey to promote Made in Italy, both in the food and beverage sectors, to raise consumer awareness and guide them towards more conscious choices."

The official agenda of Milano Wine Week was presented today, September 18, at Palazzo Cordusio, with Federico Gordini, President of Milano Wine Week, presiding. Speakers at the press conference included Alessandra Grendele, Merchandise, Marketing, and E-commerce Director, Maurizio Zanella, Vice President of the Franciacorta Consortium; Alessandro Rossi, Wine Manager Partesa and Director of Paestum Wine Fest. Paolo Porfidio, curator of the Wine List Italia Guide, spoke on the second edition of the Wine List Italia, while Omar Bertoni, Co-Founder of LifeGate Way, highlighted Wine in Action, the incubation project for wine startups—a major new feature of MWW2024. Producer representatives included Francesca Seralvo, President of the Oltrepò Pavese Wine Consortium. The closing remarks were made by Alessandro Misani, Director of Operations at Meliá Hotels International.