The Merano Wine Festival is one of the most important events of this type in this part of Europe. And it is a great opportunity for the best Italian and foreign vintners, as well as food producers, to present their products under the spotlights of this prestigious fair, creating a perfect qualitative culinary blend.

Already for 19 years numerous eno-gastronomical experts and gourmets coming from all over the world are gathering there, while the number of visitors often reaches 5.000 units. The stage for this exclusive event, offering a number of guided tastings performed by selected Italian and international producers of food, wines and spirits for wine lovers and gourmets, once again were the neoclassic palace Kurhaus and the surrounding squares of Merano in Italy.

Following there are some figures and facts about this year's fair:

• 450 of the world's most important vintners;
• 100 reputed international chefs;
• Beer Passion with selected beer producers;
• Acqua vitae & Liquores – great spirits;
• High quality Wine Resorts;
• GourmetArena – show-cooking and gastronomic delicacies.

A particular reason to be delighted for is the fact that, within the fair there was the presentation of the guide Vinibuoni d'Italia. Indeed, the Touring Club Italiano, publisher specialized in eno-gastronomical guides and magazines, for the first time this year has presented our region by dedicating it as much as the front cover page of its wine guide. The chapter dedicated to Istria finds itself side by side to renowned Italian wine regions, with a detailed description of its touristic offer and the long enological tradition, as well as of each of the 16 included istrian vintners.

Among the 16 istrian vintners, three of them, namely Coronica, Veralda and Vivoda have been awarded with the second prize, while other three have won the most prestigious prize called ''Corona''. They are: Franc Arman for his Malvasia 2009, Giorgio Clai for the Prosecco 2007, and Benvenuti for his Muscat from Momjan 2007. The press conference, in which Denis Ivoševiće, the director of the Tourism board of Istria, introduced Istria, was attended by many Italian and international media representatives, as well as the delegates of all the Italian wine regions, and many VIPs.

After the conference, all the participants were invited to taste the typical istrian products. Aleš Winkler from the Stancija Kumparička (Krnica) presented his goat cheeses, AZRRI – The Agency for rural development of Istria prepared a fillet of the istrian Boškarin (autochthon cow), while the municipality of Tinjan presented their Pršut (istrian dried ham) and the family owned economy Stojnić from Tar, its extra virgin olive oils.

Tourism board of Istria