Canada: “Grandi Degustazioni in Canda 2016”, Italian wine lands in Montreal

It seems wine was first imported to Canada apparently by French colonisers 400 years ago, but today Italy is the first supplier in terms of quantity (almost 50 million litres) and second in terms of value (over 300 million Canadian dollars), after the United States. 
These figures were mentioned by the Italian ambassador to Canada, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, during the launching of the 21st edition of the “Grandi Degustazioni in Canada 2016” event, which took place today at the old market of Bonsecours. The event is the most important initiative focusing on Italian wine, organised in Canada by ICE, the Italian Trade Agency, across 4 cities in an ideal coast-to-coast tour. 
The roadshow kicked off in Vancouver, on the Pacific coast, to continue in Calgary in the province of Alberta, then Toronto and finished up in Montreal, in the eastern part of Canada,. Thousands of importers, representing the syndicate, as well specialised journalists, opinion leaders and wine lovers participated in the event. A major role was played by 102 Italian producing companies coming from 14 regions with approximately 500 labels, attracted by a growing market. The scenario is particularly positive, which is a sign of the excellet condition of Italian agrifood exports to Canada, which is bound to grow even further, as highlighted by Ambassador Cornado, following the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which was signed on Oct. 30, CETA is a major achievement for economic relations between the European Union and Canada.