From 19 to 22 November 2019, Milan was the host city of the SIMEI Fair – the largest international enological and bottling equipment exhibition in the world. As part of the SIMEI Fair, the Italian association Le Donne del Vino organized the first ever Forum of the Women in Wine Worldwide, intended for women in wine industry around the world. The Forum gathered members of women-in-wine associations from all the major wine-producing countries: Italy, France, Australia, Argentina, Austria, Chile, USA, Georgia, Germany, New Zealand and Croatia. Croatia was represented by Sanja Muzaferija, president of the Croatian association Women on Wine and Suzana Zovko, chief enologist in Vina Belje. As pointed out by all the members, the objective of the Forum was networking, exchanging information, knowledge and experience, and studying markets and female consumption styles. According to the Forum organizer Donatella Cinelli Colombini, chair of Donne Del Vino association, exchange of knowledge will definitely contribute to the growth and improvement of the wine sector globally. At the first Forum, the focus was placed on the role of women in wine production and wine packaging.
At the opening of the Forum, Suzana Zovko, chief enologist at Vina Belje, pointed out: “This is an excellent opportunity to meet the women creating wines all over the world, to learn about their varieties, terroir specificities and their approach to wine production. I plan to use my participation in the forum for exchanging experiences with my colleagues and promoting Croatian wines, especially our most important wine varieties such as Graševina – Vina Belje’s best known wine on the Croatian market.”