11 de novembro de 2009

IVBAM Madeira Wine Promotion in Tokyo

Once again this year, the IVBAM (The Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute of Madeira) with five Madeira wine companies held three promotion events in Tokyo. At the Madeira wine seminar and lunch presentation, walk-around tasting and VIP dinner - Vice President of IVBAM, João Nunes, and an oenologist, Ricardo Diogo V. Freitas (President of Vinhos Barbeito) were present in all these events.

IVBAM invited approximately 30 guests, importers, importers’ clients and journalists of wine/food magazine and newspapers, to the wine seminar and lunch presentation at the Hotel Okura (5 star hotel). The oenologist, Ricardo Diogo V. Freitas, made a presentation regarding wine making procedures, wine tasting, technical information and also carried out a wine tasting to 10 different Madeira wines.

After the seminar, guests enjoyed other 10 different Madeira wines together with Chinese foods from restaurant ”Tokarin”, which is one of the most famous Chinese restaurants in Tokyo. Moreover, guests were nicely surprised regarding the fact that Madeira wine has many different varieties, because, so far, in the Japanese market, Madeira wine is almost only used for cooking.

During the walk-around tasting with the Japanese Madeira wine importers’ support, held after lunch from 14:30 to 17:30 at Hotel Okura, over 110 distributors, sommeliers, HORECA people and journalists visited the event and tasted many varieties of Madeira wines. Visitors also enjoyed not only many varieties of Madeira wine but also traditional Madeira cakes which IVBAM brought to Tokyo. This annual event, which promotes Madeira wine not only for cooking but also for drinking, has been known by guests little by little.

In the evening, a VIP dinner was hosted by the Ambassador of Portugal at his residence.

Vice president of IVBAM, the representatives of Madeira wine companies, importers, journalists and opinion leaders were invited and enjoyed different types of Madeira wines matched with Portuguese foods and Madeira traditional deserts. AICEP (Business Development Agency) Tokyo office supported all these IVBAM events in Tokyo.

Participants from Madeira wine companies:

- Blandy’ s Madeira

- Henriques & Henriques – Vinhos, S.A.

- Pereira D’Oliveira – Vinhos, Lda

- H. M. Borges, Sucrs, Lda

- Vinhos Barbeito

The number of guest and visitors:

Seminar & Lunch guests: 28

Wine tasting: 112

VIP dinner: 18