Episode 757 – Politics and Wine Trade. These sessions were recorded through Swapcard at the Wine2Wine 2021 Business Forum and are being replayed here on the Italian Wine Podcast! Welcome to Wine2Wine Business Forum 2021 Series. The sessions are recorded and uploaded on Italian Wine Podcast. wine2wine is an international wine business forum, held annually in Verona Italy since 2014. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and a diverse variety of wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide.  About today’s Speaker: Mike Veseth is editor of The Wine Economist newsletter and author of more than a dozen books including Wine Wars (2011) and Wine Wars II (forthcoming 2022). He is an authority on globalization and global wine markets who travels widely to speak at wine industry meetings. Mike is Professor Emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington USA. If you want to learn more about today’s Speaker, you can by visiting: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.veseth  Instagram: @MikeVeseth Twitter:  @MikeVeseth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-veseth-52881021/  About today’s Moderators Russ Lorber and Gemma Richardson: Russ Lorber IWA is the founder of Wide Roots, an import and wholesale company based in Baltimore, MD, with a mission to combine thoughtfully curated wines with inclusive education. He launched Wide Roots to bring the essence of celebration and culture to more wine drinkers, hoping to help them unlock the world of European wine similar to how he did for himself. He is certified by the Vinitaly International Academy as an Italian Wine Ambassador. His prior experience includes operations management, finance, product management, supply and demand management, and engineering. He has managed organizations as large as 90 people. If you want to learn more about Russ Lorber, you can by visiting: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russ.lorber  Instagram: @wide_rootsllc  Twitter:  @RussLorber  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russlorber/  Gemma Richardson IWA As an Ambassador to the city of Genova and of Italian Wine, Gemma shares the stories of a people, a place, and modern perspectives through their Genoese food brand, Love, Annamaria. While their brand is best known for Amorpesto, an artisanal pesto genovese, Gemma also collaborates with restaurants and conducts online classes to shed light on Ligurian heritage. Gemma was raised in NYC and has worked in hospitality across the US, UK, and Italy. Gemma loves trofie al pesto, baci di dama, and the attractive nose of Colli di Luni DOC. If you want to learn more about Gemma Richardson, you can by visiting: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fossefencer  Instagram: @annamaria_loves_pesto  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmalouise-1189/  To find out more about the forum visit: https://wine2wine.net/?lang=en Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!