Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy

Date: April 11, 2016

Place: Verona, Italy

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi greets Jack Ma at the Vinitaly wine exhibition in Verona, Italy, April 11, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi invited Jack Ma to attend Vintaly, the largest wine show in the world, on April 11, 2016. Although Renzi and Ma had met five times previously, this was the first time they held an open dialogue.

At Vintaly, Ma announced “Wine Day”, the first ever Tmall International Wine & Spirits Festival, will launch on September 9, which in Renzi's opinion will mark a turning point for Italian wine in China.