EU GI Technical Seminar in Tianjin showcases a variety of geographical indications products

At the GI Technical Seminar event, a GI food and wine pairing tasting was led by Chef Zhenyu Zhang, an experienced cooking consultant and Sommelier Iris Liu, a talented wine expert. They both emphasized the characteristics of GI products and shared their knowledge of maximizing the tasting chemistry of EU food with EU wine pairing.

The three EU food Tasting Sessions formed the heart of the GI Technical Seminar in Tianjin. The sessions featured EU meat such as Prosciutto di Parma PDO ham, various European cheeses, such as Gouda PDO from The Netherlands and table olives, such as Ελιά Καλαμάτας (Elia Kalamatas) PDO from Greece, as well as fragrant and rich olive oil, like Estepa PDO from Spain. During the Tasting Sessions, the characteristics of the various products, including their organoleptic characteristics, production methods, origin and geographical indications, were highlighted for the participants.   

Tasting Session 1: Prosciutto di Parma PDO ham from Italy, Comté PDO cheese from France, Kalamata PDO olive oil from Greece.

Tasting Session 2: Φέτα (Feta) PDO cheese from Greece, Gouda PDO cheese from The Netherlands, Estepa PDO olive oil from Spain, Aceto balsamico di Modena PGI vinegar from Italy.  

Tasting Session 3: Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese from Italy, Danablu PGI cheese from Denmark, Ελιά Καλαμάτας (Elia Kalamatas) PDO olives from Greece. 

The premium EU wines featured in the Tasting Sessions were: Tokaj PDO white wine from Hungary; Porto PDO from Portugal; Primorska Hrvatska PDO red wine from Croatia; Dealu Mare PDO red wine from Romania; Vipavska dolina PDO red wine from Slovenia and Mosel PDO from Germany.  

After the tasting sessions, the event also featured presentations on the successful marketing of GI products both in the EU and in China, highlighting the business advantages regarding price and promotion for GI products. Pablo Reicio, Managing Director of Eibens specifically talked about the successful business cases of Irish Whiskey from Ireland. Sophia, the International Procurement Director of Beijing Chunbo also gave a speech on the Chinese GI system, agreement, and benefits. During these GI presentations, the participants were introduced to how GI product designation has economic benefits for food producers and consumers. Consumers consider GI products as high-quality, premium-level food products, and they are willing to pay more for such products.