Italian winemakers look to boost sales with social media

VERONA, Italy - Italian winemakers, usually wedded to centuries-old traditions, are slowly embracing Twitter, blogging and Facebook to boost sales that have been hit by the global economic crisis.

Italy, the world's second-biggest wine producer after France, saw export sales drop 6 percent to 3.5 billion euros in 2009, as the industry was hit by the global economic downturn and advancing competition from "New World" wines, according to industry data.

"In times of crisis it is important to experiment with new ways of making yourself known," Susanna Crociani of family owned Crociani, a producer of the Tuscan wine Nobile di Montepulciano, told Reuters.