Vinitaly 2026: Italian wine strikes back to move beyond the complexity of the present

Relaunching Italian wine beyond the current challenges, with 2025 exports which, after the record 8.1 billion euros in 2024, slowed to 7.7 billion euros, nonetheless holding firm in a context that calling “challenging” would be an understatement among wars, international crises, tariffs, health-driven consumption trends, and more, by bringing the world to Verona to explore the quality and diversity of a sector that, between production value (14 billion euros) and its broader supply chain (reaching 45 billion euros), accounts for 1.1% of Italy GDP, and is rooted in 670,000 hectares of vineyards thanks to 530,000 companies and 870,000 direct employees. This is the mission of Vinitaly 2026, the edition No. 58 of the most important Italian wine event, taking place from April 12th to 15th at Veronafiere in Verona (with the prologue “OperaWine” by “Wine Spectator” on Saturday, April 11th, featuring 150 leading Italian wineries selected by the American magazine). The event was presented today in Rome at Palazzo Montecitorio, in the presence of President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana, Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida and president of Ita - Italian Trade Agency Matteo Zoppas, along with Veronafiere top management, president Federico Bricolo and acting director general Gianni Bruno.
A showcase focused on markets through targeted incoming programs, and on new trends through dedicated areas (from NoLo - Vinitaly Experience to Xcellent Spirits, from Vinitaly Tourism to Vinitaly Bio, alongside established initiatives outside the fair such as “Vinitaly and the City” and not only). The event will be animated by 4,000 made in Italy wine companies exhibiting at the fair, renewed formats and content, and a program of over 100 official events including tastings and in-depth sessions. The primary goal is to serve as a hub of attraction and connection for global operators, a business relations center for the main historical and emerging destinations of Italian wine. This role is further confirmed by the first results of the incoming campaign by Veronafiere and Ita - Italian Trade Agency, now in its final sprint, with over 1,000 selected top buyers invited and hosted jointly by the exhibition company and the public agency responsible for promotion, and with foreign professional operators expected from more than 130 countries.
Italian wine is also presented as a symbol of the Italian way of life, loved worldwide, and this year further strengthened by the recognition of Italian cooking as Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage. This will also be celebrated by on-site catering, both starred and otherwise, with, for example, the “Ristorante Cracco” by Carlo Cracco in the Emilia-Romagna Region space, the “Piemonte Land” restaurant with chef Davide Palluda of All’Enoteca in Canale d’Alba, and the “Ristorante d’Autore di Campagna Amica - La Casa della Cucina Italiana” by Coldiretti. Wine policy will also be in the spotlight, with a meeting on Tuesday, April 14th, at the Ministry of Agriculture, involving French, Spanish, and Italian Members of the European Parliament, to “discuss the new EU “Wine Package” which includes many measures also on promising areas which should involve young people as entrepreneurs, for example in wine tourism”, as announced in recent days by Italian Mep Dario Nardella.
“In an increasingly more complex international scenario, Vinitaly strengthens its role as a driver of the internationalization of Italian wine, thanks also to a highly profiled incoming system which allows us to intercept qualified demand and support companies along new development paths in foreign markets without neglecting domestic consumption, to which we dedicate targeted research  - declared Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo -  for this reason, the event evolves in step with market changes and the needs of companies, offering tools, content, and networking opportunities which are increasingly focused on supporting the competitiveness of the sector. Our goal is to provide structured responses to the wine system, supporting companies not only commercially, but also on the strategic issues that will determine their future”.
To date, leading the 70 countries of origin of profiled operators involved in the strategic plan and present at Vinitaly is the North American delegation (USA and Canada), which already shows a surge in the Canadian contingent (+31 top buyers compared to 2025). Still outside the EU, engagement with Asian demand for Italian wine has been strengthened, led by China, with growing registrations expected from India, Japan, and Thailand also hosts of Vinitaly international stops - as well as from Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. South America ranks high in terms of the size of the 2026 incoming program, with Brazil and Mexico among the most dynamic markets. Operators from Africa are also growing strongly, with this year scope expanded to 10 countries. Within Europe, Germany and the Nordic countries confirm the centrality of Italian wine in their markets, while several Eastern European nations complete the geographical picture.
While the fair confirms itself as the most important global showcase for Italian wine, Veronafiere and Vinitaly are also ready to continue their international events roadmap, with several already scheduled, including Wine South America (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, May 12th-14th), Wine to Asia (Shenzhen, May 14th-16th), Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow (Almaty, June 29th), Vinitaly @ Wine Vision by Open Balkan (Belgrade, October 10th-12th), and Vinitaly.USA (New York, Pier 36, October 26th-27th), held simultaneously with the wine2wine Business Forum (Vinitaly Asia Roadshow is also planned for the autumn, while 2027 will open with the Vinitaly India Roadshow).
But, returning to Verona, in terms of themes and formats, Vinitaly 2026 further expands and diversifies its offering, capturing emerging trends and strengthening integration between supply chains, content, and business opportunities. Among the main innovations, the project dedicated to no- and low-alcohol products grows with NoLo - Vinitaly Experience: the startup, in collaboration with Unione Italiana Vini - Uiv debuts with a new exhibition location and a structured calendar of tastings, masterclasses, and market-focused sessions in a rapidly expanding segment. The offering on spirits and mixology is also renewed with Xcellent Spirits: a dedicated area created with “Gang of Spirits” designed to foster international connections between the wine and spirits worlds. Wine tourism plays an increasingly central role, with Vinitaly Tourism consolidating itself, also in exhibition terms, through a program spanning all days of the fair and strengthening the B2B meeting calendar thanks to targeted incoming buyers and specialized tour operators, alongside new experiential formats dedicated to territories and wineries. There are two thematic wine tourism hubs at Vinitaly: the first created by Veronafiere and Wine Tourism Hub in collaboration with partners Wine Suite, Wine Meridian, and Winedering; the second fully curated by the fair itself, featuring four focus areas including conferences, surveys, and research by Movimento Turismo del Vino, Roberta Garibaldi, professor of Tourism Management at the University of Bergamo, UniCredit-Nomisma Wine Monitor, the University of Verona, and Bam! Strategie Culturali in collaboration with ArtVerona. The evolution also involves services and digital innovation, with the strengthening of Vinitaly Plus, centered on the new Buyers Club, a networking platform which this year promotes two-way business between producers and registered international buyers, and the debut of Bacco Ai.