Among China and Brazil, sentiment for Italian wine is positive, in tour with Vinitaly-Veronafiere

To consolidate growth in a China which has started 2026 positively for Italian wine (exports up by +13.6% in the first two months compared to 2025, reaching 10.6 million euros, according to Istat data analyzed by WineNews), and with a Far East still largely to be developed; to reverse the trend in Brazil, which sits at the heart of Mercosur in terms of wine but has started the year sluggishly (-2.8% in the first two months, at 5.4 million euros): these were the objectives of the double event organized by Vinitaly and Veronafiere in recent days, with Wine South America (May 12th-14th in Bento Gonçalves) and Wine To Asia (May 14th-16th in Shenzhen). From these events, “signals for Italian labels, with strong growth potential in both areas if opportunities and the right timing for market positioning are successfully seized” arrive. This was the general sentiment at the two events, which are part of the international promotion of Italian wine between editions of the main exhibition scheduled in Verona from April 11th to 14th, 2027.
“With over 15,000 professionals in attendance, this edition confirmed Wine To Asia as one of the key reference points for the promotion of wine and spirits among horeca channel operators and buyers from the Greater Bay Area, of which Shenzhen is the technological capital and the engine of innovation in robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as from the main countries in the region, from Singapore to Vietnam, from South Korea to Thailand”, highlights Veronafiere president Federico Bricolo, who inaugurated the 2026 edition together with Italian Ambassador to China Massimo Ambrosetti, and president of the Ita-Italian Trade Agency Matteo Zoppas. “Wine To Asia was a dynamic, innovative and educational event, featuring numerous masterclasses led by Masters of Wine and international educators, capable of attracting a young audience from the most developed, wealthy and high-spending area of China, ready to embrace wine as part of their daily lifestyle and not merely as a status symbol. Beyond the numbers, China, like Asia as a whole, must be studied and approached by treating each region and city as a market in its own right”, added Bricolo added.
But both westward and eastward, the signals coming from Brazil are equally interesting, as underlined by Veronafiere vice president Romano Artoni, who inaugurated the sixth edition of Wine South America: “Wine South America generated business worth 120 million Brazilian reais (about 21 million euros), with a 20% increase compared to the previous edition. This is a signal - explains Artoni - of the importance of immediately seizing strategic opportunities linked to the European Union-Mercosur agreement, in an increasingly complex international context. In this scenario, Brazil confirms itself as the key market and the main gateway to South America for wine companies. The collaboration with the Ita-Italian Trade Agency in São Paulo and with local partner Milanez & Milaneze made it possible to deliver a high-profile event, strengthening Wine South America positioning as a benchmark trade fair for business development in the Latin American area”.
Wine South America, explains Veronafiere, is the leading trade fair in Latin America, held at Fundaparque in Bento Gonçalves, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the country top wine-producing hub. It featured more than 5,000 labels from over 400 companies from 20 countries and 7,000 buyers. Italy participated with 30 wineries and 300 labels from Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily, Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, South Tyrol, Emilia-Romagna, thr Abruzzi, Umbria and the Marche, in a tricolor pavilion organized by the Ita-Italian Trade Agency.
Wine To Asia, the International Wine and Spirits Fair, was held exclusively by Veronafiere Asia Ltd at the Futian Center in Shenzhen. The fair featured more than 400 exhibitors from over 20 countries and regions, including the Italian delegation of 50 companies from Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany and Puglia, promoted in collaboration with the Ita-Italian Trade Agency. Among the novelties was the debut of Raw Wine, with more than 60 producers representing 15 countries. Around 15,000 buyers attended the event, mainly from China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, but also from Vietnam and Thailand.
The next events on Vinitaly international calendar include Via Canada, with the presentation of Vinitaly.USA to Canadian buyers and importers (Toronto, June 22nd-23rd, and Ottawa, June 24th); the Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow (Almaty, June 29th); a series of presentations leading up to Vinitaly.USA from July to September in New York, Miami, Houston and Las Vegas; Vinitaly@IFBS in Singapore (July 1st-2nd); Vinitaly@Wine Vision by Open Balkan in Belgrade (October 10th-12th); and Vinitaly.USA in New York (October 26th-27th), held concurrently with the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum.