From Verona to the World and back again. Vinitaly and the journey of Italian wine glasses

In collaboration with Vinitaly

Since 2022, Veronafiere has accelerated Vinitaly’s international development plan. The wine-focused event has thus become the flagship tool for positioning Italian wine production in the world's main markets. In this perspective, all initiatives aim to identify new and potential profiled buyers in anticipation of the b2b event in Verona (also thanks to direct investments and collaboration with Ice Agency), namely Vinitaly's flagship event taking place from 6 to 9 April.

In Verona, 1,200 top buyers from 65 nations

The results of recent editions confirm Veronafiere’s strategy. The 56th edition last year closed with 97,000 attendees. There was a slight increase in international operators from 140 countries, reaching 30,070 (31% of the total), of which 1,200 were top buyers (+20% compared to 2023) from 65 nations, selected, invited and hosted by Veronafiere in collaboration with Ice Agency. A positive result also for Vinitaly Plus, the matchmaking platform between supply and demand, with 20,000 business appointments – double the number in 2024.

Veronafiere has strengthened all promotional levers, including institutional ones, through a network involving players in the promotion of Made in Italy, starting from ministries (Agricultural Sovereignty, Foreign Affairs and Made in Italy) and Ice, to embassies and consulates. Finally, it provides the sector with market analysis and surveys thanks to the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory. The international market efforts continue with the recruitment campaign for top buyers and profiled operators ahead of Vinitaly 2025.

Objective: international markets

Alongside the international “super buyers” invited and hosted by Veronafiere, there are foreign and domestic operators who choose the event as the main platform for promoting Italian wine offerings. Furthermore, after the 24 “around the world” appointments in 2024 – including fairs, roadshows, Vinitaly previews and the Amerigo Vespucci stops (Tokyo and Doha) – the international calendar for Vinitaly 2025 confirms a series of key events.

The most significant new entry is the Vinitaly India Roadshow (New Delhi, 7–8 March): after 16 years, India returns to Vinitaly’s radar with a two-year initiative plan. The agreement between Veronafiere and the Indian Chamber of Commerce was signed in Verona during the latest International Wine and Spirits Exhibition. The aim is to maintain a business presence in a potentially high-end, fast-growing business tourism market.

The following events are also confirmed:
• Vinitaly preview Brussels (19 March, political-institutional presentation)
• Vinitaly China Chengdu (21–24 March)
• Wine South America (Bento Gonçalves – Brazil, 6–8 May)
• Wine to Asia (Shenzhen, 9–11 May)
• Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow (Almaty, 7 July)
• Vinitaly China Roadshow (15–17–19 September, Beijing, Wuhan and Chengdu)
• Vinitaly USA (October)
• Vinitaly @ Wine Vision (22–25 November)

The new challenge of no and low alcohol wines
The pilot project that expands the content of Vinitaly 2025 starts from Jeddah, with No-Low alcohol (NoLo) wines officially entering the 57th edition’s offering. This was announced on 27 January in the Saudi city by Verona Fiere’s leadership during the masterclass “Italian Grapes Reimagined: an Alcohol free Tasting Experience”, featuring only dealcoholised wines and zero-alcohol cocktails, created by Vinitaly as part of the Amerigo Vespucci promotional stop.

According to Veronafiere’s president, Federico Bricolo: “Vinitaly is a crossroads of trends, which it has always intercepted, monitored and analysed to enhance services and content for our exhibiting companies and the industry. In this light, NoLo wines enter the programme for the first time this year, to strengthen Vinitaly’s role in opening new markets and addressing the challenges of evolving demand.”

Vinitaly 2025’s “dealcoholised” programme includes two key events:
“Zero alcohol and market expectations” (8 April) and “0.0 Technology: production and innovation compared” (9 April), created in collaboration with Unione Italiana Vini and supported by the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory.
“The pilot project, which ranges from product to training and dedicated technology,” explains Veronafiere’s General Manager Adolfo Rebughini, “will become structural in the coming editions. The goal is to represent a complementary market to denomination wines, which is growing strongly on a global scale, and to enhance Vinitaly’s competitiveness during a phase of deep transformation in the sector.”

For this reason, Vinitaly 2025 will feature an Enoteca dedicated to dealcoholised wines, and NoLo wines will also take the spotlight in the cocktails featured in the Mixology Pavilion.

Vinitaly: a fair full of events

The trade fair programme from 6 to 9 April is, as always, full of events. It kicks off on 5 April with the 14th edition of Vinitaly OperaWine at the Gallerie Mercatali, the grand tasting of Italy’s most iconic and representative wines selected by Wine Spectator. This year, 131 companies from across Italy have been chosen. It is the only event organised outside the USA by the American wine magazine. This year’s concept is inspired by the creative universe of New York artist Keith Haring, an iconic figure in American pop art.

The Mixology area is also confirmed, first launched during the special edition of Vinitaly in October 2021. Created by Veronafiere in collaboration with Bartenders Italia and located in Hall C, the 2025 Mixology area will include three sections: the exhibition space, a section for 13 masterclasses, and a b2b space for meetings with operators and buyers.

Then there’s the not-to-be-missed Vinitaly and the City, the event open to the public and dedicated to consumers and enthusiasts: events, meet-ups and tastings that showcase wine while offering a chance to discover Verona’s squares, palaces and exclusive – often inaccessible – locations.

Introducing Vinitaly Tourism: Veronafiere’s new project gets underway
Wine tourism enters the realm of the 57th International Wine and Spirits Exhibition with the launch edition of Vinitaly Tourism, a new project promoting experiences to be had in Italian wineries. Scheduled for 9 April, Vinitaly Tourism aims to support wine companies with additional b2b services geared toward wine tourism, connecting them to a network of highly profiled international tourism buyers within this real and potential market segment.

On the dedicated day, Vinitaly Tourism will debut with a one-to-one speed date format (up to 10 appointments per company, 2nd floor of Palaexpo) and a series of thematic sessions on the future of wine tourism in Italy, beginning with the opening conference (9:45am):
“Wine tourism is not just a tasting: strategies to build a sustainable business”, organised in collaboration with Winedering, the leading online marketplace exclusively dedicated to wine experiences, wineries and wine tours, with over 12,000 bookings and more than 2,000 positive reviews already.

This will be followed by a session focused on “Wine tourism as a tool for enhancing Italian destinations” (11:30am to 1:30pm). Organised in partnership with Roberta Garibaldi, the Vinitaly Tourism conference will feature three working sessions dedicated to: data and trends in Italian wine tourism, the role of consortia and regional departments in strategies to enhance designations and territories, and innovation and sustainability in wine hospitality, with particular attention to the key role of the hospitality manager.