The future of Italian wine in the United States takes centre stage in New York on 26 and 27 October 2026, as Vinitaly.USA returns with 300 Italian companies and more than 1,000 buyers already pre-registered from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Held at Pier 36, the third edition of the event organised by Veronafiere will combine business meetings with the 13th edition of the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum, featuring 22 discussion sessions and nine masterclasses.
The focus will be on the forces shaping the presence of Italian wineries in the American market: from distribution and the restaurant sector to younger generations of consumers and wine tourism.
The programme will bring together importers, distributors, sommeliers and tourism professionals to address a challenge that extends beyond exports: strengthening the position of Italian wine in the United States.
Vinitaly.USA 2026: Discussing the Future of Italian Wine in the United States
The American market is more than an export destination. It is a complex system in which a wine’s commercial presence depends on a range of factors: relationships with importers and distributors, decisions made by restaurants, the ability to understand consumers and the differences between individual states.
This is why, alongside meetings between the 300 exhibiting companies and North American buyers, the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will explore the dynamics that determine market access and positioning for Italian wine in the United States.
The aim is not simply to create sales opportunities, but to understand a market in which product quality must contend with different trading regulations, commercial partners and consumer habits.
The programme will open on Monday 26 October with the Wine Industry Forum organised by ITA, entitled “Italian Wine and America: The Outlook. Building the Next Chapter in Italian–US Wine Relations.”
The discussion will bring together Matteo Zoppas, President of ITA; Giovanni Sacripante, Director General of Veronafiere; Bill Terlato, Chairman and CEO of Terlato Wine Group; and Matteo Lunelli, CEO of Gruppo Lunelli.
They will be joined by Alison Napjus of Wine Spectator, Tim Marson MW, Director at Wine.com, and Bobby Stuckey, Master Sommelier and founder of Frasca Hospitality Group. The session will be moderated by journalist Maria Luisa Rossi Hawkins.
The forum will bring together representatives of institutions, businesses, distribution and hospitality to examine the relationship between Italy and the United States across the entire wine supply chain.
The US Wine Market: From Master Sommeliers to Restaurant Wine Lists
For an Italian winery, succeeding in the American market also means understanding who chooses the bottles that ultimately reach consumers.
Restaurants are one of the settings in which the relationship between producers, wine professionals and the public becomes particularly important.
This is the perspective behind the session “Italian Producers and American Master Sommeliers: The Questions That Matter”, which will encourage direct dialogue between those who make wine and those who select it for the US market.
Speakers will include Laura DePasquale; Julie M. Dalton of The Post Oak Hotel in Houston; Jonathan Eichholz, a GuildSomm educator with experience in Michelin-starred New York restaurants; and Jim Bube, National Wine Director of the Hogsalt group.
The discussion will be moderated by Stevie Kim, Managing Partner of Vinitaly, and Jenny Hemmer DipWSET, Executive Director of GuildSomm International.
The subject goes beyond putting together a wine list. It concerns wineries’ ability to present their wines to professionals who must assess their quality, identity, market positioning and suitability for their customers.
In a market offering an extensive range of international wines, relationships with sommeliers can become an important means of building recognition for Italian labels.
Dialogue with professionals working in restaurants every day can also provide producers with valuable insights into the expectations of American consumers.
Italian Wine Tourism: How to Attract American Travellers
Wine tourism is another central theme of Vinitaly.USA 2026, approached not merely as an experience offered at a winery but as a tourism product to be marketed internationally.
On 26 October, with the contribution of Vinitaly Tourism, the programme will explore the future of Italian wine tourism and the role of professionals who influence American travel decisions.
Speakers will include Susan Kostrzewa, former Editor of Wine Enthusiast and now a contributor to Resplendent Ink; Riley Pearce, Director of Trip Development at tour operator Backroads; Cristina Mariani, owner and CEO of Banfi; and Seth Snider, co-founder of Your Private Italy, a company specialising in bespoke luxury travel in Italy.
The discussion will focus on how Italy’s wine heritage can be developed into an offering capable of attracting demand from American travellers.
This challenge involves not only wineries but also the professionals who design itineraries, select destinations and create experiences for visitors.
The subject will return on Tuesday 27 October with “From Winery to Itinerary: How the International Travel Industry Sells Italian Wine Tourism”, a session organised by ITA and led by Sara Magro, Editor of The Travel News.
This will be followed by a first for the New York event: the participation of Italy’s Ministry of Tourism, supported by ENIT, in a session dedicated to destinations, experiences and opportunities for Italian wine tourism in the global market.
Speakers will include Ivana Jelinic, CEO and Acting President of ENIT, and Gianluca Caramanna, Adviser to the Minister of Tourism.
The underlying connection is clear: while exports bring Italian wine to American tables, wine tourism can help establish a more direct relationship between those consumers and the places where the wines originate.
That connection can create opportunities both for wine businesses and for tourism destinations.
Wine Distribution in the United States: The Three-Tier System and Opportunities in Texas
One of the programme’s most practical discussions will examine how the American wine distribution system operates, an essential consideration for any winery seeking to develop its commercial presence in the United States.
The three-tier system, generally structured around producers or importers, distributors and retailers, will be discussed by Francis Creighton, President and CEO of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA); Sean O’Leary, a lawyer specialising in alcohol regulation and direct-to-consumer wine sales; and Bartholomew Broadbent, founder of Broadbent Selections, an importer representing more than 30 international producers in the United States.
The complexity of the American market is also reflected in the regulatory and commercial differences between individual states.
For an Italian winery, understanding these mechanisms means knowing not only which channels can be used to distribute wine, but also which partners to engage and which strategies to pursue.
The programme will also include a closer look at Texas, examining three distinct urban markets: Dallas, Houston and Austin.
The discussion will feature Steven McDonald MS, Tian Lewis DipWSET, Austin Farina, Head of Wine Programmes and Operations at MML Hospitality, and June Rodil MS.
It will provide an opportunity to explore how markets with different characteristics and commercial opportunities can coexist within a single state.
Treating the United States as one homogeneous export destination risks overlooking precisely the local differences that can influence wineries’ commercial decisions.
Millennials and Gen Z: How Wine Consumption Is Changing in the United States
Alongside distribution and hospitality, wine2wine will examine the evolution of American wine consumers, with particular attention to younger generations.
On Tuesday 27 October, Erica Duecy, a wine business journalist and founder of Business of Drinks, will be joined by Max Rohn for a session entitled “Where Wine Can Grow: How Producers Can Reach Millennials and Legal-Drinking-Age Gen Z.”
The discussion addresses a fundamental question for the industry’s future: how to engage consumers whose habits, cultural references and expectations may differ from those of previous generations.
For Italian producers, the challenge concerns both communication and the ability to make Italy’s exceptionally diverse wine heritage recognisable and accessible.
Grape varieties, appellations and wine regions represent an extraordinary strength, but they also require effective ways of communicating their individual identities.
This challenge is closely linked to the role of wine education and wine professionals, who must translate the complexity of Italian wine production into propositions that American consumers can understand and find appealing.
Vinitaly OperaWine 2027 and Nine Masterclasses Showcasing Italian Wine Diversity
The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum programme will extend beyond commercial issues.
Across the two days, nine masterclasses will explore Italy’s winemaking heritage, taking participants through different regions, grape varieties and winemaking styles.
On Monday 26 October, the spotlight will fall on Sardinia’s indigenous grape varieties, presented by Stephanie Johnson; traditional-method sparkling wines, explored in a tasting organised by Wine Enthusiast with Jeff Porter; and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the subject of two sessions led by Filippo Bartolotta, covering Sauvignon, ramato wines and other regional expressions.
On Tuesday 27 October, the programme will continue with further explorations of Friulian wines, while Stephanie Johnson and Jack Liggett will lead a tasting devoted to Italian grape varieties worth rediscovering beyond Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.
The regional character of Italian wines will be the focus of a Decanter masterclass led by Michaela Morris, while Sarah Heller MW will host the concluding Vinitaly International Academy session, “Beyond the Basics: Tasting Italy.”
Wine culture will also feature prominently, with a discussion dedicated to Mario Soldati and the relationship between great wines and great stories.
Participants will include Giuseppe Pastorelli, Consul General of Italy in New York; Chiara Soldati, who leads La Scolca winery; Claudio Pagliara, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York; and Silvia Baldini, Vice-President of ICIF, the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners.
Another discussion, moderated by journalist Felicity Carter, will examine the relationship between wine, health and the Mediterranean lifestyle, with contributions from Giovanni Scapagnini, Federico Veronesi, Aedin Cassidy and Immaculata De Vivo.
The first day will also conclude with one of the most eagerly anticipated announcements: Alison Napjus and Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator will reveal the wineries selected for Vinitaly OperaWine 2027, scheduled for Saturday 10 April at the Gallerie Mercatali in Verona.
It will create a connection between New York and Verona, reflecting an initiative that combines commercial promotion with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the many identities of Italian wine.
Italian Wine in the US: Beyond Promotion, Towards a Deeper Understanding of the Market
The 300 participating companies and more than 1,000 pre-registered buyers represent the commercial scale of Vinitaly.USA 2026.
Yet the wine2wine programme points to a broader discussion about what is needed to strengthen the competitiveness of Italian wine in the United States.
Distribution, restaurant purchasing decisions, engagement with younger consumers and opportunities in wine tourism are different aspects of the same challenge: understanding the market and building lasting relationships with the people who shape it.
This is where the quality of Italian wine must be supported by effective commercial strategies, while continuing to highlight the diversity of Italy’s wine regions and their production.
On 26 and 27 October in New York, Vinitaly.USA will seek to bring these elements together, offering Italian wineries both business opportunities and a deeper understanding of the American market.
