The 13th edition of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will put education, market knowledge and professional exchange at the center of the conversation around Italian wine in the United States

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For its third edition, Vinitaly.USA will make its New York debut on October 26–27 at Pier 36, bringing together 300 exhibitors for two days dedicated to Italian wine and the U.S. market. As part of the event, the 13th edition of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will bring its program directly to the U.S. market, connecting Italian wine producers with the buyers, sommeliers, educators, media and industry professionals shaping how Italian wine is discovered, understood and sold in the United States.

Under the theme "Education is Influence. Empowering the People Who Shape Italian Wine," this year's wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will focus on a practical question: what do U.S. wine professionals need to better understand, communicate and sell Italian wine? Through two days of discussions, tastings and masterclasses, the program will address topics ranging from emerging Italian grape varieties and wine tourism to tasting methodology, generational shifts in wine consumption and regional market dynamics.

For more than a decade, Veronafiere, through wine2wine's international network, has provided Italian producers with tools to understand market developments directly from buyers and industry professionals. Bringing the forum to New York takes that dialogue directly to one of Italian wine's most important markets, giving producers greater insight into what U.S. professionals are looking for while equipping the trade with deeper knowledge and practical tools to navigate Italy's extraordinary diversity.

The 2026 program is organized around four pillars — Train the Trade, Sharpen the Method, Deepen the Expertise and Activate the Experience — and features prominent voices from across the U.S. and international wine industry. Among them are Wine Spectator Senior Editors Alison Napjus and Bruce Sanderson; Master of Wine Sarah Heller; Italian Wine Expert Stephanie Johnson DipWSET, IWE; wine journalist, global educator and travel expert Susan Kostrzewa; Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Jeff Porter; Erica Duecy, Founder of Business of Drinks; writer and wine educator Jessica Dupuy; and Master Sommeliers Julie M. Dalton, June Rodil, Laura DePasquale, Jonathan Eichholz, Jim Bube and Steven McDonald.

Across the two days, these voices will address how Italian wine is tasted, taught, selected and communicated in the U.S. market. Highlights include an advanced 22-wine Italian tasting led by Sarah Heller MW; a live blind tasting comparing WSET and Vinitaly International Academy methodologies with Stephanie Johnson DipWSET, IWE; and a discussion led by Susan Kostrzewa on the people and trends influencing where Americans travel for wine in Italy. The program will also tackle the realities of the U.S. market, with Julie Dalton MS, Laura DePasquale MS, Jonathan Eichholz MS and Jim Bube MS joining a conversation between Italian producers and American Master Sommeliers on what drives wine-list decisions, and Erica Duecy moderating a session on how producers can engage Millennials and legal-drinking-age Gen Z.

Together, the program reflects the broader purpose of bringing wine2wine to New York: creating a two-way exchange between Italian producers and the professionals shaping the U.S. market. By combining education with practical market insight, wine2wine aims to strengthen how Italian wine is understood, communicated and positioned in the United States.

For more information please visit:

https://www.vinitaly.com/en/forum/wine2wine-vinitaly-business-forum/

About Vinitaly.USA

Vinitaly.USA is the U.S. edition of Vinitaly, the international wine and spirits trade exhibition organized annually in Verona by Veronafiere. Created to strengthen business opportunities and market access for Italian wine in the United States, Vinitaly.USA brings together Italian producers, regional consortia, importers, distributors, buyers and other industry professionals. The third edition will take place at Pier 36 in New York on 26-27 October 2026 and is organized by Veronafiere-Vinitaly in partnership with ITA-Italian Trade Agency. The event will feature more than 300 exhibitors, B2B meetings, tastings, masterclasses and market-focused seminars, alongside wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum, Vinitaly Tourism and educational programs by Vinitaly International Academy.  Building on Vinitaly's nearly 60-year history in Verona, Vinitaly.USA extends the Vinitaly platform into the U.S. market, creating a dedicated meeting point for the Italian wine sector and the American trade.

Media Contact

Bianca Panichi

bpanichi@colangelopr.com

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SOURCE Vinitaly.USA