Verona, 29 January 2026 – With an exhibition centre already fully booked, Vinitaly 2026 is expanding its offering even further into new market segments, investing in content and formats, as well as investing to accelerate the profiled incoming plan involving more than 70 target countries in collaboration with ITA-Italian Trade Agency, and strengthening structural dialogue with the catering industry and local areas to promote the role of wine tourism. These are the main guidelines underlying the 58th edition of the only international event entirely dedicated to Italian wine scheduled at Veronafiere 12-15 April: the trade fair infrastructure serving the promotion, internationalization, and business of Made in Italy wine.
"Vinitaly is not just an international trade fair, it is the global platform for Italian wine that also interprets evolution in this sector. In today's complex context," said the President of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo, "we are working to improve on the +18,500 B2B meetings organized during the 2025 event and equally to constantly enhance and update our offering in line with company expectations and trends. Companies, buyers, and institutions converge on Vinitaly as the only event that fully represents Italy's wine offering; such authentic strength also distinguishes us on an international scale."
The main innovations for the next edition include the development of NoLo–Vinitaly Experience in partnership with Unione italiana Vini Following last year's pilot project, No-Low Alcohol content will have a new platform at Vinitaly in a specific exhibition area on the second floor of Palaexpo, bringing together the entire supply chain, with the main Italian product and technology brands. The Wine Bar-Store is back, while the schedule of tastings and master classes is being finalized, alongside educational and informative events focusing on this constantly growing segment, from production to consumption.
Even Xcellent Spirits is having a facelift with the debut of an entire 1,000 m2 show hall (in Area C) designed to promote a global connection between wine and spirits supply chains. As part of a long-term development plan, the new Show has come about in collaboration with Gang of Spirits and will come forward as a format representative of the entire reference ecosystem in Spirits and Drinks & Mix areas. International master classes will also be held to expand skills, insights, and trends on the global market.
Wine tourism becomes an integral part of the 58th Show with Vinitaly Tourism - consolidating its position even in exhibition terms, returning with a daily calendar of events including conferences, talks, research and best practices. Veronafiere has already activated an incoming plan for specialist buyers and tour operators to boost the B2B agenda in the business point area (2nd floor, Palaexpo) and on company stands. The offering through Vinitaly Tourism also includes tailor-made incoming experience packages for European buyers, which local areas and wineries can activate with Veronafiere to create pre- or post-event occasions.
Evolution also extends into digital services and the exhibition concept to make connections between companies and operators even easier. In fact, two-way business is the key word for the Vinitaly Plus app - the online platform connecting producers, buyers, and consumers all year round. In 2025 it totalled 412,000 views and featured a library of more than 19,000 wines from 4,000 wineries. Starting this year, exhibiting wineries can contact buyers directly to schedule their events during the show without waiting for an official invitation from interested operators.
And as regards the exhibition layout, Vinitaly 2026 will welcome several improvements. Umbria, in fact, will occupy a new exhibition space clearly identifying the Region in Show Hall D, while Show Hall 2 brings together everything on offer from Sicily.
Among other things, the Raw Wine super-tasting is back (Monday 13 April) - the world's largest network of natural, low-intervention, organic and bio-dynamic wines - as well as areas including Vinitaly Bio, Amphora Revolution in collaboration with Merano WineFestival and The WineHunter (Show Hall 8), Xcellent Beers, Micro Mega Wines and Enolitech, the international exhibition dedicated to design equipment, products and technologies for wine and beer production.
As ever, Vinitaly Opera Wine is the prologue to the main show (Gallerie Mercatali, Saturday 11 April), with 150 wineries selected by Wine Spectator in the three new categories conceived by the US magazine: “Legacy Icon”, “Classic” and a third “New Voices” category especially for 2026”.
There is an important anniversary for the Vinitaly Design Award - Veronafiere's competition that evaluates 21 categories of packaging applied to products ranging from wine to spirits, beer, and extra virgin olive oil supply chains - now celebrating its 30th edition (selections 3-4 April and Award Ceremony on 11 April at the Teatro Ristori, Verona).
Wine lovers and people curious about wine will welcome the return of Vinitaly and the City (Verona, evening of Friday 10 and then Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April), the pop-culture event in the heart of the city which this year, in collaboration with the Valpolicella Wine Route, also welcomes wine tourism. On purchasing a tasting voucher booklet, wine enthusiasts will also receive an Experience Token which can be used from 13 April to 3 May for a visit and tasting at the 12 wineries currently signed up for this event. The goal is to replicate the initiative in other areas as well. And the general public will also enjoy the launch of Vinitaly & the Night, the party evenings scheduled at the Gallerie Mercatali (11, 12 and 14 April).