Decoding the U.S. Wine Market: Italian Trade Agency and Vinitaly Convene Industry Leaders in NYC to Tackle Tariffs, Trends and Trade

To help industry professionals unlock the world's largest wine market, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) has announced a powerhouse lineup of expert panels for the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum 2026 in New York. The Forum takes place at Pier 36 in New York City on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October 2026. These sessions form a vital part of ITA's commitment to promoting the global image of Italian wine and connecting Italian wineries—from historic estates to new startups—with international buyers, importers, distributors, and retailers.

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is an international B2B training, development and networking event for the wine industry, organized by Veronafiere in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and held in conjunction with Vinitaly.USA. The objective of the two-day event is to directly link Italian wine producers with North American importers, distributors, buyers and Ho.Re.Ca. professionals. The event facilitates real-time data exchange, trend analysis and strategic insights to help navigate global and U.S. specific market challenges, and involves a series of keynote sessions, seminars, B2B matching platforms and masterclasses.

Stevie Kim, Managing Partner of Vinitaly, welcomed the involvement of the Italian Trade Agency, stating: "This series of strategic masterclasses underlines the Italian Trade Agency's ongoing commitment to the promotion of Italian wine in the crucial US market. These sessions provide an invaluable opportunity for Italian producers to meet, interact and connect with American importers, distributors and retailers while addressing some of the biggest threats and greatest opportunities currently facing the sector."

Expert Wine Masterclasses with a Strategic Focus

The Italian Trade Agency will host the following three strategic masterclasses in New York:

1. Italian Wine and America: What Comes Next? Building the next chapter of the Italy US wine relationship
   
   An opening dialogue between Italian institutions and key figures in the U.S. wine sector, aimed at understanding how to strengthen the presence of Italian wine in the United States. The discussion links trade and investment dynamics to brand building, the restaurant industry, and the consumption trends of new generations. The discussion will identify shared priorities for the coming years and concrete actions to strengthen collaboration, with Vinitaly.USA serving as a meeting point for institutions, producers, and American industry professionals.
   
   With Matteo Zoppas (President of ITA - Italian Trade Agency), Giovanni Sacripante (General Manager of Veronafiere S.P.A.), Alison Napjus (Senior Editor and Tasting Director at Wine Spectator), Tim Marson MW (Director of Category Management at Wine.com), Bobby Stuckey MS (Founder and Partner of Frasca Hospitality Group), Bill Terlato, (CEO of Terlato Wine Group and Terlato Wines), and Matteo Lunelli (President and CEO of Ferrari Trento).
   
   Moderated by Maria Luisa Rossi-Hawkins, journalist and US correspondent for Mediaset/Tgcom24
   
   
2. Italian Producers and America's Master Sommeliers Ask Each Other the Questions That Matter
   
   For an Italian winery, finding an importer or distributor is only the beginning. A wine can be available in the United States without ever making it onto an important wine list, being poured by the glass, or reaching the consumer. This session brings Italian producers and Master Sommeliers face to face to tackle the questions that often stay out of official conversations. What convinces a sommelier to taste and list a wine? How much do price, margin, appellation, availability, and distributor support matter? And what do producers actually expect once they enter the U.S. market?
   
   Featuring Laura DePasquale MS, Julie M. Dalton MS, Jonathan Eichholz MS, Jim Bube MS,Enrica Cotarella, Marilisa Allegrini, Diva Moretti Polegato and Gabriella Favara.
   
   Moderated by Jenny Hemmer DipWSET and Stevie Kim.
   
   
   
3. From Winery to Itinerary. How the Global Travel Industry Sells Italian Wine TourismA great winery does not automatically translate into a great tourist attraction. To turn interest in Italian wine into an actual trip, a destination must be easily incorporated into an itinerary, booked, managed, and sold by those working in the travel industry. Moderated by Sara Magro, the panel will bring together key players from cruise lines, hotel groups, specialized tour operators, and the luxury travel sector to understand how an itinerary is created and what criteria determine the inclusion of a winery or a region. How do cruise lines select shore excursions? What motivates a hotel to recommend a wine region? What standards of service, logistics, hospitality, accessibility, and accommodation capacity are essential for being included in an international tour operator's offerings? And what partnerships must producers, consortia, and regions build to move from promotion to commercialization? The discussion will analyze the true commercial architecture of wine tourism, with a practical goal: to understand how to make Italian wine destinations easier to incorporate into an itinerary, book, and sell on the international market.
   
   Featuring Sarah Sturges, Mattia Moliterni, Phillip Pena, Andrew Cotto and Fred Plotkin.
   
   Moderated by Sara Magro.

Full program and further information

The preliminary program for wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum – New York Edition is available now on the official website: 🔗 https://www.vinitaly.com/en/events-calendar/wine2wine/wine2wine-vinitaly-business-forum-2026/.

About: wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually since 2014, in Verona, Italy, and in the United States in conjunction with Vinitaly.USA. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts. The forum features keynote sessions, seminars, and interactive workshops which aim to equip participants with practical tools to improve their business. Speakers are renowned experts in their field and among the brightest minds in the wine world from Italy and abroad. Additional information is available at https://www.vinitaly.com/en/forum/wine2wine-business-forum/ or by emailing [email protected]

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