wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum Lands in Chicago with Exclusive Insights into Ratings, Competitions, and Wine Tourism

VERONA, Italy, Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum 2025 announces 3 compelling sessions, to be held at the Forum's first edition in Chicago, USA. The Forum will take place at Navy Pier from 5-6 October.  "An Inside Look into Wine Enthusiast's 100-point Rating System, Upholding Blind-Tasting Protocols, and Scoring Non-Imported Products" "An inside look at wine competitions and 5StarWines - the Book" and "The Importance of Wine Tourism: How a Wine Media Company Created a Travel Division to Attract More Visitors to Wineries" are three of the most  fascinating topics on the program.

For the first time, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will be held outside of Italy, this year in Chicago at the famous Navy Pier.  After 11 successful years in Verona, the 12th edition of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum makes a strategic leap onto the global stage with its first-ever international edition.  wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum Chicago 2025 represents more than a geographic change of place, it symbolizes the Forum's evolution into a truly international business platform. Chicago provides the perfect setting to unite Italian producers, global buyers, educators, and communication professionals under a single goal: to translate global strategies into local, actionable opportunities. 

"An inside look at wine competitions and 5StarWines - the Book" will take place on Monday, presented by Robert Joseph, Stephanie Johnson DipWSET & IWE, and Yannick Benjamin. The session will explore some of the "Top Scoring" wines selected for 5StarWines - the Book 2026. During the session, Robert Joseph, General Chair of the Selection, Stephanie Johnson DipWSET & IWE and Yannick Benjamin, Panel Chairs of the Selection, will explain the tasting process and the rationale behind the exceptional scores, simulating the discussion that takes place during the evaluation process for the Selection, and giving participants the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look at 5StarWines - the Book. 

Wine Enthusiast is a Media Partner of the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum 2025. The following are two of the sessions that will be powered by Wine Enthusiast. 

"An Inside Look into Wine Enthusiast's 100-point Rating System, Upholding Blind-Tasting Protocols, and Scoring Non-Imported Products" will be presented on Monday by Anna-Christina Cabrales, Tasting Director and Reviewer for Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône Valley at Wine Enthusiast. Cabrales will lead a 45-minute blind-tasting session while speaking about Wine Enthusiast's 100-point rating system and blind-tasting protocols, why it was important to build a ratings platform that can support every wine region across the globe, and answer questions on how wine samples receive a Wine Enthusiast score.  Cabrales commented, "The long-standing Wine Enthusiast tasting and review program is open to all regions across the globe. I'm looking forward to sharing this process with wine2wine and helping more brands get scores that are utilized by retailers and consumers." 

"The Importance of Wine Tourism: How a Wine Media Company Created a Travel Division to Attract More Visitors to Wineries" will also take place on Monday, presented by Jacqueline Strum, and President and Publisher of Wine Enthusiast Media.  Strum will explain why the media business created the Wine Enthusiast Tasting Room Directory and Cork+Compass Travel, why it was important to incorporate the Wine Enthusiast Tasting Panel in the new wine tourism operation, and how these new resources can help attract more visitors to wineries.  Strum remarked, "Italian wine travel continues to grow and our team has launched new resources to help attract more visitors to wineries. Travelers want to be guided by knowledgeable specialists they trust and are seeking hidden discoveries and experiencing a deeper connection to a sense of place." 

More tasting sessions and topics will be announced in the coming weeks. Please visit the event website for a full list of confirmed speakers and sessions. 

For more information visit: https://www.vinitaly.com/en/forum/wine2wine-business-forum/ and to reserve your spot visit: https://www.vinitalyusa.com/program-wine2wine or email [email protected]. 

About: wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually in Verona, Italy, since 2014. wine2wine Business Forum 2024 took place on November 4th and 5th at the Palaexpo in Veronafiere, Verona. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine 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 takes place over two days and 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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