Who Should Attend
Wine Importers, Distributors, and Wholesale Buyers
Source Italian wines directly from over 4,000 producers, negotiate contracts across all 20 Italian wine regions, and meet counterparts from 130+ countries in four focused trade days.
Sommeliers, Wine Directors, and Hospitality Professionals
Attend masterclasses led by Master of Wine educators, participate in the Vinitaly International Academy certification programs, and taste across 20 Italian regions and major international wine halls.
International Winemakers and Vineyard Estates
Present new vintages to thousands of qualified buyers, access structured B2B matching with profiled buyers from 70+ countries, and benchmark against global competition under one roof.
Researchers, Journalists, Wine Educators, and Trade Media
Access Veronafiere's press center, attend the wine2wine Business Forum panels, and follow structured tasting programs including the 5StarWines blind judging and OperaWine curated selection events.
Top Reasons to Attend
1
The World's Definitive Stage for Italian Wine Business
With the exhibition center fully booked months before opening, Vinitaly is the only global platform dedicated entirely to Italian wine, connecting 4,000+ producers with 97,000+ trade visitors in four days. No other event concentrates this volume of qualified Italian wine buyers and sellers in one place.
2
OperaWine Pre-Show on April 11 at Ex Gallerie Mercatali
OperaWine, organized by Veronafiere in partnership with Wine Spectator magazine, selects 150 Italian wineries across three categories: "Legacy Icon," "Classic," and the 2026 theme of "New Voices." It takes place one day before Vinitaly opens at the Ex Gallerie Mercatali venue in Verona, giving trade visitors a curated starting point before the full exhibition floor.
3
Vinitaly International Academy Certification
The 34th edition of the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) runs April 15–19, 2026 in Verona, offering internationally recognized Italian Wine Ambassador and Italian Wine Expert credentials. Courses are taught in English and assessed through blind tasting and written examination.
4
Organic, Natural, and Low-Intervention Wine Zones
Vinitaly Bio showcases certified organic Italian wines in a dedicated hall, while RAW WINE Verona, the world's largest network of natural, low-intervention, organic, and biodynamic wines, returns on April 13 for a single-day super-tasting inside Vinitaly. The Amphora Revolution zone, in collaboration with Merano Wine Festival, adds a specialist program on clay-vessel wines.
5
Vinitaly and the City, Wine in Verona's Historic Center
Running April 10–12 alongside the main fair, this public-facing event brings Italian wine into the streets, piazzas, and historic venues of central Verona. Wine enthusiasts purchase tasting voucher booklets and, new for 2026, receive an Experience Token for winery visits across the Valpolicella Wine Route from April 13 through May 3.
What You'll See & Do
🍷
Regional Italian Wine Halls
Every Italian wine region occupies its own dedicated exhibition hall, from Sicily in Show Hall 2 to Alto Adige in Hall 6, with 90 wineries per region presenting new releases.
🌍
International Wine Hall
Producers from Austria, Spain, South Africa, and further afield display wines and spirits in a dedicated international zone, giving buyers a rare single-venue comparison of global and Italian portfolios.
🏆
5StarWines Blind Tasting Competition
Sixty international judges conduct three days of blind tasting (April 7–9) before the fair opens; rated wines appear in the published 5StarWines, the Book, used by buyers as a verified sourcing reference throughout the year.
🧪
Enolitech Technology Exhibition
The parallel Enolitech hall covers production technology, viticulture equipment, and beverage innovation for winemakers, agronomists, and technical buyers evaluating the supply chain behind Italian wine production.
🎓
Masterclasses and Tasting Programs
The Vinitaly Tasting program offers curated sessions including the DoctorWine Selection, Top of Toscana tastings by VINUM magazine, and winery-specific vertical tastings of benchmark Italian producers such as Amarone producers across multiple vintages.
🍽️
Vinitaly's Gourmet Experience
Haute cuisine restaurant pop-ups, signature menus from Italian chefs, and gourmet street food operate within the Veronafiere grounds across all four days, with restaurant owners and wine directors using meal services as practical pairing and buying sessions.
🏢 Are you Exhibiting at This Event?
Register your company on AgriLinkage to connect with qualified buyers before, during, and after the event. Over 50,000 buyers search AgriLinkage monthly to find suppliers.
✓ Pre-Event Visibility: Buyers can find your booth before they arrive
✓ Direct Inquiries: Receive qualified leads through our platform
✓ Post-Event Connections: Continue conversations after the show ends
✓ No Commission: We only charge exhibitors, buyers contact you for free
💼 Attending as a Business Professional?
Register as a business visitor to get exhibitor alerts, networking opportunities, and priority notifications when companies in your sector register. Free for all business attendees.
✓ Exhibitor Alerts: Get notified when suppliers you're interested in register
✓ Pre-Event Connections: Schedule meetings before you arrive at the show
✓ Booth Locations: We'll tell you exactly where your targets are located
✓ Networking Matches: Connect with other buyers in your industry
Getting to Verona
Verona Villafranca Airport (VRN), also known as Valerio Catullo Airport, is the primary gateway to Vinitaly, located approximately 10 km southwest of Verona city center. Milan Bergamo (BGY) and Venice Marco Polo (VCE) serve as secondary international hubs, each about 90–120 minutes by road or rail. Veronafiere sits approximately 2 km south of Verona's historic center, directly adjacent to Verona Porta Nuova railway station, walkable in 15–20 minutes from the station, or reachable by local bus lines 11, 12, and 13 connecting the station to the fairgrounds.
Where to Stay
Book accommodation for Vinitaly as early as possible, hotels within walking distance of Veronafiere sell out months before April, and minimum-stay requirements of two or three nights are common during the fair period.
Hotel Firenze Verona
📍 2.5 km from Veronafiere / Verona city center, 10 min walk from Verona Arena. Full 4-star city-center property with business facilities, concierge, and meeting rooms, well located for buyers combining Vinitaly with city-center evening dining. Best option for combining trade fair attendance with Verona's historic center.
Tools & Services for Attendees
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
🛂 iVisa — Italy / Schengen Entry Requirements
Italy is part of the Schengen Area; visitors from the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many other countries do not require a pre-arranged visa for stays under 90 days. Non-Schengen nationals should verify their specific nationality requirements at least 6 weeks before travel.
🏥 SafetyWing — Travel Insurance for Italy
Covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, trip interruption, and lost luggage for international travel to Italy. Emergency medical coverage is particularly relevant during Vinitaly, as event-period hotel pricing makes last-minute cancellations financially significant.
📶 Airalo — Italy eSIM
Purchase and activate an Italian data eSIM before departure, eliminating roaming charges across the Veronafiere grounds and throughout the Veneto region. Italy eSIM plans start from approximately €5 for 1 GB, enough for navigating the fair app, WhatsApp contact exchanges, and exhibitor lookups across four days.
Post-Event CRM & Lead Management
📦 DHL Express — Shipping
Door-to-door freight and customs-cleared wine shipment to and from Veronafiere, with temperature-sensitive options for wine samples. Established DHL trade fair logistics program covers import documentation for wine samples into Italy.
🗣️ Gengo — Translation
Professional translation services for exhibitor materials, tasting notes, and technical documentation into Italian, English, German, Chinese, and Japanese, the key buyer languages at Vinitaly. Human-reviewed translations for wine industry vocabulary ensure accuracy with regional wine terminology.
🎨 Fiverr Business — Marketing Design
Stand Design and Marketing Materials
Commission stand graphics, branded tasting cards, and promotional design from vetted international design professionals ahead of the fair. Business accounts provide team collaboration tools for coordinating multi-person exhibitor teams.
POST-EVENT CRM & LEAD MANAGEMENT
📈 Pipedrive — CRM
Manage buyer contacts collected across four Vinitaly days with Pipedrive's pipeline view, tracking follow-up status, deal size, and importer territory by country. Visual pipeline layout makes it fast to categorize 50–200 new contacts by market and priority without spreadsheet management.
⚙️ HubSpot — CRM
Import Vinitaly contacts into HubSpot and deploy automated post-fair follow-up email sequences segmented by country, buyer type, or product interest captured during the show. Free CRM tier handles unlimited contacts, relevant for smaller producers managing post-Vinitaly outreach without a large budget.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What are the official dates and opening hours for Vinitaly 2026?
Vinitaly 2026 runs from Sunday April 12 through Wednesday April 15, 2026 at Veronafiere in Verona, Italy. Opening hours are 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with access to the grounds permitted until 5:00 PM on those days. On the final day, Wednesday April 15, the fair closes earlier at 4:30 PM, with access allowed until 2:30 PM. Children under 18 are not admitted, even when accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is compulsory and tickets are date-specific, once a ticket has been redeemed, neither the name nor the date can be changed.
2. How much do Vinitaly 2026 tickets cost and where can I buy them?
The official Vinitaly 2026 ticketing page states that ticket purchasing will be available shortly; exact 2026 prices had not been published at the time of writing. Based on previous editions (and Assosommelier's published 2025 discounted member rate of €58, which represented over 50% off the full price), single-day professional access has historically been priced at approximately €115–120 per day. Tickets are purchased online at vinitaly.com or at Verona Expo ticket counters on the day of entry. Visitors who classify as "Sommelier for passion" or represent a company that does not exhibit at Vinitaly can only attend on Sunday April 12 or Wednesday April 15; Monday and Tuesday are reserved for wine trade professionals. Always purchase tickets in advance, as event-period queues at the counter are significant.
3. Which days are best for professional networking versus avoiding crowds?
Monday and Tuesday, April 13 and 14, are the most productive days for trade meetings, as access on those days is restricted to registered wine industry professionals. Exhibitors are focused, floor traffic is manageable, and conversations at stands are less rushed than on the weekend. Sunday April 12 draws the widest audience, including members of the public and wine enthusiasts who may only attend on that day or Wednesday, so the atmosphere is more mixed and stand staff are handling a higher volume of general visitors. Wednesday April 15 is the quietest day overall, as many international buyers depart mid-morning; it can work well for final supplier check-ins but exhibitor availability thins out toward closing time.
4. How do I get from Verona Villafranca Airport (VRN) to Veronafiere?
Verona Villafranca Airport (VRN) is approximately 10 km from Veronafiere. The most affordable public transport option is the Verona Airlink Line 199 bus, which runs from the VRN Arrivals terminal to Verona Porta Nuova railway station every 20 minutes, with a journey time of approximately 15 minutes and a fare of approximately €8. From Porta Nuova station, local bus lines 11, 12, or 13 connect to Veronafiere in a further 5–10 minutes, or it is a 15–20 minute walk along a direct route. During Vinitaly, dedicated shuttle buses also run from Piazza Bra in the city center to the fair every 20 minutes. Taxis from VRN to Veronafiere cost approximately €26–35 with a journey time of 15–25 minutes depending on traffic; taxis are metered and Uber is not available in Verona.
5. Do I need to prepare anything for language differences at Vinitaly?
The working language of Vinitaly's trade floor is predominantly Italian, though English is widely spoken by international exhibitors and most producer representatives staffing stands in the International Wine Hall and the larger regional pavilions. Signage within Veronafiere is bilingual in Italian and English. Smaller Italian family wineries, particularly those in regional pavilions representing Veneto, Toscana, Piedmont, and Sicily, may have limited English-speaking staff, having a basic Italian greeting and some vocabulary for wine descriptions is useful, though not essential. The Vinitaly International Academy and official masterclass programs are conducted in English. If you are exhibiting and distributing marketing materials, Italian-English bilingual documents are standard practice and expected by Italian trade visitors.
6. How do I register as an exhibitor or hosted buyer for Vinitaly 2026?
Exhibitor registration for new companies begins with a pre-registration form on the Vinitaly website; once a space application is accepted, companies receive access credentials to complete the full booking through the exhibitor portal. The exhibition center was reported as fully booked approximately two months before the April 12 opening, so new exhibitor applications for 2026 should be treated as capacity-dependent. International buyers wishing to attend as hosted buyers, which covers travel and accommodation assistance, should register through the Foreign Delegates section of the Vinitaly website or contact Vinitaly's ITA-Italian Trade Agency partner offices in their country. Hosted buyer programs are structured for buyers from the 70+ target countries coordinated by Vinitaly in collaboration with ITA. For general trade attendance, registration and ticket purchase via the Buyer section of vinitaly.com is sufficient.
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