Vinitaly, fifty-eighth edition kicks off tomorrow. 1000 top buyers from 70 countries

Cut the ribbon tomorrow at Verona the 58th edition of Vinitalywhich comes with the fairground fully booked and 4 thousand companies representing all regions. Until April 15th, Veronafiere goes back to being the international center of gravity of the wine businesswith over 100 appointments on the calendar including in-depth analysis, tastings and new formats to further strengthen the connection capacity between businesses and markets.

At the center of the 2026 edition, the consolidation of international projection of the event, supported by a plan incoming targeted by 70 nations created by Veronafiere e ITA-Italian Trade Agency. There are over 1,000 of them top buyer selected, invited and hosted already arriving in Verona, to which thousands of professional operators from around 130 countries; a concrete indicator ofinternational attractiveness of Vinitaly, in a particularly complex geopolitical and economic scenario.

Vinitaly opening ceremony with Fontana and Tajani

The official start is set for tomorrow at 11am Verdi’s audiencewhere the inaugural ceremony opened by the president of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolofollowed by institutional greetings from Lorenzo FontanaPresident of the Chamber of Deputies, Antonio Tajanivice-president of the Council of Ministers, Matteo Zoppaspresident of ITA-Italian Trade Agency, Alberto Stefanipresident of the Veneto Region, Flavio Massimo Pasinipresident of the Province of Verona e Damiano Tommasimayor of Verona. The event will continue with the talk “The geographies of wine, ancient routes and new routes” with contributions from Giacomo Pontipresident Federvini, Lamberto Frescobaldipresident Italian Wine Union, Alessandro GiuliMinister of Culture, Adolfo UrsoMinister of Business and Made in Italy, e Antonella Sbernavice-president of the European Parliament. After the speech of the Minister of Tourism Gianmarco Mazzithe conclusions are entrusted to the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida.

The 2026 Vinitaly awards and career awards

Upon completion, the Vinitaly 2026 Awards: Vinitaly international Italy and abroad assigned respectively to Lamberto Frescobaldi e Antonio Stopper; at the Career per Attilio Science; One hundred years of excellence a Valdo Sparkling Wines et al Bardolino wine protection consortium.

International demand and North American markets

In detail international application linked to incoming programil Nord America confirms its top position: 200 operators overall United States and Canadaincluding major buyers monopoly – Lcbo, Saq, Anbl e Nslc.

Development of markets in Asia and Latin America

Outside the European Union, the weight ofAsiawith the China to lead a delegation of nearly 60 importers and distributors. Also growing India, Japan and Thailand (markets that host the foreign stages of Vinitaly) together with Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, for a total that is close to 70 top buyer. L’America Latina stands out for its numerousness in the 2026 incoming program, with Brazil and Mexico among the most dynamic markets and around 50 super buyers involved.

Expansion into Africa and Eastern Europe

Significant expansion also for the African continentwhich expands its scope to 10 countries: Morocco, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mozambique, Angola, Ghana and Kenya. In Europa, Germania e Nordic countries confirm the consolidated positioning of Italian winewhile the presence of theEast Europastarting from Kazakhstana stop on the Vinitaly roadshow. Alongside these are the foreign operators present independently at the fair, outside of the incoming program: the United States confirm themselves as the first country of origin, followed by Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada.