Boom of guests, buyers from all over the world

The 56th edition of Vinitaly closed with 97,000 attendees, dispelling, once and for all, fears about the functionality of the exhibition, which undoubtedly remains the favourite of Italian wineries. This is confirmed by this dynamic edition, which shows a trend already present in other important trade fairs in the sector: Vinitaly has become an international showcase, not only for Italian wineries but also foreign ones present at the stands of importers and distributors, promoted also thanks to the official tastings at the exhibition, which have also seen, for example, wines from the Balearic Islands among the protagonists with the Bodega Oloron project.
Expectations were not disappointed, indeed, there was a slight increase in the number of foreign operators compared to the last edition: 140 from all over the world (30,070, 31% of the total), including 1,200 top buyers (+20% on 2023). In the lead is the United States with a contingent of 3700 operators attending the fair (+8% on 2023). They are followed by Germany, the UK, China and Canada (+6%). Japanese buyers are also on the increase (+15%).

Topics & market expectations

Many topics have been discussed at this edition, from no-alcohol to screw caps, two phenomena that those involved in the Italian market are closely monitoring. Most of all, this edition served to understand the real state of the art with regard to the crisis in consumption and how and to what extent the current economic crisis is impacting on export volumes that are falling in these early months of 2024. Wineries are feeling optimistic, there is good sign of a recovery, it will be a fluctuating year with peaks of demand to be expected in summer and late autumn.
Interest remains high for the iconic wines of Italy produced in Veneto, Piedmont and Tuscany, but also Lombardy (Oltrepo Pavese), Sicily (the wines of Etna) and Alto Adige.

Appointment scheduled for next year, again in Verona, from 6 to 9 April 2025.