Vinitaly closes at full capacity. One in three buyers comes from abroad.

VERONA – Vinitaly closed today with a total of 93,000 attendees, including 29,600 from abroad. The growth compared to the last edition was almost entirely driven by the influx of foreign buyers (+20% approximately) from 143 countries, who represented a third of the total accredited operators at this edition. Over a thousand top buyers were selected and hosted by Veronafiere and the ICE Agency. Vinitaly and the City, the Veronese “off-site” event that returned entirely under the organization of the Verona Fair, also recorded more than 45,000 tastings (+50% compared to 2022) by wine lovers in the historic center of Verona. In 2024, Vinitaly will take place from April 14 to 17.

“Today we close a Vinitaly that is finally in full swing, with a choral participation of operators, press, and institutions. We are particularly pleased with the feedback we are receiving from companies and territories, which represent the real strength of this event,” said Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo at the close of Vinitaly. “The goal is to build a permanent and coordinated promotional platform with institutional partners, capable of attracting investment in incoming tourism to Italy on the one hand, and Italian products abroad on the other, with a Veronafiere presence – following Brazil and China – in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and the Far East.”

Veronafiere CEO Maurizio Danese added, “The investments made in favor of foreign incoming tourism have yielded a first concrete result at a Vinitaly that we want to be increasingly decisive for the business of exhibitors who reserve significant resources for the event. The supply-demand matching worked, as evidenced by the over 11,000 appointments scheduled between exhibitors and buyers on the Vinitaly Plus platform, in addition to those fixed directly between companies and buyers. The new course has begun but is certainly not finished: Vinitaly will always be a vector of Made in Italy, both here and abroad, if it thinks in terms of the development of the sector and its companies, and that is what we are trying to do.”

In the top five countries of origin, the United States clearly outpaced Germany. The United Kingdom remained third, while China returned to fourth place, overtaking Canada. With the overall growth of the European market remaining steady, there was a significant return of operators from all non-EU markets: Asia more than doubled (+116%), driven by the return of the Chinese, who exceeded 1,000 attendees, and Japan (+143%). The Americas marked a +38% increase, with strong showings from the USA (+45%) and Brazil (+46%), and further consolidation of Canada (+19%). Australia also saw triple-digit growth, at +130%.

The fair in Verona closed, but the Vinitaly stages in China opened. Supported by ICE, Chengdu (April 11) will be the first event. The opening masterclass, featuring the only Chinese master sommelier Yang LV, and a business forum – organized by the subsidiary Wine to Asia – with one of China’s most influential wine platforms, Wine Sommelier, will be highlights. The event then moves to Shenzhen on April 14, at the Italian Pavilion of the Hainan Government Fair, for a tasting and the presentation of Italy at Wine to Asia (May 11-13), together with ICE and Fondazione Altagamma. Over 450 exhibitors from 20 countries are expected to attend the international event in Shenzhen, organized by Veronafiere.