"Education is Influence" becomes the guiding theme of this year's programme, highlighting the central role of sommeliers, educators, hospitality professionals, journalists, travel specialists and trade leaders in shaping the future of Italian wine.

VERONA, Italy, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The new theme of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum / Vinitaly.USA 2026 was unveiled on July 5th during the Vinitaly.USA presentation on board the Amerigo Vespucci, the historic Italian Navy training ship often regarded as a floating symbol of Italian excellence, seamanship and cultural diplomacy.

Presented by Stevie Kim, Managing Partner of Vinitaly, together with Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere, the theme "Education is Influence: Empowering the People Who Shape Italian Wine" places professional training at the forefront of this year's programme. The 2026 edition will explore how education can strengthen the connection between Italian wine producers and the audiences that matter most: hospitality customers, wine lovers, journalists, buyers and the broader trade.

The theme is reinforced by the participation of two Educational Partners, the International Wine Center and the Commonwealth Wine School, both long-standing leaders in global wine education. Their presence underlines the central idea of this year's programme: that education is not only about certification, but about preparing professionals to interpret, communicate and activate wine knowledge across the market.

In an increasingly competitive and fragmented wine landscape, knowledge is no longer simply a credential. It is a form of influence. The professionals who understand Italian wine in depth are often the same people who decide what gets listed, poured, recommended, visited, written about and remembered. This year, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum / Vinitaly.USA will place these key figures at the center of the conversation, examining how education moves from the classroom to the restaurant floor, from the tasting table to the travel itinerary, and from professional certification to consumer engagement.

"Education is what allows Italian wine to travel beyond the bottle," said Stephanie Johnson, VIA Italian Wine Expert, wine journalist and educator. "When professionals are trained to taste with precision, speak with clarity and understand context, they become the bridge between producers and the people discovering these wines in restaurants, shops, classrooms and travel experiences."

The programme will be structured around four main pillars: Train the Trade, Sharpen the Method, Deepen the Expertise, and Activate the Experience. Together, these pillars reflect a broader vision of wine education: not as an isolated academic exercise, but as a practical, commercial and cultural force capable of shaping how Italian wine is understood and shared in the United States.

Train the Trade will focus on sommeliers, buyers and hospitality professionals, with sessions designed to identify the grapes, regions and styles that deserve greater visibility on modern wine lists. A key session, "Italy Beyond Nebbiolo and Sangiovese: The Grapes Young Somms Should Be Selling Right Now," will be led by Stephanie Johnson DipWSET, IWE and Jack Liggett IWE, both VIA Italian Wine Experts based in New York. The session will highlight lesser-known Italian varieties with strong potential in the local market, giving young sommeliers practical tools to expand the Italian wine conversation beyond the usual names.

Sharpen the Method will look at the tasting frameworks that shape how wine professionals analyse, describe and communicate Italian wine. With the International Wine Center and Commonwealth Wine School joining as Educational Partners, the session "Blind Tasting Italy: WSET Meets Vinitaly International Academy" will use blind tasting to compare different approaches to Italian wine education, from structure and typicity to regional identity and grape recognition. The goal is not competition, but dialogue: showing how different systems can help professionals taste more clearly, communicate more effectively, and build confidence in the glass.

Deepen the Expertise will focus on continuing education for those already engaged in advanced Italian wine study. The VIA Advanced Tasting Sessions, led by Sarah Heller MW, will offer high-level calibration and professional dialogue for Italian Wine Ambassadors, Italian Wine Experts and VIA Community Members. With no exam and no new qualification, the sessions position certification as the beginning of mastery, not the end.

Activate the Experience will connect education to the broader world of wine tourism and consumer discovery. In "The Future of Wine Tourism in Italy: Who Decides Where American Wine Travellers Go Next?", veteran wine journalist, content strategist and global wine travel educator Susan Kostrzewa will lead a discussion on the growing influence of specialist travel agents, wine-focused tour operators and itinerary builders in shaping where American wine travellers go in Italy. The session will explore how producers and regions can engage the professionals who translate Italian wine into memorable travel experiences.

By bringing together educators, sommeliers, journalists, content strategists, travel specialists, producers and trade professionals, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum / Vinitaly.USA 2026 will examine how education creates impact across the entire Italian wine ecosystem. The aim is to train the people who, in turn, train the market: those who explain Italian wine, sell it, serve it, write about it, teach it and bring consumers closer to its regions, grapes and stories.

As Italian wine continues to face both opportunity and competition in the U.S. market, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum / Vinitaly.USA 2026 will offer a timely platform to discuss how knowledge becomes demand, how training becomes storytelling, and how education can become one of the strongest engines for the future growth of Italian wine.

About: wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is the business forum dedicated to the Italian wine community in the United States, bringing together producers, importers, educators, sommeliers, journalists, buyers and industry leaders for discussion, training and market insight. The programme is part of Vinitaly's wider international platform, designed to strengthen the presence, understanding and positioning of Italian wine in key global markets.

For more information visit: www.vinitaly.com/forum/wine2wine-business-forum or email: media.w2d@ext.veronafiere.it.

About: wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere, since 2014. This year, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will take place at Pier 36, in New York, on October 26th and 27th, 2026. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine Vinitaly 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/forum/wine2wine-business-forum/ or by emailing media.w2d@ext.veronafiere.it.

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