From Vinitaly USA to Wines Experience & Fine Food in Mexico, and on to the Merano WineFestival: three international events showcasing the companies of the Umbrian Quality Wine District, through tastings, meetings with buyers and new business opportunities
October 23, 2026 (Perugia, Italy) — From the United States to Mexico, and culminating in one of the most prestigious events on the Italian wine calendar, the Umbrian Quality Wine District has scheduled a series of initiatives between late October and the first ten days of November to promote regional wine producers, develop new business opportunities and strengthen the presence of Umbrian wines in strategic markets.
Three events with different objectives and formats, united by a shared commitment to raising the profile of local wineries and fostering direct contact with buyers, importers, distributors and professionals from the food service and hospitality sectors. The programme will open in New York with Vinitaly.USA, continue in Mexico City with Wines Experience & Fine Food, and conclude in Merano, where the District will host a dedicated Umbrian space and a programme of tastings designed to showcase individual wineries.
“The three initiatives,” explains Gioia Bacoccoli, project coordinator, “are part of the promotional strategy of the Umbrian Quality Wine District. Our approach combines participation in leading industry events with relationship-building among industry professionals and the promotion of the distinctive characteristics of individual wineries, grape varieties and production areas. The aim is to turn visibility into concrete opportunities for discovery and business development, supporting Umbrian wineries both in international markets and in the key settings for quality wine.”
The first event is Vinitaly.USA, taking place on 26th and 27th October 2026 at Pier 36 in New York, in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Now in its third edition, the event is organised by Veronafiere – Vinitaly in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and serves as a key platform for Italian wine in the United States, bringing together qualified industry professionals and offering a programme focused on developing commercial relationships. The previous edition recorded more than 1,060 B2B meetings scheduled through its networking platform.
The Umbrian Quality Wine District will participate with a 42-square-metre collective exhibition space, dedicated to promoting the District’s activities and featuring a group of exhibiting wineries. The initiative aims to showcase the diversity of regional wine production and strengthen ties with the North American market, with a particular focus on the United States and Canada.
Nine wineries will represent Umbria at the event: Baldassarri, Chiorri, Terre de la Custodia, Antonelli San Marco, Oleum, Goretti, Cantina Cavalier Mazzocchi, Cantina Todini and Morami. The institutional presence of Umbria will be further enhanced by the participation of the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, which will complement the region’s wine offering with another of its outstanding products: artisanal chocolate. A selection of chocolates will accompany tastings of wines from the participating wineries.
The programme will continue at Expo Santa Fe in Mexico City on 5th and 6th November with Wines Experience & Fine Food (stand E2, E3). Bringing together more than 130 companies, the event offers a valuable platform for expanding Italian wine in a market with strong potential, supported by Mexico’s large population and economic importance.
On this occasion, the District will set up a showcase an Enoteca representing the 21 companies participating in and investing in this three-year project, within a dedicated exhibition area. The space will be staffed by the Umbria Top Wines team and a local sommelier trained in Umbrian wines, with the aim of guiding industry professionals through the participating labels and facilitating meetings with potential business partners. The programme will focus on direct engagement with buyers and industry professionals, also through the matchmaking system organised by the event’s organisers.
Alongside the exhibition activities, further opportunities for institutional and commercial networking are being developed. With the support of the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, a Study Visit is also scheduled for 4 November for District representatives attending the event. Participants will be accompanied on a programme of visits to supermarkets, wine shops and specialist spirits retailers to gain first-hand insight into Mexico’s wine retail landscape.
The visit will provide an opportunity to explore the dynamics of the Mexican market, with a focus on shelf positioning, price brackets, customs requirements and labelling, as well as the role of branding and distribution systems in the wine sector. These insights will help wineries assess market-entry requirements and develop distribution strategies tailored to their individual needs.
From 6 th to 10 th November, the District will conclude its international programme in Merano, at the Merano WineFestival, with a dedicated Umbrian space in the festival’s Fuori Salone programme, located opposite the entrance to the Kurhaus, the event’s main venue. The artistic direction of the stand design has been entrusted to Anam Cara Comunicazione, in keeping with the “Stili di Vite” visual concept first unveiled at Vinitaly. Drawing on classical, painterly elements inspired by Umbria’s artistic heritage, the design interprets the region’s landscapes and cultural identity with a strong sense of atmosphere and energy.
Designed to welcome the public, trade professionals and content creators, the space will feature a social lounge and a wine-tasting area showcasing wines from the District’s 21 member companies.
With more than 45 labels available for tasting, the Enoteca will also host a series of short, themed tasting sessions coordinated by Luca della Regina. Each winery will be represented by a selected label: an iconic, distinctive, experimental, unusual or particularly representative wine, chosen to offer a tasting experience that goes beyond the “usual” image of Umbria. These selections will tell the story of a region that, in the heart of Italy, preserves one of the country’s most authentic and surprising wine identities.
The tastings will be organised into five sessions, each exploring a different facet of the region: Umbria in White – a journey through white wines that express freshness, minerality and the character of Umbrian hills; Sweet Umbria – dedicated to the region’s historic tradition of sweet and passito wines; Contemporary Reds – exploring how the great red grape varieties are being interpreted today through a modern approach; Time in the Glass – a journey through vintages and ageing techniques, highlighting the ability of Umbrian wines to evolve and stand the test of time; Beyond Convention – a showcase for the region’s freest, most experimental and unexpected interpretations.
Umbria will also take centre stage in a masterclass on Sunday, 8 th November, at 3 p.m., entitled “Unexpected Umbria. Great Vintages to Remember”. The tasting will explore the ability of Umbrian wines to evolve over time, revealing through bottle ageing the characteristics of different vintages and the diversity of the region’s wine production.
Reservations for the masterclass can be made online at the following link: https://meranowinefestival.com/masterclasses/
With the Merano event, the District will conclude its programme of initiatives for 2026 while continuing its other development projects and launching working groups to identify new promotional and communication projects for 2027. These initiatives will be developed starting from the platform www.vinidumbria.it, as well as through the District’s dedicated social media channels.
Umbrian Quality Wine District
The Umbrian Quality Wine District is a multi-year project developed by Umbria Top Wines soc. coop., the cooperative representing Umbrian wineries. Its purpose is to coordinate and develop the regional wine supply chain through a public-private partnership working collaboratively across four key areas: production investment; training; innovation, technology and sustainability; and promotion.
The Umbrian Quality Wine District aims to strengthen the long-term foundations of the regional wine sector by increasing productivity, improving sustainability performance and supporting related certification processes, providing ongoing training for business owners and industry professionals, and promoting the commercial development of Umbrian wines. These objectives are pursued through a comprehensive, integrated programme of initiatives coordinated by Umbria Top Wines, involving wineries, institutions and accredited partners.
