Italian Wine Sector Strengthening Ties with U.S. Trade Partners

by Cyril Penn

May 5, 2025

“Italians are incredibly individualistic. They’re complicated. Italian wine is like Italian people,” Vinitaly managing partner Stevie Kim said. “But when there’s a crisis, they come together. That’s the mood of the moment right now. Italians are resilient.” 

Italian wine exports to the U.S. reached $2.3 billion in value in 2024, an increase of 6.5 percent over 2023. Italy recognizes the importance of diversification and is exploring other opportunities but Italy remains the leading wine exporter to the U.S. market.

Executives with Vinitaly and the Italian Trade Agency were in Washington, D.C. last week engaging the wine trade and policy makers, discussing how Italian wine can strengthen its position in the U.S. market. They see themselves as educators and facilitators as they gear up for the second edition of Vinitaly U.S.A. to be held in Chicago in October.

“We feel this is a time to invest in the United States,” Adolfo Rebughini, general manager of Veronafiere, the producer of Vinitaly, said.

Last year more than 230 Italian exhibitors came to the Vinitaly event in Chicago, meeting with more than 1,650 buyers from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—as well as from Latin American countries such as Brazil. Ten masterclasses and more than 30 events over two days offered education, tastings, and networking. Veronafiere conducts 12 to 15 such shows each year around the world.

Bringing Producers and Importers Together 

The big Vinitaly show held in Verona, Italy last month was attended by 96,000 people, including 42,000 buyers, more than 3,000 of them from the United States. 

Matteo Zoppas, president of the Italian Trade Agency said the timing of this year’s event in Verona was fortuitous in that discussions with importers and suppliers about how to deal with new tariffs took place prior to the U.S. president pausing them for 90 days for most countries, so it tested people’s behavior. 

“Frankly speaking, we were lucky to have the tariffs announced just a few days before Vinitaly, because everybody took the occasion and jumped on the American buyers and operators to have a discussion,” Rebughini said. “There was a lot of positive energy around it.”

The ten percent tariffs are most challenging for wines at lower price points because a lower price means lower margins. That situation may be less difficult for high-end products with brand awareness or with higher-priced wines where people may be able to afford to pay more. 

Zoppas said that in the end, after some negotiation, most importers and producers at Vinitaly in Verona agreed to share the costs of the tariffs with the goal of maintaining the same pricing for the consumer – not that this necessarily is going to be the outcome. “Many came out at the end of the show, saying, let’s do 50-50, because we cannot miss the United States market which is too important for Italian wine,” he said.

The National Association of Beverages Importers estimates that every dollar spent in the U.S. on Italian wine generates $4.50 in revenue for American importers, distributors, and retailers/restaurants.

Vinitaly has long spent time and money on its ambassador program, educating and promoting Italian wine in the U.S. generally, which is valuable, not just for Italians, but for American producers seeking to convert non-wine drinkers to wine drinkers. Many large California producers have import portfolios led by Italian wine, a reflection of the interdependence of the California wine business with the Italian wine business. 

Rebughini said Vinitaly continues to evolve from being a pure marketplace to being a platform for training and business forums where people can discuss trends, problems, and opportunities. 

Zoppas said that in the current climate that type of direct engagement is more critical than ever. “Strengthening ties with U.S. trade partners now can help mitigate future risks. A well-established relationship between producer and importer is more likely to withstand cost pressures or policy shifts, enabling both sides to adapt rather than retreat.”

Italian wine is a symbol of Italy’s broader cultural and economic relationship with the U.S. Meanwhile, the current Minister of Agriculture in Italy, who works in tandem with Vinitaly and the Italian Trade Agency, is Francesco Lollobrigida, the brother-in-law of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who seems to have a good relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zoppas said that in terms of the tariffs on wine, people are being prudent, waiting to see what happens sixty days from now.

“It’s very challenging right now,” Kim said. “Especially for the small guys.”