Part think tank and part recording studio, the Vinitaly.USA Live Studio is an intimate, smaller-scale extension of the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum program. It offers a more fluid, direct, and spontaneous environment compared to larger, more formal conference spaces. The Live Studio will host compact industry discussions, “Ask Me Anything” sessions, live podcast recordings, interviews, and small-format tastings.
As an official Media Partner, the Italian Wine Podcast will be on the ground in the Live Studio to bring you all the latest news, insights and developments from Vinitaly.USA.
What is Vinitaly.USA?
Vinitaly.USA is the official North American offshoot of Vinitaly, the world-renowned annual wine fair held in Verona, Italy. Organized by Veronafiere in partnership with the ITA (Italian Trade Agency), the event connects Italian winemakers and regional producers directly with U.S. and North American buyers, importers, distributors, sommeliers, hospitality professionals, and wine media.
What is the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum?
The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is an international two-day event focused on training, professional development, and networking for the wine industry. It connects Italian wine producers with international buyers, marketers, educators, sommeliers, and media professionals. It features keynotes, panel discussions, market data analysis, and interactive workshops. Once again this year, wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will take place alongside Vinitaly.USA in New York City on 26 and 27 October.
The Live Studio operates in collaboration with media partners including the Italian Wine Podcast to broadcast live content and interviews directly from the event.
Follow the Italian Wine Podcast on social media for all the latest updates from New York.
Selected sessions will be livestreamed and the full program can be accessed via official event apps:
- Download the official App: Official Vinitaly Website
- Follow on Social Media: wine2wine on Facebook or wine2wine on Instagram
Vinitaly.USA Live Studio:
Program
All listed events are free but registration is required. This is a provisional program. Check the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum website for all the latest program announcements.
Monday 26 October 2026
9:45 – 10:15 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA and Matthew Horkey
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
10:30 – 11:00 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Juliana Colangelo IWA, Andre Mack and Bobby Stuckey MS
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
11:00 – 11:15 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
11:30 – 12:30 (local time)
Can You Taste Italy Blind? WSET Meets Vinitaly International Academy. Masterclass powered by International Wine Center
With Stephanie Johnson DipWSET, IWE and Jack Liggett DipWSET, IWE
How do different tasting frameworks approach Italian wine? This session brings together the Italian Wine Center, Educational Partner of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum / Vinitaly.USA, and Vinitaly International Academy for a live blind tasting focused on method, language and interpretation. Using a flight of Italian wines tasted blind, the session will compare how WSET and VIA guide tasters through structure, typicity, regional identity and grape recognition. Rather than a competition, the focus is on how different educational systems help professionals build confidence, communicate clearly and understand Italy’s extraordinary diversity in the glass.
Led by Stephanie Johnson and Jack Liggett, the session combines advanced tasting practice with open discussion, showing how blind tasting can become not only a test of knowledge, but a tool for sharper thinking and better Italian wine storytelling.
12:45 – 13:15 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Juliana Colangelo IWA, Barbara Fitzgerald IWA, Elaina Leibee, James Endicott and Emily Carlson
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
13:30 – 14:00 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA, Marissa Muoio, Jack Brogan and Dimitrios Karagiannis
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
14:15 – 14:45 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Juliana Colangelo IWA, Alessandro Pasqua and Jermaine Stone
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
15:00 – 16:30 (local time)
Worth the Wait? Italy’s White Wines and the Case for Collecting
With Jessica Sculley DipWSET, IWA, Noell Dorsey DipWSET, IWA and Yannick Benjamin
Three producers. Six wines. What does time bring to the glass, and what is it worth? Join the Commonwealth Wine School for an interactive exploration of Italy’s ageworthy white wines. Through three younger-and-mature vintage pairings, discover how aroma, texture, and balance evolve, and consider what separates a wine that lasts from one that becomes more compelling. Then take your seat on the Cellar Committee. Through live voting and guided discussion, you’ll decide which wines to drink now, which deserve cellar space, and when a mature bottle justifies its premium. Alongside perspectives from restaurant wine professionals, we’ll explore how those decisions translate to the wine list: what to buy, how to price it, and how to share its appeal with guests.
Tuesday 27 October 2026
11:15 – 11:45 (local time)
Book Presentation: The Shape of Flavor, A holistic way of thinking about wine by Sarah Heller MW
When describing wine, can a picture be worth a thousand words? In The Shape of Flavour, Sarah Heller MW brings together sensory science, wine education and her background in visual art for a holistic approach to tasting. Using colour, shape and texture, she demonstrates how a wine’s many sensations can be perceived as a coherent whole. This presentation introduces the book’s visual framework and explores how it can help us understand, remember and communicate our experience of wine, using Italy’s diverse grape varieties to show the approach in action.
12:00 – 12:30 (local time)
Your AI Assistant: Planning and Executing a US Marketing Plan for Italian Wine
With Amy Gross
Most wine professionals have experimented with AI, but many gave up after disappointing early results. The problem usually isn’t the tool. It’s knowing how to ask the right questions. Amy C. Gross, who has built AI-powered wine tools since 2011, leads this practical session on using ChatGPT and Claude to save time, identify the right US markets and partners, create a focused marketing plan, and put it into action. Attendees will leave with a one-page guide of the exact prompts used, so they can start right away.
12:45 – 13:15 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA and Yannick Benjamin
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
13:30 – 14:00(local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA and Jack Liggett DipWSET, IWA
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
14:15 – 14:45 (local time)
Ask me anything: “The Science of Drinking Well”
With Felicity Carter
Felicity Carter is an award-winning investigative wine journalist, researcher, and industry analyst with over 20 years of experience covering the global drinks sector. Recently she has emerged as a prominent, highly analytical voice exploring the modern intersect of alcohol policy, media bias, and public health. This is your chance to ask her anything, from how moderate wine consumption interacts with human metabolism, to the role of wine in a holistic cultural and dietary lifestyle (such as the Mediterranean diet), and the gap between scientific findings and public health guidelines.
15:00 – 15:30 (local time)
Book Presentation: Italianity by Jessica Dupuy DipWSET
Co-authored by Texas-based wine journalist and educator Jessica Dupuy DipWSET and Andrea Lonardi MW, “Italianity: The Culture of Italian Wine” was published in early 2026. This session provided an opportunity to explore the essence of what makes Italian wine unique with the author of one of the most impactful wine books of the year.
15:45 – 16:15 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Marissa Muoio, Sylvester Inda and Ren Peir.
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
16:30- 17:00 (local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Marissa Muoio, Jordan Hooker and Tim Stracener.
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
17:15- 17:45(local time)
Italian Wine Podcast: Wine, Next. The voices shaping what wine becomes next
With Barbara Fitzgerald IWA and Gabriella Favara.
- What’s selling in Italian wine right now?
- What is most exciting to you about Italian wine?
- How does imported wine compete in a major domestic market?
- If you could make one recommendation to Italian wineries, what would it be?
The U.S. Market, Unfiltered: fast, candid and conversational with a rolling program of industry hosts and guests.
Don’t forget to follow the Italian Wine Podcast on social media for all the latest updates and Live Streams from the Vinitaly.USA Live Studio
