At the end of this month, I'll join a panel at the wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum in New York, held alongside Vinitaly.USA. Our session, “From Importer to Shelf: How America’s Three-Tier System Really Works,” brings together voices from importing, distribution and retail. The forum’s theme this year, "Education is Influence," could not be timelier.
Meeting the Market Head On
The wine2wine Business Forum was built to follow Italian wine beyond Italy’s borders. The idea behind bringing it to New York is one I share: Italian producers can’t wait for the market to come to them. They have to meet it head on, where American consumers actually make their choices.
That is also what America’s wine and spirits distributors do every day, connecting thousands of producers with the retailers and restaurants where consumers shop and dine.
Resilient in a Tough Market
Wine is having a tough time. Across the U.S., wine volume fell 8.4% and revenue fell 4.8% in the 12 months through August, according to SipSource®, WSWA’s market intelligence platform.
Italian wine has held up far better. Volume declined 4.1%, and revenue was essentially flat, up 0.1%. Italy now accounts for 11.0% of U.S. wine volume and 13.7% of revenue, gaining share on both measures, and it remains the largest imported origin in SipSource.
The gap between volume and revenue matters. Revenue per case rose roughly 4%, meaning consumers are buying fewer bottles but holding their spending on Italian wine.
The strength is not uniform. Tuscany grew in both volume and revenue, led by Chianti Classico (revenue up 13.4%) and Bolgheri (up 12.9%). Prosecco grew across restaurants, bars, grocery and liquor stores. Other wines from major Italian regions, including Barolo and Moscato d'Asti, declined. Italy's story is resilience and selective strength, not across-the-board growth.
Where Wine's Cultural Moments Happen
Italian wine’s strongest showing is on-premise. In restaurants, bars and hotels, Italian volume was flat (up 0.2%) while revenue rose 4.0%. Total wine fell 3.1% in volume and 0.8% in revenue in the same channel. In dining alone, Prosecco revenue grew 9.2%.
That is no accident. Restaurants and bars are where wine’s cultural moments happen: a Pinot Grigio at happy hour, a bottle of Chianti over dinner, Prosecco at brunch. They are also where many people taste something new for the first time.
Meeting a New Generation Where They Are
The story that young adults have abandoned wine is too simple. Millennials are now the largest wine-drinking generation in America, and Gen Z’s wine spending has roughly doubled since 2020 as more of them reach legal drinking age. Budgets are tighter, but the interest is there.
What has changed is how they discover wine. Younger consumers favor lighter styles, smaller formats, wine cocktails and casual occasions. They learn online and from people they trust, and they want to know where a wine comes from.
That makes education the work of the moment. It means showing up in their occasions rather than asking them to adopt ours. It means making wine approachable through format, price and plain language, and telling real stories about place and people, something Italian wine does better than almost anyone.
It also means equipping the people they trust. Distributors' sales teams work with retail staff and restaurant beverage managers to build wine portfolios intended precisely for their customers. When a young adult asks for something new, the answer often traces back to that education.
See You in New York
Italian wine has always understood that wine is culture, place and connection. The task now is carrying that story to the generation that will define the market for decades. If you plan to attend Vinitaly’s USA Business Forum, I hope to you see you there.
Learn More and Register:
Wine2wine
New York Edition – Pier 36
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
From Importer to Shelf: How American’s Three-Tier System Really Moves Wine