Online ticket sales opened Tuesday for Italy’s Mercato dei Vini fair in Bologna

Online ticket sales opened Tuesday for the 15th Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti, the large annual fair for independent winegrowers that will return to BolognaFiere in Bologna, Italy, from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23.

Organizers said the event, promoted by FIVI, the Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers, will bring together 1,000 producers from across Italy. The program also includes four delegations of European independent winegrowers from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia and, for the first time, Switzerland. A group of members from FIOI, the Italian Federation of Independent Olive Growers, will also attend, extending a partnership between wine and olive oil producers focused on local agricultural production.

The fair has become one of Italy’s main direct-to-consumer wine events. Its format centers on personal contact between producers and visitors, with winemakers presenting their bottles directly and selling without intermediaries. FIVI President Rita Babini said the model was the founding idea of the event 15 years ago and remains central to its appeal. In comments released by organizers, she said the fair was built around the chance for consumers to speak directly with the people who make the wine, taste it and buy it much as they would at a winery.

This year’s edition will use 40,000 square meters of exhibition space spread across four halls at BolognaFiere. Organizers said halls 29 and 30 will host the winegrowers, while halls 26 and 28 will be dedicated to food and visitor services. The central gallery will include partners, sponsors and the FIVI institutional stand.

Ticket prices have not increased from the previous edition, according to organizers. A one-day ticket bought online through Nov. 15 costs €25, and rises to €30 if purchased online from Nov. 16 or at the fairgrounds. A two-day pass costs €40 online and €50 on site. A three-day pass costs €60 online and €70 on site. Reduced-price tickets are set at €20 for members of several sommelier associations and for industry operators, who must provide a VAT number when buying. Bologna Football Club 1909 season ticket holders can buy tickets at the fair for €20 on Saturday and Sunday and €15 on Monday.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. Visitors will be able to enter through both the North entrance and the Piazza Costituzione entrance, a change organizers said is intended to improve access for people arriving on foot, by public transit or by car. Parking will be available at Piazza Costituzione and at the Michelino multistory garage, which has 5,500 spaces near the Bologna Fiera highway exit.

Organizers are again offering practical services for buyers who leave with multiple cases of wine. The fair will have 1,500 rental carts and trolleys for transporting bottles to parking areas, and a shipping service will be available on site for visitors who want purchases delivered to their homes.

Travel discounts are also part of the plan. Under a renewed agreement with Trenitalia, exhibitors and visitors will be able to use the rail company’s “Speciale Eventi” offer on Frecciarossa trains, with discounts of up to 75% compared with the base fare. Organizers said the offer can be accessed through the Trenitalia app, ticket offices, authorized travel agencies and the company’s website.

The 2026 edition will also include four master classes. Organizers said the common theme will be “Think Pink. Wines and winegrowers building hope.” During the fair, FIVI will also announce the winners of the 2026 Leonildo Pieropan Award, named in memory of one of the federation’s early figures, and the “Vignaiolo come noi” award, which in recent years has gone to public figures including musician Stefano Belisari, known as Elio, basketball player Marco Belinelli and writer Enrico Brizzi.

BolognaFiere President Gianpiero Calzolari said in a statement that the fair’s 15th edition reflects both continued growth and a broader international reach. Organizers also presented the official 2026 poster, created by Italian illustrator Emiliano Ponzi. They said the work is meant to highlight the daily relationship with the land, the care of rural landscapes and hospitality, themes that FIVI links to the work of independent winegrowers.

FIVI was founded in 2008 as a nonprofit organization representing Italian independent winegrowers who oversee the full production cycle, from growing grapes to bottling and marketing the finished wine. The federation says it now has more than 1,800 members across all Italian regions, covering more than 18,000 hectares of vineyards. The Mercato dei Vini is organized by BolognaFiere for FIVI, with support from the City of Bologna, Confcommercio Ascom Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region.