BolognaFiere and FIVI will preview Italy’s independent wine market with a tasting on Nov. 18

BolognaFiere and FIVI, the Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers, will hold a presentation tasting in Bologna on November 18 ahead of the 15th Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti, which is scheduled for November 21-23 at the BolognaFiere exhibition center.

The preview event is set for 11:30 a.m. at Caffè Pathé by Forno Brisa in Piazza Re Enzo, inside Cinema Modernissimo. Organizers said the tasting will introduce the main features of the annual wine market, one of the main events promoted by FIVI and staged with BolognaFiere.

Speakers expected at the presentation include Daniele Ara, a Bologna city official with responsibility for schools, agriculture and agrifood; Rita Babini, a winegrower and president of FIVI; Alice Giuliani, exhibition manager at BolognaFiere; and Giancarlo Tonelli, director general of Confcommercio Ascom Bologna.

According to the organizers, the November 18 event will include a tasting of wines produced by FIVI winegrowers, paired with a selection of local finger foods. The presentation will also be used to outline the broader program for the fair, which will run over three days later in the month.

BolognaFiere and FIVI said the November 21-23 market will offer the public a selection of 8,000 wines available for tasting and purchase. More than 1,000 winegrowers from every Italian region are expected to take part. Organizers also said the event will include independent olive growers who are members of FIOI, as well as European winegrowers from some national associations that belong to CEVI, the European confederation of independent winegrowers.

The fair is being presented as the 15th edition of the Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti. The event has become a key annual meeting point for producers who cultivate vineyards directly and market their own wines, a model that FIVI has long promoted as central to the identity of independent winegrowers in Italy.

Organizers said the 2026 program will also include four master classes focused on native grape varieties and leading Italian wine territories. Those sessions are expected to broaden the fair beyond direct sales and tastings by adding educational content aimed at wine professionals and enthusiasts.

Another initiative tied to the event is the “Notte bianca della ristorazione,” or White Night of Restaurants, promoted by Fipe-Confcommercio Ascom Bologna in restaurants and venues across Bologna and the surrounding province. Organizers presented that program as a way to extend the fair into the city and connect the exhibition with local hospitality businesses.

During the November 18 presentation, organizers also plan to explain the reasons behind the 2026 awards “Vignaiolo come noi” and “Leonildo Pieropan.” The notice did not detail this year’s recipients, but indicated that the awards will be part of the presentation program.

The preview tasting comes just three days before the opening of the market and appears designed to give media and invited guests an early look at the wines and the themes of this year’s edition. BolognaFiere and FIVI said press accreditation and registrations for the master classes are being handled through the event’s official channels.

The market will take place in Bologna, a city that has increasingly positioned itself as a host for large food and wine gatherings. By bringing together independent winegrowers from across Italy, along with selected European participants and olive oil producers, the event is intended to combine commercial activity, public tastings and professional exchange in a single fair format.

For the organizers, the scale of the 2026 edition is one of its main selling points, with the announced presence of more than 1,000 producers and thousands of wines. The November 18 presentation is expected to serve as the formal public lead-in to that program.