Trentino welcomes Vinarius: Italian wine merchants tour vineyards, grappa, and the region.

Vinarius trains its members through study trips to Italian and international wine-producing regions, supports the professional growth of wine merchants, and helps them become authentic storytellers of Italian wine. Every two years, the association awards the Vinarius Territory Prize , a recognition that in 2025 was awarded to the Consorzio Vini del Trentino and the "Mountains and Valleys of Trentino."

From May 24 to 26, 2026 , the Consorzio Vini del Trentino will host Vinarius members for an intense and engaging tour of the vineyards, cellars, and flavors of one of Italy's most unique winemaking regions: a region stretching from the shores of Lake Garda to the slopes of the Dolomites , where heroic mountain viticulture coexists with a certified sustainability model and a vibrant community of producers. Three days that are more than just tourism, but a direct dialogue between those who produce wine and those who share and serve it every day .

Vinarius President Giuliano Rossi confirms this: "This tour of Trentino is much more than a business trip for us. It's an opportunity to deepen our understanding of a region that has built a truly distinctive winemaking model, grounded in sustainability and landscape conservation. Our job as wine merchants is to share wine authentically, and to do so well, we must meet the people who produce it, walk through the vineyards, and understand the choices behind each label. It's from experiences like this that we gain the ability to convey the true value of a glass to the consumer."

A program designed for authentic comparison

The three-day event kicks off on Sunday, May 24th , with arrival in Trento and a light lunch before an afternoon packed with meetings. Wine merchants will be welcomed at Palazzo Trauttmannsdorf , where they can meet the producers of the Trentino Wine and Flavors Route , the Dolomites Cheese Route , and the Apple and Flavors Route of the Valli di Non and Valli di Sole : an introduction to the many facets of a region where wine is just one of its specialties. In the late afternoon, a special event: Vinarius meets with the producers of Trentino Grappa for a tasting dedicated to one of Italy's most noble and distinctive spirits. The day concludes with a dinner in Trento's historic center, attended by a producer.

The tour's operational heart will take place on May 25th and 26th , with intensive B2B tasting sessions of Trentino wines at the Hotel America. The format chosen is rotating meetings: 12 rounds of 20 minutes each , in which each of the 24 participating producers presents four wines to the wine merchants. This fast-paced yet effective pace allows each wine merchant to gain a broad and detailed overview of Trentino's offerings, meeting the producers face-to-face, listening to their stories, and experiencing the quality of the wines firsthand.

The lunches and dinners throughout the day offer opportunities for conviviality and discussion between the wine merchants and producers from the 26 participating Trentino wineries, strengthening the bonds built during the tastings. On May 26th, after the final tasting session and lunch, the wine merchants will return to their offices, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge, connections, and a renewed passion for Trentino wine.

A collaboration that looks to the future

The 2026 tour is part of a consolidated collaboration between the Consorzio Vini del Trentino and Vinarius , strengthened by the 10th Vinarius Territory Award awarded in 2025 to the "Trentino Mountains and Valleys" and by the educational visit of the fifteen wine merchants who had already had the opportunity to explore the region last September. With the new series of meetings in 2026, the relationship deepens and broadens: more producers, more wines, more stories to bring to Italian wine shops.

“Hosting the Vinarius wine merchants is a long-awaited and precious moment for us,” emphasizes Albino Zenatti, President of the Consorzio Vini del Trentino . “These professionals represent a fundamental channel through which our wine reaches the final consumer , along with the story that accompanies it. We deeply believe that the quality of Trentino wine doesn't end in the glass: it comes from the territory, from our winemakers, and from the Alpine landscape that surrounds them. This is the message we want to share, and we are convinced that Vinarius can take it far, with the expertise and passion that distinguish them.”

The program sees the participation, in addition to the Trentino Wine Consortium, of the Trentino Grappa Protection Institute , the Trentino Wine and Flavors Route , the Dolomites Cheese Route and the Apple and Flavors Route of the Valli di Non and Val di Sole : a network of excellence that conveys the complexity and richness of a territory that goes far beyond wine, but finds in wine one of its most powerful symbols.

"The program we've put together for these three days reflects our philosophy: we don't simply want to showcase wines, but to offer wine merchants an authentic experience of Trentino winemaking," emphasizes Graziano Molon, General Manager of the Consorzio Vini del Trentino. "The B2B meetings with the 24 producers, the tasting of Trentino Grappa, and the discovery of our three great arteries of Trentino flavor are all part of a broader story, that of a region that has chosen quality and sustainability as its founding values. The synergy with Vinarius is strategic for us: they are the daily interpreters of our work towards the end consumer, and every wine merchant who truly knows Trentino becomes a valuable ambassador."

Three days, then, to forge relationships, broaden knowledge, and confirm a pact: between those who, in the mountains of Trentino, cultivate vineyards with dedication, and those who, in wine shops throughout Italy, transform that dedication into daily stories.