Trentino wine and Italian wine shops: a dialogue that becomes method

It was an invitation to build something even more concrete. From May 24 to 26, 2026, we welcomed members of Vinarius – Association of Italian Wine Shops – to Trentino for a tour that took a different approach: not just showcasing a region, but working in synergy, with producers and wine merchants sitting at the same table.

A format that has chosen concreteness

The program involved a total of 27 wineries, 2 distilleries and 3 members of the Trentino Wine and Flavours Route and the Dolomites Cheese Route , composing a story that was not limited to wine, but broadened its scope to include the entire Trentino production system.

The first day, Sunday, May 24th , kicked off with Palazzo Trautmannsdorf, a tasting dedicated to gastronomic products . On May 25th and 26th, a specific format was chosen: a B2B speed tasting with 24 Trentino wineries , twelve per day, four wines each, twenty minutes for each meeting. Then, a change of table, a new winery, a new story to tell. These businesses were joined by three leading companies, offering convivial moments and tours of the area.

"Our relationship with Vinarius is a relationship of substance for us. Italian wine merchants are among the professionals who best understand the market and translate wine into a language consumers can understand," emphasized Albino Zenatti, President of the Consorzio Vini del Trentino. "Bringing them to Trentino wasn't just about showcasing what we do: we wanted them to meet our producers up close, understand the stories behind each bottle, and return home with something genuine to tell. This tour, in the format we chose, convinced us that this was the right path."

The measure of the market, listened to closely

The feedback from producers and wine merchants was positive. The pace of the B2B speed tasting was intense—we're not denying it—but the general feeling at the end of the day was clear: the time was well spent. Fewer wines tasted cursorily, but more companies met with a face to face and a genuine conversation behind them.

At a time when wine shop selection is no longer just about technical quality but also about marketable storytelling and consistency , those twenty minutes per table made all the difference. Producers had to be themselves, directly and concisely. Wine merchants were able to understand, without filters, whether that style, that terroir, that story had a place for their clientele.

Informal conversations with Vinarius members confirmed what we already knew, but which is worth hearing again and again: the Italian wine bar scene has changed profoundly . Simply selling bottles is no longer enough to sustain many businesses. Wine tastings, aperitivos, evenings with producers, guided tastings, and small-scale catering have become essential tools for fostering wine culture and revenue. In this context, ensuring the quality of Trentino wines is the starting point, not the end point: that quality must become narratable, translatable into a conversation at the bar, ready for a wine list or a sold-out evening.

Graziano Molon, General Manager of the Consorzio Vini del Trentino, emphasized the irreplaceable value of direct listening: "This tour gave us something precious: a sense of how the market really works. Listening directly to wine merchants—what they're looking for, what they sell, what they struggle to explain—is a skill that no market research can completely replace. But what struck us most was the quality of the conversations: there was a genuine willingness to understand Trentino, to ask thoughtful questions, to imagine how certain wines could fit into their offerings. We brought Trentino to Vinarius, but Vinarius has become part of Trentino. It's a relationship we want to continue building."

Trentino that builds solid relationships

Trentino winemaking boasts many unique characteristics: mountain viticulture, unique micro-territories, certified sustainability, coexisting cooperatives and family-run businesses, distinctive grape varieties such as Teroldego, Marzemino, Müller Thurgau, and Nosiola, and diverse styles expressed within just a few kilometers of altitude and valley.

What we tried to do over these three days was transform these specificities into relationships. Because a wine that finds its way onto a wine shop shelf isn't just because of its technical quality: it arrives because someone has met its producer, understood its history, decided it was worth defending its price and recommending it verbally.

The tour with Vinarius was like this. A job, more than a visit. A relationship, more than a promotion.