· A successful debut for this event organized by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi and Feria de Valladolid
· The business marketplace recorded more than 1,440 working meetings

FINE Italy, the International Wine Tourism Fair organized by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi and Feria de Valladolid, welcomed in its first edition professionals from 24 countries. Held on 28 and 29 October, the event brought together 76 exhibitors—wineries and wine-tourism destinations—and 74 tour operators and agencies specializing in this segment.

The FINE Italy business marketplace registered more than 1,400 working meetings between suppliers and buyers, including wineries, regions, and tour operators. These figures, along with the overall development of the event, allow for a “highly positive assessment of this first edition, which also represents a milestone in the history of Feria de Valladolid as it is the first event organized outside Spain,” said the general director, Alberto Alonso. He also noted that “initiatives like this help strengthen the role of European wine tourism as a whole.”

Roberto Pellegrini, president of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, agreed with this view and stated that FINE Italy “has placed the region at the center of the European wine tourism map. This is not just a professional fair; it is also a tool to promote local development and enhance the value of the region, helping improve Trentino’s position as a wine-related tourist destination.”

FINE Italy was supported by the Italian National Tourism Agency (Enit), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and the Ministry of Tourism, as well as Turespaña, Trentino, and Garda Dolomiti.

In this regard, the general director of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Alessandra Albarelli, stated that “FINE Italy has been created as a professional platform tailored to the real needs of the sector, and its success is due to the collaboration between public institutions and business associations.”

This public-private collaboration was also highlighted by Blanca Pérez-Sauquillo, director of Turespaña’s office in Milan, and Silvio Rigatti, president of Garda Dolomiti, who both stressed the role of wine tourism in reducing seasonality in tourist flows.

The FINE Italy programme also included conferences and round-table discussions featuring professionals from various fields and countries. In addition, researcher Roberta Garibaldi presented a report on management models, investment, and governance in Italian wine tourism, highlighting, among other conclusions, the job creation derived from wine tourism and the benefits it generates for wineries.

Spanish Wine Tourism Offer

Spain played a prominent role at the debut of FINE Italy, represented by nearly twenty regions, wineries, and institutions. Specifically, Turespaña, the Castilla y León Regional Government, the Valladolid City Council, Catalonia, the Basque Country, the wineries Abadía Retuerta and Dehesa de los Canónigos, the Ferrer Wines group—which includes Valdubón, Vionta, and Cavas Hill—and the nine wine routes of Castilla y León (Arlanza, Arribes, El Bierzo, Cigales, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Sierra de Francia, Toro, and Vino de Zamora) made up the Spanish participation.