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A New Chapter for wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum in Chicago

The renowned wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is set to make history with its first edition outside Italy, blending Italian wine heritage with global perspectives. This exciting event will occur on October 5-6, 2025, at Navy Pier, Chicago—one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. After 11 successful years in Verona, this milestone event signifies a broader international orientation aimed at harnessing business opportunities for wine producers and professionals worldwide.

Overview of the Forum

The 2025 Forum will feature three key sessions designed to engage participants deeply with significant aspects of the wine industry. These sessions cover topics like:
1. An Inside Look into Wine Enthusiast's 100-point Rating System: This will explore the precise methodologies employed in rating wines, the importance of blind-tasting protocols, and the criteria applied to non-imported products.
2. Insights on Wine Competitions and the 5StarWines Book: This session will provide detailed information about the top wines featured in the 5StarWines book, illustrating the selection process and scoring methodologies.
3. The Significance of Wine Tourism: This fascinating look into how a wine media company successfully developed a travel division aims to draw more visitors to wineries by promoting unique experiences.

The Session Highlights

On the first day of the forum, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with seasoned wine experts. Anna-Christina Cabrales, Tasting Director at Wine Enthusiast, will lead a session on the 100-point rating system. Participants will experience a blind-tasting exercise while discussing why a solid ratings platform is essential across all wine regions globally. Cabrales expresses her enthusiasm: _“I’m looking forward to sharing this process with wine2wine and helping more brands receive scores that are utilized by retailers and consumers.”_

Further adding to the day’s events, Robert Joseph and Yannick Benjamin will share insights into wine competitions and unveil some of the Top Scoring wines from 5StarWines 2026. This presentation will simulate discussions typical during the evaluation process, enabling participants to grasp how exceptional scores are determined.

Jacqueline Strum, President of Wine Enthusiast Media, will shed light on wine tourism. Her session, _“The Importance of Wine Tourism,”_ discusses how Cork+Compass Travel and the Wine Enthusiast Tasting Room Directory were developed to attract more visitors to wineries by creating pathways for deeper connections and discovery.

Importance of the Event

The Chicago edition is not merely about wine; it symbolizes a vital step towards empowering the wine business within a global framework. By facilitating collaboration between Italian producers, international buyers, educators, and communicators, the forum seeks to transform global strategies into actionable opportunities locally. This thrilling convergence of ideas allows participants to network, share insights, and develop innovative solutions to meet the challenges faced by the rapidly evolving wine industry.

What’s Next?

As the date approaches, more sessions and speakers will be announced. Attendees seeking to expand their industry knowledge should mark their calendars for this pivotal event. For more information about the sessions and to reserve a spot, visit the official forum website.

The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum promises to equip participants with the tools and insights needed to thrive in today’s challenging landscape, making it an unmissable event for anyone involved in the wine sector.

Learn more and reserve your attendance at the official website and take a step into the future of winemaking and wine marketing.