Mexico is becoming an increasingly prominent feature on the Italian wine trade map. On 5 and 6 November, Expo Santa Fe México in Mexico City will host the first local edition of Wines Experience & Fine Food, an event bringing together producers, importers, distributors, buyers, tastings, and the restaurant sector. Over 150 wine and spirits companies have been announced, with more than a thousand labels available for tasting and representatives from every Italian region and five Mexican states.
The goal is not merely to showcase bottles to a professional audience. The event was created to provide a more structured meeting point between producers and those responsible for bringing wine to market: from importers to distributors, down to horeca operators. Organisers expect around a thousand local buyers and professionals. For Italian wineries—especially those seeking opportunities outside more established European markets—the key factor is the concentration of stakeholders over two days in a city playing an expanding role in Latin America's premium consumption.
Wines Experience & Fine Food is organised by United Experience, an entity established through a partnership between Fiere Italiane SEA and BolognaFiere. Following London and Ho Chi Minh City, the format now reaches Mexico, where the venture has already established a permanent office. The decision addresses a market heavily reliant on imports: over 70% of the wine consumed in the country comes from abroad. Italy is already among the key suppliers, but rising consumption and evolving demand leave room for more continuous commercial engagement.
Over the past fifteen years, Mexican per capita consumption has increased by 60%, according to figures cited by the organisers. This should be viewed with caution: wine starts from lower consumption levels compared to major European markets, and a percentage increase alone is not enough to turn the country into a mature market. However, it signals a broader, younger audience interested in categories, regions, and price brackets that require distribution expertise and training. In this context, the physical presence of companies remains crucial: wine is not exported simply through a price list, but through tastings, product storytelling, logistical reliability, and the ability to work with the restaurant sector.
A trade fair designed to bring supply and demand together
The program combines one-on-one business meetings, guided tastings, conferences, and culinary experiences. The stated approach aims to move away from the traditional trade-fair model based solely on exhibition booths: the venue will feature lounge areas for meetings between producers and trade professionals, while an app will be used to facilitate connections between supply and demand. The organizers also highlight real-time data collection tools and blind tastings among the format's new additions.
It is a tangible asset, though it should not be overstated. A matching app does not replace an importer network, nor does it resolve hurdles such as pricing, margins, logistics, product availability, and market access regulations. However, it can bring greater structure to the contacts generated during the event and streamline follow-up discussions—frequently a weak link in B2B gatherings. For a fragmented sector like Italian wine, where even highly recognized wineries operate with different portfolios, vintages, and distribution channels, having traceable data and scheduled meetings can help qualify opportunities more effectively.
Alongside names such as Antinori, Ferrari Trento, and Donnafugata, the schedule also features Mexican producers. The exchange therefore extends beyond Italian exports to encompass a local ecosystem where imports, domestic production, fine dining, and shifting consumer habits coexist. The presence of local producers can make the event more valuable for understanding how Italian wine should be positioned: not as an undifferentiated offering, but in direct relation to the tastes, channels, and market segments taking shape across the country.
Gambero Rosso masterclasses on grape varieties and qualitative consistency
Gambero Rosso will take part with two masterclasses led by director Lorenzo Ruggeri, dedicated to wines awarded the Tre Bicchieri. The first session, scheduled for November 5 at 3:00 PM, is titled Tre Bicchieri: Revival Legacy and focuses on five varieties and territories: Bellone, Susumaniello, Ribolla Gialla del Collio, Barbera del Monferrato, and Aglianico del Sannio. The common thread is the recovery and valorization of native grape varieties through the work of historic winemaking families and new generations.
This choice is significant for an import market. Local varieties are a lever to differentiate the Italian offering from one built around more familiar international grape varieties, but they require explanation, sommelier training, and a gastronomic offering capable of contextualizing them. In other words, they can increase recognition and perceived value, but they are not automatically easier to sell. Tastings like this serve precisely to provide professionals with the coordinates needed to present them to end customers.
On November 6, again at 3:00 PM, the second session, The Test of Time – Excellence Across Vintages, will focus instead on the ability of certain wines to maintain quality and identity across vintages. Key participants include Masciarelli, winner of the Rosso dell’Anno award in the latest edition of the Vini d’Italia guide, alongside producers who have received Tre Bicchieri at least ten times. For importers and restaurateurs, continuity over time is an operational matter: it allows for building more consistent wine lists, working with reliable references, and showcasing an appellation beyond the success of a single harvest.
Mexico as a platform, not a shortcut
United Experience’s strategy is openly long-term. President Maurizio Muzzetta points to a five-year plan and the ambition to make Mexico City a benchmark for wine across the Americas. The city offers a density of restaurants, distribution, and consumers with spending power, as well as trade links that make it a natural vantage point for those looking to build a presence in the region.
However, an important difference remains between launching an event and building a hub. It will require continuity across editions, high-quality buyers, the conversion of contacts into orders, and the ability to showcase lesser-known producers alongside major brands. The value of the first edition will be measurable above all after the pavilions close: in the number of relationships that continue, in import contracts, and in the endurance of the Italian presence across Mexican menus, wine shops, and shelves.
For the Italian food business, Wines Experience & Fine Food is therefore a test of method as well as market. It brings together territorial promotion, professional training, gastronomy, and digital tools to organize commercial relationships. If this framework succeeds in producing continuity, Città del Messico could become a useful base for an export sector that needs to engage new consumers without sacrificing the complexity and variety of its offering.
