ICE’s fifth ‘I Love Italian Wines’ fills Rio with 600 labels
Italian wine imports into Brazil rose 13.6% in value and about 8% in volume in the first eight months of 2026. ICE’s Rio roadshow — with Vinitaly and Wine South America — hosted 56 companies and roughly 600 labels; ICE’s analyst says about half the cellars present still seek a Brazilian importer.
Rio just got another classroom with corks.
ANSA reports that ICE’s fifth “I Love Italian Wines” roadshow landed in Rio de Janeiro with Vinitaly and Wine South America: 56 companies, about 600 labels, and a room built for Brazilian trade buyers. Consul general Andreas Ferrarese opened the night by noting how ordinary a good Italian glass has become among Brazilian friends — a decade ago, he said, that was rarer.
The numbers justify the flight. In the first eight months of 2026, Brazilian imports of Italian wine rose 13.6% in value and roughly 8% in volume — against a softer global backdrop. ICE senior trade analyst Ronaldo Padovani put the practical gap on the table: about 50% of the cellars in the room still do not have a Brazilian importer and are hunting one.
The pitch is variety without confusion — mountain, beach, sandy and volcanic sites, thousands of registered cellars, and Italy’s deep bench of native grapes and DOCGs. Masterclasses sit beside the walk-around tasting. Mercosur already zeroed sparkling tariffs; still-wine duties phase out over ten years, so the commercial window is opening, not closing.
Mini-concept: a young import market rewards presence. Export tables move when buyers taste, meet owners, and leave with a contact — not when a catalogue sits unread.
A soft drink never needs an importer in Rio. Italian wine just spent a night proving why it still does.
Remember: ICE Rio fifth edition — 56 firms, ~600 labels; IT→BR +13.6% value / ~+8% vol Jan–Aug 2026; ~50% cellars still seek an importer; sparkling tariffs already zero.
Source: ANSA