Vinitaly USA turned Chicago’s Navy Pier into the world marketplace for Italian wines. For two days, 230 Italian wine producers poured 1650 wines to 1500 wine buyers, importers, wine aficionados and members of the wine press. 

This was the first edition of the world-wide festival to be held in the United States and by all accounts it was a success. The original is held every spring in Verona, Italy. The Navy Pier edition featured wines from five regions, each with its own pavilion and programs, including Calabria, Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Latium and Sardinia. Representatives from the Veneto and Umbria regions also joined in.