Happy New Year to all. Felice Anno Nuovo.  As 2015 draws to a close, we reflect on the past year and what we expect to see in Italian wine & spirits trends in 2016. Our top five trends follow, mind you we may be wrong but we think these items will become ever more important or will burst on the scene:

1. Sparkling wine category sales will increase with Prosecco still out ahead.
2.  Italian sparklers will become more main stream be it sparkling wines from indigenous varieties or Franciacorta.
3.  Italian whites will become ever more important with easy to drink and pronounce Vermentino leading the way.
4.  Mirtu, a digestif from Sardinia will finally make some headway in the US market.
5.  Italian wine education classes in the US will become the next hot ticket, with various players getting into the market. The race will be to see whose qualifications are recognized by the Italians themselves.