Ep. 2818 Making Italian Wine More Relevant, Engaging, and Fun with Amari Collins, aka Vin Dealer | Masterclass US Wine Market

Welcome to Episode 2818 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode of the Masterclass US Wine Market, Juliana Colangelo is joined by Amari Collins, the New York wine educator and creator known as Vin Dealer, to explore how wine can be made more culturally relevant, more fun, and more exciting for the next generation of drinkers.

Amari shares her approach to teaching and tasting at Swirl School, her three-hour wine experience that mixes education, games, and movement, and who actually shows up to her events. She talks about taking Swirl School from New York out on the road, and how she chooses the wines to pour at each stop. The conversation turns to what Italy needs to do to connect with younger wine consumers and keep them curious. They also look at social media: what people want to learn from wine content, and how wineries can make their own stories relatable.

Key Takeaways:

Making wine education more fun, engaging, and culturally relevant.

Finding new ways to connect Italian wine with younger consumers.

Cultivating the next generation of wine drinkers by sparking curiosity and excitement.

More about the guest:

Amari Collins is a New York-based wine educator and digital creator, known online as Vin Dealer. She is the founder of Swirl School, an interactive wine event series that has traveled across the US and to Europe, built around the idea that wine should be social, accessible, and free of snobbery. Before moving into wine, Amari worked as a television casting producer, a background that shaped her storytelling and her eye for event design. She was named to Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemakers list for 2025 and has been featured in outlets including Bon Appétit and The New York Times.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin_dealer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amari-collins-8599b979

More about the host:

Juliana Colangelo is the Director of Marketing at T. Edward Wines & Spirits, the NYC-based national importer and distributor. She leads the company’s marketing strategy across a growing portfolio of global wine and spirits producers, driving brand development, trade engagement, and national visibility during a period of significant expansion.

Previously, Juliana was Senior Brand Manager at Frederick Wildman & Sons, where she played a key leadership role in the Italian wine division, overseeing marketing strategy for shareholder brands within the Gruppo Italiano Vini and Cantine Riunite portfolios. Prior to that, she served as Vice President at Colangelo & Partners, the leading wine and spirits communications agency in the U.S., where she opened the firm’s first secondary headquarters in California in 2016, establishing its Bay Area office. Over the past decade, Juliana has become one of the most dynamic and influential marketing and communications executives in the wine industry. She is widely recognized as a mentor and connector for women in beverage alcohol, leveraging her network to create opportunities and elevate others in the field. Juliana has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, and other leading publications speaking on the future of wine marketing and consumer growth.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julezcolang/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jules.colangelo/

Twitter: https://x.com/JulezColang

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliana-colangelo-mba-04345539/

More interviews on the US Wine Market: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/episodes_category/masterclass-us-wine-market/

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