Wine news, Italian wineries and wines.
Italian wineries
The most surprising wines of 2025 A selection that rewards not only absolute excellence, but the ability to amaze: authentic interpretations, respectful of the grape variety and territory, capable of exciting and standing out in the “ideal wine list” of the year just ended.
Vigna Laure Greco di Tufo DOCG Riserva 2023 – Cantine Di Marzo. This Irpinian white wine has won Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri award. A wine with great personality, created by Ferrante Di Somma and winemaker Vincenzo Mercurio, confirms the strength of the volcanic Greco di Tufo.
Schola Sarmenti: Salento among the world’s elite wineries. A 2025 packed with accolades for the Salento winery, recognized by major international guides and competitions. A coherent winemaking project, rooted in the Apulian bush vine system, capable of combining tradition and contemporary vision.
Pellegrino Winery and Pietro Russo MW launch a strategic partnership to promote Western Sicilian wines. The arrival of Italy’s first Master of Wine strengthens the winemaking development and international positioning of one of Marsala’s historic wineries.
La Gerla, Monteraponi, and Cavallotto: the podium of the “Top 100” Three iconic appellations—Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and Barolo—lead the ranking compiled by Kerin O’Keefe, with wines rated full points.
Ruggeri and the new Cartizze Dry Millesimato 2024. A project that unites history and future in the most prestigious cru of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, focusing on identity, continuity, and territorial value.
Cantine Pellegrino 1880 – Nero d’Avola Gazzerotta 2022 Over 140 years of history and a production that exceeds 5 million bottles annually: one of the key players in the Sicilian wine scene.
Donna Elvira: from London to Irpinia. The story of a winery born from a return to its origins, amidst family ties, volcanic soils, and a winemaking vision rooted in the territory.
Cantine Risveglio becomes a Valtur Brindisi business partner. The sports partnership has been renewed for the 2025/26 season. The historic Brindisi cooperative confirms its leading role in local viticulture and innovation, including in the classic method sparkling wine sector.
Trentino Doc Riesling 2023 – Cembra Cantina di Montagna Heroic viticulture in Val di Cembra: terraced vineyards between 450 and 900 meters, 300 members and a cooperative model that protects the landscape and Alpine identity.
Italian wine and Italian oenology
The value of wine comes from its territory. Alessandro Profumo’s vision: wine as a strategic national asset, to be enhanced through territorial marketing, community, and production quality.
10 Questions for Winemakers: From Piwi to dealcoholized wine, from vineyard uprooting to the freedom of IGTs: an open discussion on the major issues facing the present and future of Italian wine.
Alcohol-free wine: production rules approved. The decree defining the tax and excise framework has been approved. Italian companies can now compete on equal terms in the rapidly growing no-/low-alcohol segment.
Wine and longevity Aging capacity remains one of the great challenges in winemaking: useful technical judgments, but always provisional, until time gives its verdict.
Carema: an ancient wine with a contemporary face. Mountain Nebbiolo establishes itself as a model of elegance, freshness, and lightness, in tune with current tastes and resilient to climate change.
After standardization: the wine bar we’d like in 2026. In Milan, the “wine bar with a kitchen” format is growing. Quality is widespread, but so is the risk of standardization in a model that has been too successful.
Gambero’s Lessons: A Review After 25 Years. A personal story that spans the press, communications, and Italian food culture, amid profound changes and new awareness.
International
Sparkling wines will continue to grow. According to FactMr, the global sparkling wine market will reach $59 billion by 2035 (28.3%). Premium, conviviality, and expanding product offerings are driving growth, with a CAGR of 2.5%.
France: Green light for chaptalization of PDO still wines. A historic turning point for AOC wines, designed to address the sector’s crisis and capture the tastes of new generations, with precise limits on residual sugars.
The world’s best winery isn’t in Italy. Wine tourism is growing at double-digit rates and now accounts for about a quarter of wineries’ global revenue. The “World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2025” ranking rewards the overall experience, not just the wine in the glass.
Wine events
Steve McCurry – Umbria Until May 3, 2026 in Montefalco, the exhibition tells the story of Umbria through food, conviviality, and agricultural culture, intertwining photography, territorial identity, and food and wine.
Cantine d’Italia 2026 – Go Wine 911 selected wineries, 270 Impronte d’Eccellenza (Imprints of Excellence) for wine tourism, and over 5,000 wines featured. A guide that invites you to journey through the territories, stories, and landscapes of Italian wine.
Tuscany tops the Go Wine Guide. With 56 Impronte d’Eccellenza (Imprints of Excellence), the region confirms its leadership in Italian wine tourism, thanks to its quality hospitality and diverse territories.
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