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Wine press review for Friday January 30 -2026

Italian wineries and wines, wine news.

Italian wineries

Friuli’s wine world says goodbye to Daniela Coser. The Friulian wine world loses a key figure: Daniela Coser, co-founder of Ronco dei Tassi in Cormòns, has passed away. A discreet and decisive entrepreneur, she helped build one of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s leading wineries, combining vision, sensitivity, and daily dedication.

Le Carline, pioneers of organic and resistant grape varieties in Veneto. In Lison-Pramaggiore, Daniele Piccinin has led one of the most advanced sustainability practices for thirty years: organic, PIWI, sulfur-free wines, and experiments in the lagoon. Today, the winery boasts approximately 35 hectares and a solid, consistent production.

Vinchio Vaglio grows against the grain. The Piedmontese cooperative winery records a 20% increase in sales, €11.5 million in revenue, and strong member compensation. Their strategy: consistent quality and “good wine at the right price” in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Nizza Monferrato.

Maculan Winery, 50 Vintages of Creativity. In Breganze, Fausto Maculan celebrates half a century of his career with an event-wine that embodies his unpredictable style. A story that intertwines terroir, experimentation, and personal identity.

Three wine postcards from Sicily: Casa Grazia, Ramaddini, and Terre di Entella tell the story of three souls of the island: Gela, Marzamemi, and Contessa Entellina. Different grape varieties, soils, and visions, united by quality and a strong territorial identity.

Cantina Pirata, the path of experimentation in Campania In Guardia Sanframondi, Filippo Mancini produces small, unconventional wines from old vineyards and historic varieties to create wines with a strong personality.

Cantina Produttori Bolzano, the cooperative model that works With Alto Adige Bianco Tal 1930 2022, the South Tyrolean cooperative confirms a model based on quality, sustainability and the valorization of small winemakers.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

The future of Prosecco and Veneto denominations. The annual conference in Godega di Sant’Urbano addresses markets, new sources, and sustainability certifications, confirming its position as a point of reference for regional viticulture.

Producing “clean” and fair wine Slow Food reaffirms the need for a paradigm shift: environmental sustainability, biodiversity protection, and the dignity of labor as the pillars of Italian viticulture.

Amarone, not a mistake but an identity project On the eve of Amarone Opera Prima, it is reiterated that the great red from Valpolicella was born from a precise vision of typicality, not by chance.

Prices, margins, and storytelling: a change of pace is needed. A clear message emerged from the DB Conference in London: without alignment between price and perceived value, wine risks a structural crisis of profitability and appeal.

Bottles from the bottom of Lake Garda : 1,200 bottles aged underwater were recovered: an experiment in alternative maturation that continues to intrigue the market and enthusiasts.

International

USA: A struggling but resilient market. Between tariffs, the euro/dollar exchange rate, and new consumption patterns, the wine market in the United States is slowing but not collapsing. For many operators, it remains a key market, especially for the high-end segment.

New resistant grape varieties from Switzerland Agroscope presents seven new varieties with long-lasting resistance to downy mildew and powdery mildew, the result of over 15 years of research and advanced genetic selection.

Romania, Crama Corbuţ and the Crisana Palatin Reserve Romanian viticulture continues its path of valorization: focus on a small winery of the Crisana DOC and on a red wine made from Cabernet, Merlot and Fetească Neagră.

Chianti debuts in Africa. The Chianti Wine Consortium’s mission to Nigeria is a success: masterclasses and tastings in Lagos open a dialogue with an emerging and curious market.

From Hong Kong to Barolo: A Conversion to Wine A Vinitaly International Academy professor reflects on how to attract new audiences to wine at a time of intense pressure on the industry.

Wine events

Salone del Vino 2026 – Turin From February 28th to March 2nd, Piedmont’s largest “open cellar” returns to the OGR Turin. Two days for the public and one for professionals, with international buyers. The theme: “Tasting is discovery.”

Grandi Langhe 2026: Over 400 wines tasted in the press room in Turin. Focus on the new Barolo and Barbaresco vintages, with particular attention to the 2022 vintage, which was marked by severe drought.

Amarone Opera Prima 2026 From January 30th to February 1st in Verona: over 50 wineries and 100 international journalists. Featured, among others, are Pasqua Vini and Ilatium Morini with their new Amarone vintages.

Drink Let’s Drink South in Rome Southern Italy takes center stage at the Westin Excelsior: anticipation is growing for the Costa degli Dei and the future Calabrian wine denomination.

AIS Veneto: 2026 sommelier courses begin . Training for new wine professionals resumes, in a context where culture and skills are becoming increasingly central.

Milan-Cortina 2026, an opportunity for Italian wine According to Sandro Bottega, the Winter Olympics will be a powerful driving force for the wines of Lombardy and Veneto, with global visibility and a strong economic impact.

Today’s wine press review is brought to you by WINEIDEA.IT. See you tomorrow.

Italian wineries and producers, wine news.

Italian wineries

Milan–Cortina 2026: Italian wines at Casa Italia. Twenty-six labels represent the Italian winemaking biodiversity at the Winter Olympics. These include two wines from Romagna (Caviro and Tenuta Masselina) and Cottanera’s Etna DOC Rosso 2023, the only Sicilian wine selected. The selection, curated by LT Wine & Food Advisory for CONI, highlights native appellations and grape varieties, from cooperatives to small-scale producers.

Cantine di Verona: the strength of cooperation. The project born in 2021 from the merger of Valpantena, Custoza, and Colli Morenici has consolidated itself as one of the most structured wineries in the Veneto region. Under the leadership of Luigi Turco, Cantine di Verona demonstrates how cooperative integration can generate financial stability, a broad product range, and strategic continuity.

Settecani Winery: 2026 is the year of Lambrusco Grasparossa. The Modena-based cooperative is focusing on identity, local area, and communication to strengthen the positioning of Grasparossa di Castelvetro, a wine capable of capturing key trends: low alcohol content, gastronomic versatility, and territorial recognition.

Save the Grape: wine “without a tie.” Piero Scalambra’s project proposes a light, itinerant, and contemporary winemaking model. An alternative to the classic winery paradigm, it speaks the language of the new generations without chasing industrial trends.

Tenuta di Castellaro: no alcohol? A fad with no future. Massimo Lentsch recounts the winery’s founding in the Aeolian Islands and takes a stand on the issue of dealcoholized wines, championing an identity-based and territorial vision of wine, now primarily aimed at foreign HORECA markets.

Enrico Crola (Mezzomerico) wins the 2026 Wedding Award. The Novara-based winery and agritourism has been recognized for excellence in the wedding industry, based on direct reviews from couples. This recognition reinforces the role of wineries as places of experience and hospitality.

Terlano Winery: 100/100 Wine Advocate The 1991 Rarity becomes the first Italian dry white wine to earn the highest score from Wine Advocate. This recognition recognizes a winemaking vision rooted in time and longevity.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Young people, no/low alcohol and zero calories: the narrative is changing. A study by the Burgundy School of Wine & Spirits Business overturns the paradigm: Gen Z and Millennials aren’t so much looking for no/low alcohol wines, but rather zero-calorie alternatives. This finding calls for strategic reflection on product, communication, and R&D.

Agriculture, Agrochemicals, and Misinformation The Agrea conference in Rocca Sveva addresses the relationship between agricultural innovation, the environment, and health, highlighting the regulatory complexity and the risk of ideological simplifications affecting the agricultural world.

Wine that creates jobs and inclusion. The “8pari = Social Wine and Equal Opportunities” project, born in the Langhe region, was awarded in Rome. A concrete example of social agriculture that can be replicated in other production chains.

Goodbye happy hour: the drinking ritual is changing. According to Wine Enthusiast, consumption is no longer the center of socializing. Gen Z drinks less and more selectively: wine becomes an option, not the primary experience.

Let’s Kiss About: Ten Wines for Valentine’s Day A cultural and sensorial tale that combines wine, art, and romantic imagery, offering editorial and storytelling inspiration for product communication.

International

Australian wine exports to decline by 8% in 2025. Value and volumes are declining, penalized by China, the US, and the UK. However, alternative markets such as Canada and Southeast Asia are growing, a sign of potential strategic diversification.

EU-India Agreement: Wine Tariffs from 150% to 30%. The signing of the free trade agreement opens up a new landscape for European exports. The Indian market remains complex, but it is finally becoming accessible for Italian wines and spirits as well.

Gambero Rosso in Nairobi: 45 Italian wineries showcased. The third edition of the Top Italian Wines Roadshow in Kenya, dedicated to importers, media, and hospitality, features a selection of premium Italian labels.

The Alto Adige–Tyrol Case: Wine, Identity, and Communication An ironic post by Tirol Werbung sparks a political and cultural controversy between Austria and Alto Adige, demonstrating how sensitive wine and territorial identity are even outside the market.

Wine events and wine experiences

Wine&Siena 2026 (January 30 – February 2) Four days of tastings, masterclasses, and seminars in the Santa Maria della Scala complex, with selected producers and The WineHunter events.

Slow Wine Fair 2026 (BolognaFiere, February 22–24) Over a thousand wineries from 30 countries, with a strong organic and biodynamic presence. The “Old Vintages” area debuts, featuring the heritage of the Pollenzo Wine Bank.

Wine Bank: events between January and February. The Timorasso corner opens in Pollenzo, featuring tastings, participating producers, and cultural influences from the Karst region.

Vermouth di Torino in Turin: PGI event a success. A large turnout and a qualified audience attended Turin’s only event dedicated to Vermouth di Torino PGI: 540 glasses were served and strong interest from the Horeca and media sectors.

BIT Milan: Moldova presents itself From February 10th to 12th, the Moldovan stand will host tastings, tour operators and wine resorts, strengthening the link between wine, tourism and territorial promotion.

Let’s Drink South: The Coast of the Gods in Rome Seven wineries from Vibo Valentia will be featured at The Westin Excelsior, showcasing Calabrian viticulture, from its identities to its new expressions.

Winery Experiences: From tasting tours in Valpolicella with Cantina Vogadori, to “Saturday in the Cellar” with Roberto Lucarelli in the Marche region, to the TerraViva competition for a contemporary boutique winery in eastern Veneto: wine as an experience, a narrative, and a place.

Thanks for listening. Today’s wine press review was brought to you by WINEIDEA.IT .

See you tomorrow.

Italian wineries and producers, wine news.

Italian wineries

Langhe Nebbiolo DOC in bag-in-box: a divisive decision. The Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani Consortium has begun the process to allow Langhe Nebbiolo DOC to be packaged in bag-in-box containers of up to 5 liters. This decision, designed for export, is dividing Piedmontese producers between openness to markets and defense of tradition.

Valentino and wine: from Gavi to Brunello, luxury meets the vineyard. The dialogue between fashion and wine is growing stronger: Valentino and other big names in fashion share their attention to detail, vision, and identity with the wine world. This story is part of a broader trend of luxury investments in wine.

Solopaca Winery, a cooperative history in Sannio. Founded in 1966, this Campania cooperative is one of the oldest in the region. Created to respond to the agricultural crisis and rural depopulation, it still represents a model of local winemaking resilience.

Two visions of wine between Trentino and Alto Adige: Gaierhof and Sankt Pauls. Two wineries geographically close but distant in approach: family tradition and human warmth for Gaierhof, technical precision and international ambition for Sankt Pauls. Two complementary souls of Alpine winemaking.

Raspato di Saracena: the macerated white from Cantine Viola. Luigi Viola presents Raspato Calabria IGT, a radical and distinctive wine, suspended between land and sea. A project that unites memory, territory, and vision, after saving the Moscato Passito di Saracena from extinction.

Tedeschi: Enrico Giacomelli Tedeschi joins the company. Generational transition begins at the historic Pedemonte winery. Enrico Giacomelli Tedeschi will oversee the brand’s development in Italy, bringing his legal and strategic expertise to the company.

Valentino Galgani to lead Cantine Vivito. The Tuscan cooperative, with 1,300 members and €16 million in production, has a new president. Continuity and development are at the heart of his mandate, with a focus on the main regional appellations.

Tenuta Iacoangeli: wine as a family legacy in the Castelli Romani. A story spanning several generations, a symbol of the qualitative rebirth of the Roman vineyard and the rediscovery of volcanic soils as a winemaking capital.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Gambero Rosso’s Top 9 Dolcettos from the Langhe and Monferrato Regions A focus on a grape variety often overshadowed by Nebbiolo and Barbera, but capable of great expressiveness in the Dogliani, Ovada, and Diano d’Alba appellations.

Maìa di Siddùra among Decanter’s 10 best Italian wines of 2025. The only white in the ranking: Vermentino di Gallura enters James Button’s top ten, confirming the qualitative growth of the Sardinian white.

“199 Extraordinary Wines”: Marco Pozzali Talks About Wine Beyond the Ratings. A manifesto-book that restores a narrative and cultural dimension to wine, far removed from the logic of ratings and closer to the human experience.

Fausto Maculan: 50 vintages of vision and experimentation The Breganze producer retraces half a century of winemaking research: from high planting densities to truncated cone-shaped vats, to the influence of Émile Peynaud’s thinking.

Wine, cellars, and vineyards: Italy told through images. Luca Merisio’s photography book Paese del vino, terre divine offers a poetic yet realistic look at the Italian winemaking landscape, its seasons, labor, and widespread beauty.

International

EU-India Agreement: Historic Turning Point for Italian Wine. With the progressive halving of tariffs (from 150% to 30% over seven years), India is opening up as a long-term strategic market. Italian exports are starting from minimal numbers, but the prospects are significant.

Italian Wine in Vietnam: Growth and Opportunities in Southeast Asia Vietnam is consolidating its position as an emerging market: a growing middle class, rising consumption, and export duties are favoring the Italian presence, now second only to France.

Chile: The allure of wine aged at the bottom of the ocean. Bottles aged 20 meters below the surface of Locos Island. An experimental practice that combines winemaking, environment, and storytelling.

Farewell to Jacques Beaufort, pioneer of natural wine in Champagne . A key figure in European biodynamic viticulture has passed away. Beaufort anticipated the “nature” movement by decades, with a radical and coherent vision.

Wine events and training

Milano Cortina 2026: the 26 ambassador wines at Casa Italia, a selection of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) to represent Italy’s winemaking biodiversity during the Winter Olympics. From major appellations to small producers.

Terre di Toscana XVIII edition – 22 and 23 March 2026 In Lido di Camaiore over 140 winemakers tell the story of a multifaceted and contemporary Tuscany, from the coastal territories to the heart of Chianti and Montalcino.

Strada del Barolo: training course for winery hospitality. A training project dedicated to wine tourism staff to further enhance their experience in the Langhe, now a mature international destination.

QdC® Fridays: Plant Health Register and Digital Mandatory Webinar on January 30, 2026, on the mandatory digital conversion of the spray register by December 31, 2026. A key step for future agricultural management.

Agricultural Taxation: A Paradigm-Changing Reform The conference “Economic and Fiscal News 2026” revealed a reform that broadens the concept of agriculture, including innovative crops and overcoming the exclusive constraint of land.

Umbria Top: the international trade fair season kicks off. The Umbrian winery cooperative kicks off 2026 with Wine Paris & Vinexpo, focusing on global relations and structured commercial development.

Today’s wine press review is brought to you by WINEIDEA.IT . See you tomorrow.

Wineries, Italian wine producers, and wine news.

Italian wineries

A Pinot Grigio from Collio at the world’s top for quality-price ratio Schiopetto’s 2024 Pinot Grigio Collio has been awarded by James Suckling as the best white wine in the world for quality-price ratio.

Kren, Doc Collio Friulano 2024 Portrait of the family company from Cormons: territorial identity, ponca, climate and classic interpretation of Friulano.

Cantina Bottenago toasts the white and blue of the partnership between Cantina Bottenago and Union Brescia: sport, territory, and wines that represent the identity of Valtenesi and Garda.

Viarte turns 50: Polegato invests €8 million. The Colli Orientali del Friuli winery is undergoing a new development cycle, with strong production growth and structural renewal.

Erste Neue celebrates Valentine’s Day with the Puntay line. Three South Tyrolean labels dedicated to the lovers’ holiday, a symbol of Alpine style and cooperative tradition.

Dialogue and responsibility: the pact for the relaunch of the Terre d’Oltrepò winery. An institutional meeting to address the crisis and build a shared path to protect workers, winemakers, and the region.

Wine, a Korean family buys Tenuta Cerbaia (Brunello di Montalcino) New foreign investment in a historic Brunello winery: the acquisition market is once again dynamic.

From London to the Brunello vineyards: the Lee family buys Cerbaia. An in-depth look at the transaction and the growing international interest in the Montalcino vineyards.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Mercosur, Puglia and Lucanian DOP wines without European “shield.” Marzia Varvaglione (CEEV) comments on the EU-Mercosur agreement and calls for expanded protection for denominations.

Special agricultural VAT regime with no minimum duration. Clarifications on the agricultural VAT regime: “natural” nature, freedom of exit, and option for the ordinary regime.

In Friuli, between vine shoots and gangmastering. An investigation into work in the Rauscedo vine shoot farms: world-class excellence and social criticalities.

Wineries and starchitects: the new oases among the vineyards. The phenomenon of iconic wineries designed by great architects, combining design, tourism, and cultural experiences.

Enthusiasm, beauty, resilience: the future of Italian wine . The key words for 2026 according to the leaders of the Consorzio Italia del Vino.

Wine, web searches for Italian products are growing worldwide. Google Trends: 20% global interest in “Italian Wine” in 2025.

2026 trends according to Proposta Vini Distribuzione, small producers, and new Horeca dynamics as told by Gianpaolo and Andrea Girardi.

The history of wine in the “wine monasteries” WineNews docu-film with Attilio Scienza: a journey through abbeys and great places symbolic of Italian viticulture.

Marco Pozzali and the “199 extraordinary wines” Wine described beyond the scores, as a cultural and narrative experience.

International

The EU-India agreement is expected to reduce tariffs on wine and oil. New opportunities for European agricultural exports.

EU-India: With tariffs down to 20%, wine finds a new “El Dorado” India emerges as a strategic market for Italian wine.

“Wine cannot ignore Nigeria” Ambassador Mengoni points to Lagos as a strategic hub for Africa and Italian wine.

A World Tour of Wine at the Supermarket: 3 Value-For-Money Whites. A journey through France, the USA, and New Zealand on the shelves of large-scale retail outlets.

Wine events

Milan Cortina 2026: the wine list of the 26 “Olympic wines” at Casa Italia. The ambassador labels of Italian wine at the Winter Games.

Here are the 26 Made in Italy Ambassador wines at Casa Italia. Official selection by CONI and LT Wine & Food Advisory to represent Italian biodiversity.

Assovini Sicilia at Wine Paris 2026 with 32 companies Collective Sicilian presence at the major international fair in Paris.

Slow Wine Fair 2026: the “What does the right glass tell?” conferences: Vineyard work, sustainability, and social responsibility are at the heart of the program.

Grandi Langhe and the Piedmont of Wine 2026 The great professional event of Piedmontese wine on January 26-27 at the OGR in Turin.

Thanks for listening. Today’s wine press review was brought to you by WINEIDEA.IT .

See you tomorrow.

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