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Issue 807 - October 12th - 16th 2026 - Expressly created for 3716 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Sicily, “a land of unparalleled hospitality, is the International Wine Region of the Year”. With these words, the American magazine “Wine Enthusiast” announced Sicily’s recognition as “International Wine Region of the Year” as part of its prestigious 2026 “Wine Stars Awards.” This award for Sicily “is a tremendous honor and a testament to the evolution of our wine region. Sicily’s strength lies in its extraordinary diversity of native grape varieties and terroirs, and in the ability of our producers to blend tradition and innovation”, stated Alessio Planeta, president of Consorzio Vini DOC Sicilia. | |
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| | The future of quality wine? It lies with “terroir-driven wines” that embody a sense of identity, express uniqueness, and are instantly recognizable. These wines are light, even in terms of alcohol content, and versatile, suitable both for pairing with the diverse cuisines of an increasingly globalized world and for enjoying a glass in a carefree moment or to celebrate something special. This description fits Champagne perfectly, as shared with WineNews by someone who knows the world of fine wine inside and out and possesses a decidedly broad perspective on it: Frédéric Rouzaud, president of Louis Roederer, an icon of French and global wine, a maison founded in 1776, which this very year is celebrating its first 250 years of history, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Cristal (also celebrated in recent days in Italy - where it is distributed by Sagna Spa - with a dinner event at the restaurant “Da Vittorio”, the historic three-Michelin-starred restaurant owned by the Cerea family in Brusaporto, where we met him for a full interview and in-depth wine tasting). It is one of the most famous and prized Champagnes in the world, and the “jewel” of a galaxy, the Roederer Collection, which also includes Champagne Deutz, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Château de Pez in Bordeaux, Delas Frères in the Rhône Valley, Domaines Ott in Provence, Ramos Pinto in Portugal’s Douro Valley, as well as Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars, Domaine Anderson, Merry Edwards Winery, and Diamond Creek Vineyards in California, and Domaine Pierre Damoy in Burgundy, totaling 13 wineries and 1,100 hectares of highly prized, company-owned vineyards. For Frédéric Rouzaud, there are still elements today that make Champagne, and certain Champagnes in particular, icons, even in a changing wine world. For the Champagne region, which, like everyone else, has experienced a slowdown in sales in recent years, but which, bolstered by a thriving and rock-solid economy that has endured for centuries (with an annual turnover of around 6 billion euros according to data from the Comité Champagne, ed.), does not seem overly concerned from an economic standpoint. “I believe that Champagne”, says Rouzaud, “has everything it needs to look to the future with great optimism”. | |
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| | Wine exports in 2026 are still declining but showing signs of recovery compared to 2025, at least in terms of volume. In July, they narrowed the gap with the previous year’s performance, mainly thanks to a rebound in the United States, which, however, remains firmly in negative territory. This trend is consistent across all major markets in North America and Europe, while significant signs of growth, following years of decline, are emerging from Asia, South America, and, above all, Russia. According to Istat data on the first 7 months of the year analyzed by WineNews, global exports of Italian wine reached 4.35 billion euros (-5.3% compared to July 2025) for 1.19 billion liters (-0.8%), marking a recovery from the mid-year figures, which showed exports contracting by -6.2% in value and -4% in volume. | |
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| | | Considered the “cradle” of global viticulture, Georgia is experiencing a true modern wine “renaissance”. A country boasting 8,000 years of winemaking history, with its traditional method of winemaking in large terracotta amphorae called qvevri recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and which today boasts 49,000 hectares of vineyards, over 3,000 wineries, 525 indigenous grape varieties, and 30 recognized appellations (data from Wines of Georgia). Georgia’s wine movement also has an Italian soul, embodied by the Nimbi Winery in the village of Khashmi, in the Kakheti region. It was founded by Bacho Bughdgiashvili and Vato Otkhmezuri, with winemaking direction by Riccardo Cotarella, one of the world’s most renowned Italian winemakers and president of Assoenologi (and co-president of the World Association of Oenologists). “It’s an important project that has attracted a lot of attention, including from Georgian political circles”, Riccardo Cotarella explains to WineNews (in more details), “because it’s a sort of pilot project not only for the winery but for the entire country, and it has been very well received by Georgian politicians and their Minister of Agriculture, David Songulashvili, whom I meet often, as was the case just a few days ago at Ambassador D’Antuono’s residence (photo), who is a great wine enthusiast”. | |
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| | | In Italy, the 2026 grape harvest, one of the earliest on record, has already ended or is nearing its end in many regions. While we await figures on the total output of Italy’s latest harvest, “Cantina Italia” inventory data updated as of September 30, 2026, and, therefore, with a significant portion of the grapes already in the cellars, show 41 million hectoliters of wine (+14.2% compared to the same date in 2025), 12.8 million hectoliters of must (+50.5%), and 8.9 million hectoliters of new wine still fermenting (+92.8%). In other words, more than 62 million hectoliters of “liquid stocks” in cellars. | |
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| | Perhaps there’s nothing better than receiving a phone call announcing that you’ve won the Nobel Prize in Physics while sitting at the table, surrounded by the finest Piedmontese cuisine perfectly paired with the great wines of the Langhe. This is no joke: that’s exactly what happened to Francis Halzen, whose cell phone rang a few days ago while he was attending a dinner organized by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics at the NH Collection Santo Stefano Hotel in Turin. And he answered, toasting with wines from Luigi Vico, a young, small winery in the Langhe region that produces the prestigious Barolo from the municipality of Serralunga d’Alba and the Prapò Cru, also in Serralunga, as well as sparkling wines from Travaglini, a leading producer of Gattinara, and Massolino’s Langhe Riesling, from a historic Piedmontese winery founded in the 19th century, also in Serralunga. | |
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| | For Prosecco Doc, China represents a strategic market with steady growth potential, bucking the trend seen in the broader wine sector. In the first half of 2026, exports to China rose by 30% compared to the same period a year ago, totaling one million bottles (0.2% of the appellation’s total exports). It is against this backdrop of growth that a series of masterclasses, held in collaboration with two universities in Beijing and led by AIS sommelier David Cheng, took place, guiding over 100 Chinese students on a journey to discover the history of the appellation. | |
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