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Issue 774 - February 23rdth - 27th 2026 - Expressly created for 3700 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Italy dominates the wine scene, with 20 wines out of a total of 115 in the ranking - with “triples” for Ceretto, one of the historic brands of Barolo and Langhe, the Mezzacorona Group, one of Italy’s most virtuous cooperatives, and Arianna Occhipinti, one of Sicily’s most famous wineries, and “doubles” for Ruffino, one of Tuscany’s most important wineries (Constellation Brands group) and for the unique Tenuta del Paguro, in Emilia-Romagna, famous for aging its wines at sea - is still at the top of the “World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection” 2026, the special selection resulting from the choices of 29 sommeliers and wine directors from some of the world’s most renowned restaurants. | |
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| | In a difficult 2025 for the wine market, more than half of Italian wineries defended themselves, balancing their financial statements for 2024 (which, it should be remembered, was a record year, at least in terms of exports, with €8.1 billion), while more than 4 out of 10 companies saw a decline in turnover, albeit limited to a few percentage points. Meanwhile, for 2026, which has just begun, despite an uncertain and variable scenario, from tariffs on a key market such as the US to health trends and more, 70% of companies are divided between those who expect stability or a slight recovery and 30% who, on the other hand, expect a further, albeit slight, decline in turnover. To stem these trends, the vast majority of companies will maintain stable investments in communication, marketing, and image, while a significant portion, 4 out of 10, will invest even more in sales support. This is the picture that emerges from the WineNews survey on the end of 2025 and the outlook for 2026, with the views of 25 leading Italian wine companies, which together have an aggregate turnover of more than €2.5 billion (representing over 17% of the sector’s total production turnover), with a varied sample consisting of small prestigious companies, large structured groups with prestigious wineries and brands, and cooperatives that have long focused on quality and the creation of important and well-positioned brands on the market. Overall, in general, 2025 ended on a par for 53% of companies in terms of balance sheets, but with a decline (varying between -1% and -5%) for the vast majority of the others (with residual, almost unique, positive signs, and in any case of very few percentage points). Although there are some small signs of optimism, or attempts to glimpse them, at the start of 2026, which for 70% of companies will be marked by stability or growth compared to 2025 (with opinions divided exactly in half, 35% each). Looking more closely (in depth), in Italy, 58% of wineries that responded to the survey report stability, while, again, more wineries report a decline (26%) than growth (16%). The situation is more varied in terms of exports, where 42% report stability, 37% a decline, and 21% growth. | |
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| | He is not stopping, but rather relaunching, with the enthusiasm that has always distinguished his entrepreneurial career: “Wine is an evolving project, born out of passion, and we want to implement it further. How? Through participation in other companies, including abroad”. This is what Renzo Rosso, one of Italy’s most important entrepreneurs in fashion and wine, owner of Diesel and Only The Brave Group (with brands such as Maison Margiela, Marni, Jil Sander, and Viktor & Rolf), and Diesel Farm in Veneto, with shares in the Josetta Saffirio estates in Langhe and Benanti on Etna (part of the Brave Wine group), told WineNews. “The capital invested in wine? I would do it all again. We want to be present in the most important wine regions, in Italy and around the world. The project is called Brave Wine, because that’s what I did”. | |
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| | | “Wine is only good if it is fair.” From an ethical, qualitative, social, environmental, economic, and so on, point of view. It is a clear and unambiguous message that goes beyond the concept of “good, clean, and fair,” launched by Slow Wine at the start of the “Slow Wine Fair” in recent days at BolognaFiere, together with “Sana Food”. It is a strong message, coming in a year that marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Slow Food, which, in four decades of battles, has led and won many. With the privileged observatory of the “Slow Wine Fair”, with its 1,100 Italian wineries from 28 countries, it focuses attention on the issue of work in the vineyard, especially that of foreigners. “Because if it is true that agriculture - and the wine sector is no exception - is subject to overt forms of labor exploitation, such as illegal hiring, or covert forms, as occurs in some cooperatives, we must not forget the many positive examples that emerge from this sector. There are numerous examples of those who have set themselves the goal of ethical drinking, beyond the privilege of drinking good wine and the lure of profit: according to Slow Food, wine is good if it is also fair”, explains the “Chiocciola” (read more). | |
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| | | The Valdarno di Sopra DOC has stabilized production at 350,530 bottles in 2025, with a growing trend toward single-varietal wines alongside those from “vineyard” blends. In addition, all winegrowers are certified organic or in the process of conversion, making it the first Italian appellation to be entirely organic according to its regulations. Data released by the Consortium on “Valdarno di Sopra Day” at the Ferragamo family’s Il Borro estate, at the close of the “Anteprime di Toscana” event. | |
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| | The Consorzio del Vino Chianti, continuing its strategy of exporting and opening new markets, now has its sights set on India for 2027 (in addition to Brazil, Nigeria, and other markets as in the recent past); Morellino di Scansano is changing its regulations by introducing a “Superiore” version and embarking on a new path for its “preview”, but that’s not all. It will no longer be linked to Chianti but will be committed to “exploring new synergies with other local appellations in the Tuscan Maremma”. These are, in summary, the messages that came out of “Chianti Lovers & Rosso Morellino” 2026, a joint event of the two appellations, which, in recent days, presented the new vintages in the glass (see our best tastings for more details). | |
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| | A project born thanks to wine and translated into a concrete commitment to preserve the beauty of its territory: the proceeds from the sale of a limited edition (in jeroboam) of Chardonnay 2024, Planeta’s iconic wine celebrating its 30th harvest, with a label featuring the artwork “On Fire” by the Claire Fontaine Art Collective, will finance the restoration of the rural landscape in the Selinunte Archaeological Park, the largest in Europe and one of the “wonders” of Sicily and Italy, and where the family business was founded. | |
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