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Issue 780 - April 6th - 10th 2026 - Expressly created for 3713 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world | |
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| | | Consumption patterns are changing, markets are shifting, and the number of beer and spirits drinkers in Italy is growing, but wine has remained “the Italians’ favorite” over the past 25 years. This is according to Istat data in the volume “Thirty years of daily life: trends and transformations in Italian society”, which shows that 59.6% of the Italian population consumes wine (albeit less frequently on a daily basis and more occasionally). This figure has remained stable over the period examined, with the number of wine drinkers still higher than those who drink beer (52.7% of the population) and other spirits (50%). | |
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| | A story of Italian wine as a symbol of the Italian good life, loved around the world and further strengthened by the recognition of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO World Heritage, of which it is the most faithful companion. Together, they embody conviviality and socializing, but also serve as the “medium” for introducing the world to the beauty of Italy, through their connections to the land, history, culture, and communities. If this is Vinitaly in Verona - and if we’ve listed the thousand-plus reasons not to miss it in recent days - on the eve of this landmark international event for Italian wine, all that remains is to shed light on the thousands of events within the event that WineNews has put on the agenda (in-depth coverage, which we’ll report “day by day” from our “observatory” at the fair, as guests of the Marche region, the only “plural” region in Italy, and from our editorial office in the heart of Tuscany). And for wine lovers, too, because while the fair is all about business, thanks to the “Vinitaly and the City” pop-up event, you can experience Verona and Valpolicella through a large-scale communal tasting, kicking off tonight with world downhill skiing champion Laura Pirovano and a toast featuring Pinot Grigio DOC delle Venezie, the “Official Wine”, followed by numerous cultural events, including tomorrow’s immersive show “Dentro c’è l’Italia”, which will explore the soul of Italian wine through dance, theater, and music, under the artistic direction of Giuliano Peparini, for Veronafiere and OpportunItaly, the export acceleration program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ICE Agency, and sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, featuring 150 performers from the Peparini Academy in Piazza Bra. Then, on to Vinitaly 2026, featuring tastings, masterclasses, conferences, talks, trends, and insights, through which some 4,000 companies will present themselves to 1,000 buyers from 130 countries and engage with Italian and European institutions, which, as always, will be present in large numbers at the fair, because the sector accounts for 1.1% of Italy’s GDP, including production value (€14 billion) and related economic activity (reaching €45 billion), and with exports that have held steady at €7.7 billion in 2025, thanks to 530,000 businesses and 870,000 direct employees across the 670,000 hectares of “Vigneto Italia”. | |
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| | Asti, Italy’s first Metodo Classico, born in the “Underground Cathedrals” cellars of Canelli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a jewel of the Italian sparkling wine tradition and “sweet drinking”, is now also available as a rose. The Asti DOCG Consortium, led by President Stefano Ricagno, has announced the completion of the bureaucratic process, initiated at the end of 2023, with the publication in the Official Gazette, which adds the rosé category to the Asti DOCG production regulations. The new product (which can be bottled starting thirty days after publication in the Official Gazette) will be a blend composed of Moscato grapes intended for Asti DOCG (70% to 90%) and Brachetto grapes intended for Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG (10% to 30%), and may be offered in all styles, from sweet to extra brut. The first official toast will take place at Vinitaly 2026 (read more). | |
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| | | Over 657,000 searches in just three months in 2026, representing nearly 10% growth compared to the same period in 2025, with more than half of the attention focused on sparkling wines: these figures paint a new picture of online wine consumption in Italy, as revealed by an analysis by Trovaprezzi.it, presented for Vinitaly 2026 (April 12–15, 2026), which highlights a sector that is becoming increasingly central to e-commerce and increasingly driven by price comparison. This trend fits into a broader picture of consolidation within the category: in 2025, total searches reached 2.67 million, confirming wine’s significance in the digital landscape. User preferences paint a clear picture: sparkling wines account for 52% of total interest, followed by reds at 36.7%, while whites (8%), rosés, and dessert wines (3.3%) lag further behind. Among the most searched-for sparkling wines, iconic high-end names stand out, such as Veuve Clicquot Champagne and Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvée Brut Franciacorta DOCG. A similar trend is seen among reds, where Italian excellence dominates, such as Marchesi Antinori’s Tignanello, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia, and Castello Banfi’s Brunello di Montalcino. | |
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| | | The number of wine consumers worldwide is growing. But they’re drinking less than before. Young people? They’re the ones expanding the consumer base, even if they drink only occasionally. And while Prosecco is generally the favorite wine for most people, young people also love the great Italian reds, with Amarone della Valpolicella, Barbaresco, Taurasi, Bolgheri, and Chianti leading the way. Data (in-depth analysis) from the Observatory of Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) and Vinitaly. | |
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| | “Sometimes they come back”, to quote one of the most famous titles by the great writer Stephen King. And this certainly holds true when looking at the first draft, published in recent days, of the guidelines for the new “Beca” (Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan) from the European Parliament’s Health Committee, which calls on the EU Commission to present legislative proposals on health warnings on labels “without further delay”. An issue that seemed to have been resolved, even after Ireland’s postponement of the regulation (from 2026 to 2028) which, in recent years, amid much controversy, had broken this deadlock, and which, instead, is now back in the spotlight. And, as the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), led by Lamberto Frescobaldi, points out, this “risks reopening a debate that had already been settled and unfairly penalizing a strategic sector of European-made products”, sending a “worrying and inconsistent signal”. | |
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| | “Drink wine slowly with your eyes closed and listen to the music”: these are the “instructions” from the renowned artist and performer Marina Abramovic, on the label of the sole Salmanazar (9 liters) of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2023, “La Vitalità”, which, along with other large-format bottles and rare bottles featuring labels designed by Abramovic, will be auctioned by Bonhams (online, June 11–23), as part of the 18th edition of the project that, over the years, has involved many of the world’s leading contemporary artists in support of the arts. | |
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