CONSORZIO GARDA DOC CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY AT FESTIVALETTERATURA 2026

The Garda DOC Consortium is celebrating its 30th anniversary by returning to Festivaletteratura 2026 , scheduled for September 9-13 in Mantua , where it will be present for the tenth consecutive year as a partner and "Festival Wine." This particularly significant milestone coincides with the 30th edition of the literary event , one of the most prestigious and well-attended cultural events in Italy and internationally.

" Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Garda DOC Consortium along with the 30th anniversary of Festivaletteratura is a moment of strong symbolic value for us. For ten years, we have shared with the Festival a vision based on encounters, dialogue, and the valorization of the territory. The collaboration between Garda DOC and Festivaletteratura represents one of the most consolidated relationships in the promotion of the Denomination. After the restyling of the DOC in 2016, in fact, Festivaletteratura was the first major national event to host Garda DOC, inaugurating a path that over the years has strengthened the link between the world of wine and that of culture, reaching, in 2026, its tenth participation ," declares Paolo Fiorini, President of the Garda DOC Consortium. " Wine, like literature, is a storytelling tool that creates relationships and puts people at the center; being present in Mantua on this special occasion means confirming our commitment to promoting Garda through authentic experiences that combine culture, conviviality, and territorial identity ."

Garda DOC will be a key player in Festivaletteratura 2026, both through the Consortium's institutional presence and through the contribution of the appellation's wineries, which will bring the variety and quality of Garda wine production to the heart of Mantua. Festival attendees will be able to taste wines from Cadis 1898, Cantina Ricchi, Cantine di Verona, Tenuta Maddalena, Borgo La Caccia, Cantina Gozzi, and Casa Primavera, diverse yet complementary expressions of the Garda DOC's identity and rich production. This concerted participation will give voice to the region's diverse production traditions, combining the Consortium's institutional narrative with that of the wineries that interpret and enhance the Garda DOC's identity every day.

For the 2026 edition, Garda DOC will once again be present at some of the most iconic moments of the event. The wines of the Denomination will be featured at the opening toast in Piazza Sordello on Wednesday, September 9th , at meetings for Festival sponsors and supporters at Palazzo Castiglioni from September 10th to 13th , at convivial events for Italian and international authors, at meals organized for the event's guests, and at the special evening hosted at the Teatro Scientifico Bibiena on Friday, September 11th, featuring the musical and poetic project LYR, composed of Simon Armitage, Richard Walters, and Patrick J. Pearson. Garda DOC will also be present at numerous opportunities for authors, journalists, sponsors, institutions, and the public to meet, reinforcing the role of wine as a vehicle for sharing and dialogue.

This special edition will also feature the creation of a special Garda DOC label by Festivaletteratura , designed to celebrate the shared journey between the two entities. The label will accompany the Festival's social events and be displayed in the Festivaletteratura Ethnographic Museum, becoming a tangible symbol of a collaboration now in its tenth year and of an anniversary that brings together the 30th anniversary of the Garda DOC Consortium and the 30th edition of the Mantua event.

Participation in Festivaletteratura 2026 thus confirms the Garda DOC Consortium's desire to support contexts of excellence in which wine can become an ambassador of culture, territory, and conviviality, consolidating the Denomination's position within one of the country's most important cultural events.