Etna Wine Forum closes its fifth edition with four thousand attendees

Villa delle Favare was a success, with tastings, masterclasses, and haute cuisine from Michelin-starred chefs Heinz Beck, Vincenzo Candiano, and Cristina Bowerman.

The next stop is in Rome on October 20th with "Etna Wine Forum OFF".

The fifth edition of the Etna Wine Forum, the four-day festival that enlivened Villa delle Favare in Biancavilla, closed with record numbers. With four thousand visitors, fifty wineries and oil mills, and a rich program of masterclasses, cooking demonstrations, debates, and press tours, the event—organized by the Municipality of Biancavilla in conjunction with the Italian Sommelier Foundation—confirms its growth. The event thus consolidates its position as a benchmark for Etna's wine culture, crowning Biancavilla as the wine capital of the southwest slope of Etna and attracting an ever-growing audience thanks in part to its promotion and focus on the southwest slope, as well as its exchange with other winemaking regions outside Sicily.

At the heart of the event is the promotion of the volcano's southwest slope: a territory with a strong identity, characterized by a unique microclimate thanks to its prolonged exposure to the sun and mineral-rich volcanic soils that produce grapes with unique characteristics, capable of producing white wines with a strong balance of acidity, freshness, and aromatic complexity, as well as elegant reds. In the altitude range between 600 and 1,000 meters, 70 hectares of vineyards are cultivated within the Etna DOC. The southwest slope boasts approximately twenty producers, five wineries, and approximately one hundred thousand bottles produced. The area includes the towns of Biancavilla, Santa Maria di Licodia, Adrano, Belpasso, and Ragalna.

Not only the excellence of wine production, the fifth edition of the Etna Wine Forum hosted show-cookings with three Michelin-starred chefs – Heinz Beck (La Pergola dell'Hotel Rome Cavalieri, 3 Michelin stars), Cristina Bowerman (Glass Hostaria, Rome, 1 Michelin star), Vincenzo Candiano (Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa Ibla, 1 Michelin star), as well as the protagonists of Biancavilla's restaurant scene – celebrating the cultural value of the connection between food and wine.

The 2026 edition opened with the inaugural Forum "Biancavilla, Porta del Sole: Identity and Perspectives of the South-West Side" and the educational module "The Craft of Food," organized by the partner ARS ETS, the project developed by the ARS School of Crafts.

The wine masterclasses, led by instructors from the Italian Sommelier Foundation of Sicily, not only highlighted the excellence of the southwest region, but also fostered a dialogue with important wine-producing regions such as France, Valle d'Aosta, and Calabria. A specific focus was also given to extra virgin olive oil, which was the focus of a masterclass that explored the quality of the region's olive oil production.

"The fifth edition of the Etna Wine Forum marked a step forward that exceeded our expectations," commented Biancavilla's mayor, Antonio Bonanno . "Every year the standard rises, and this year's achievement primarily rewards the winemakers of southwest Etna, who have found in this event an authentic showcase to showcase the value of their work. But the success also extends to our community. Biancavilla, the Gateway to the Sun, has achieved unprecedented prominence thanks to the Etna Wine Forum. An image built not on rhetoric but on solid foundations: quality, excellence, and the unique identity of a territory that owes everything to the volcano. This concreteness has the flavor of wine, the scent of Etna's land, and the strength of those who work every day to transform the unique characteristics of our volcano into recognized excellence." Etna Wine Forum is now much more than a food and wine festival: it is a driving force for development and pride for Biancavilla and for the entire South-West of Etna", concluded the mayor of Biancavilla, Antonio Bonanno .

On Sunday, October 11th, the festival concluded with a tasting open to the public, hosting fifty wineries and hundreds of labels, as well as local olive growers and the Consortium for the Protection of Etna Prickly Pear (Ficodindia dell'Etna DOP). The program also included a cultural event with presentations of books and authors dedicated to winemaking.

"With the Etna Wine Forum, we're celebrating a unique event in the Italian wine calendar," added Paolo Di Caro, president of the Fondazione Italiana Sommelier Sicilia . "It's an event that focuses on showcasing the region and the expressive power of its wineries, combining education and experience to showcase the uniqueness of Etna's southwest side, along with show cooking by Michelin-starred chefs."

The Radio Amore group introduced the public to the event dedicated to Etna's wine culture through live broadcasts, interviews, talks, and the Antenna Sicilia program "Isola Verde," hosted by Ruggero Sardo. With the patronage of the regional departments for Local Authorities and Agriculture, MASAF, Confagricoltura, and the Etna Park, Etna Wine Forum thus concludes another successful edition, confirming Biancavilla as a true laboratory of culture, taste, and identity, capable of combining the promotion of local excellence with a broad vision. See you on October 20th at the Waldorf Astoria in Rome for "Etna Wine Forum OFF," the event that will bring Biancavilla and the wineries of its southwest slopes to life.

The companies of Etna Wine Forum 2026

Companies on the South-West side

Border Vineyards, Terre di Montalto, Tenuta Masseria Setteporte, Le Due Tenute, Tenuta del Vallone Rosso, Pietrardita wine, Grottafumata, Travaglianti Etna's excellence, Feudo Cavaliere, Terrafusa, Palmento Gangi, Cortese oil and wine, Cantine Sava, Federico Curtaz, Idda.

The companies present at the tasting tables

Beniamino Fede, Vivera, Lepardo, Orestiadi Estates - La Gelsomineta, Terra Costantino, Enza La Fauci, Principi di Butera, Fragalà, Greco, Firriato winery, Liquoremente, Baglio del Cristo di Campobello, Raciti, Cannavò wines, Catanoso company, Foti Randazzese estates, Semantile, Girolamo Russo, Iuppa cellars, Etna terraces, Patria cellars, Nicosia estates, Verderame, Giò Emmanuele, Aitala, Girolamo Russo, Maugeri cellars, Barrus, Raciti, Luca Valastro, Vita nova, Lipari, Nobody's cellars, Micali estates, Massimo Lentsch, Cp Vini, Az. Agr. Indovina Ronsisvalle, Guardi Italia, Sapta oil, Consortium for the Protection of Etna Prickly Pear DOP.