CMB 2026: 475 Italian wines awarded medals and the debut of the first CMB Certified establishments.

The project in dialogue with the restaurant world kicks off in Rome with the top 10 food and wine addresses in the Capital .

The awards ceremony for the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Sauvignon Selection by CMB , the annual event dedicated to the finest expressions of Italian wine, has just concluded at Palazzo Valentini. This year, 475 wines received medals: 22 Grand Gold (led by Veneto with five award-winning labels, Sicily with four, Puglia, Abruzzo, and Piedmont with two), 172 Gold, and 281 Silver. Among the regions with the most awards are Puglia with 70 medals, Veneto with 64, Tuscany with 49, Sicily with 42, Lombardy with 36, Abruzzo, and Sardinia with 33. With these numbers, the result of extensive tasting sessions involving 320 tasters from around the world, Italy ranked second in the session out of 51 participating countries.

The event at Palazzo Valentini hosted an audience of 53 wineries from across Italy, tasting 121 award-winning wines, and was attended by hundreds of guests, including press and industry professionals. The event confirms its position as a key event for the Roman wine scene, combining tastings at the tasting tables with an awards ceremony. CMB President Baudouin Havaux , Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Rome Pierluigi Sanna, and Hikariko Ono, Ambassador of Japan to Italy, attended the event, commemorating 160 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan.

"The mission of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles doesn't end with awarding medals ," says Baudouin Havaux, President of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. " Our primary goal is to help create growth and visibility opportunities for producers by generating new opportunities for interaction with the trade and consumers. This is the vision behind this project, which directly involves Rome's restaurants, wine shops, and venues to strengthen the presence of award-winning labels in the contexts where the most significant consumer experiences take place, thus continuing the process of promoting Italian wine producers and regions."

Among the major innovations of this edition is the launch of the CMB Certified program in Rome, presented through a dedicated corner of the first participating establishments, distributed by Divina Italia, a young company in the capital specializing in the distribution of wines and spirits in the Ho.Re.Ca sector. The project involves Michelin-starred restaurants, wine bars, bistros, delicatessens, and pastry shops that offer at least five wines or spirits awarded by the Concours and adopt the marketing tools provided by the organization. The first participating establishments are the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Idylio by Apreda, Mari e Monti, Ninkasi, Chattanooga Saloon Appia, Volpetti, Pan Bernardo, Florinda, Er Macellaio, Strabbioni, and BBQ Fiumicino: a network of diverse establishments spread across the Roman territory, united by the same attention to quality and product selection.

"This year, Palazzo Valentini, in its splendid Roman setting, will once again host the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which annually showcases wines of the highest quality that can be savored, studied, and promoted in Rome and throughout Europe, " said Pierluigi Sanna, Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Rome. " Hosting the event is a unique opportunity that places us at the center of a broader food and wine competition and launches us into an international arena. Among the many competing wineries, five are from the metropolitan area: the Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Gualtieri, has among its missions the valorization and promotion of food and wine excellence, part of a broader objective of economic development and the promotion of slow, high-quality tourism. It is a privilege to showcase the agricultural tradition of Rome and its surrounding area within a European context that includes high-level initiatives like this."

As every year, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has reserved some special awards for wines that have particularly distinguished themselves in their category: the Vinolok trophy (a partner of the event for years, sharing the commitment to promoting wines that stand out for their quality and territoriality), for the best rosé wine was awarded to Talamonti rosé 2025 by the Talamonti Abruzzo Winery; the 2026 Italian Wine Revelation goes to Foja D'or Riserva 2019 by Emilio Franzoni (Botticino DOC denomination from Lombardy) while the best Sparkling wine is René 2017 by Feudo Disisa. Six labels from the Calici DiVini line by Pam Panorama, a project that selects premium wines from Pam, Panorama, Pam Local, and Pam City stores, also received awards. Four silver medals, one gold medal, and the Grand Oro award went to the Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore di Cartizze Dry "Cilium," the only top honor awarded among Italian sparkling wines participating in the Prosecco category.

Alongside the tasting, a trio of masterclasses offered an in-depth look at some of the finest winemaking experiences: the first two, “ Sweets from around the world: a journey through great sweet wines ,” led by journalist Marco Sciarrini, and “ Metropolitan excellence: awarded at CMB 2026 ,” led by Fabio Ciarla, took place at 4:30 pm, followed by a 6:00 pm meeting with “The thousand shades of Rosé ,” led by Concezio Marulli, President of the Casauria DOCG Association.