Vinodabere.it's Guide to Italy's Best Pinot Noir 2026

Starting this year, additional categories have been added, such as sparkling wines, white wines, and rosés in which Pinot Noir accounts for 80% or more. This change not only changes the Guide's numbers and typologies, but also, predictably, its geography and the weighting of the various production areas. The numbers speak for themselves: 250 wines tasted, 145 reviewed (underscoring that interpreting Pinot Noir at the highest level remains a challenging task), but with a remarkable 54 Standing Ovations (the highest recognition awarded by the editors).

In detail, and starting with the most anticipated new entry, sparkling wines (31, with 11 awards): Piedmont hits the mark, confirming that the Alta Langa (6 sparkling wines in the Guide, including 3 Standing Ovations) continues to rise strongly after its takeoff. Lombardy is doing well, indeed very well, playing its trump card with Oltrepò and placing—all from there—15 Pinot Noir bubbles in the Guide, with 4 Standing Ovations. Trentino confirms its "classic" vocation and reciprocated love for the grape (4 wines and two top honors).

The white and rosé wines were less impressive in terms of numbers (three and six respectively), with only the former receiving a Standing Ovation. But it's worth opening a (much admired) aside: the winner was Fattoria Mancini, a wine from the Marche region, rightfully considered one of the absolute pioneers in promoting the grape variety in Italy. Their red wines, in fact, have earned two more awards (a triumph, in short).

And within the regional panorama, Alto Adige reaffirms its undisputed vocation and its anticipation, confirming its leadership with 37 wines, 21 of which are Standing Ovations (plus one sparkling wine), including the only four "perfect" wines, rated 100/100. Tuscany, another illustrious Pinot Noir enclave, is seemingly slipping a bit in the interregional rankings, this time seeing its presence limited to six examples, including one Standing Ovation. But essentially, this is a sign of growing competition, thus demanding ever-higher performance to stay ahead. And the latest data from this edition of the Guide confirms this: in addition to those already deservedly mentioned, wines from Abruzzo, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Sicily, Umbria, and Valle d'Aosta have also been included in the Guide. This demonstrates that Pinot Noir is now a truly national phenomenon that no longer needs to be called "Noir" to feel important.

Curators: Maurizio Valeriani and Antonio Paolini.

Text revision by Pino Perrone.

Web editing by Daniele Moroni.

The texts you will read in the Guide are by: Salvatore Del Vasto, Paolo Frugoni, Federico Gabriele, Maurizio Gabriele, Luca Matarazzo, Daniele Moroni, Gianmarco Nulli Gennari, Antonio Paolini, Pino Perrone, Stefano Puhalovich, Franco Santini, Susanna Schivardi, Gianni Travaglini, Paolo Valentini, Maurizio Valeriani.

Guide link: https://vinodabere.it/guida-ai-migliori-pinot-nero-ditalia-2026-la-guida-completa/

The 4 Wines with 100/100:

Alto Adige Pinot Noir Riserva Lafóa 2021 – Colterenzio Winery

Alto Adige Pinot Noir Riserva Luma 2022 – Tenuta Romen

Alto Adige Pinot Noir Riserva Matan Glen 2022 – Tenuta Pftscher

Alto Adige Pinot Noir Buchholz 2023 - Castelfeder Winery