Wine press review for Friday, March 20, 2026!

The world of wine and agriculture continues to navigate structural transformations, technical innovation, new consumer trends, and conflicting market signals. From large-scale retail trade to wineries, from policies for young farmers to local events, a sector is emerging that seeks a new balance between identity, profitability, and adaptability.

Italian wineries

Paololeo Wineries Accelerates International Growth

Cantine Paololeo closed 2025 with growing results and is firmly focused on foreign markets. The Apulian company recorded a turnover of €25.3 million, a 9.8% increase over the previous year, with a production of 6 million bottles. The acquisition of the historic Candido winery in San Donaci also supported its growth. The declared strategy focuses on loyalty, commercial flexibility, and international consolidation.

Renzo Rosso transforms Diesel Farm into a film set

Nestled in the hills of Marostica, Renzo Rosso's Diesel Farm becomes the location for the dystopian thriller "C14," a new production by Antonello Belluco in collaboration with Rai Cinema. The winery-farm thus confirms itself not only as a production site, but also as a narrative and symbolic space for Made in Italy, capable of intertwining wine, creativity, and contemporary imagery.

Cantina Valle Isarco celebrates 65 years with Aristos wines.

The South Tyrolean cooperative Cantina Valle Isarco showcases its Aristos line through a digital tasting. Founded in 1961 by 24 families, it now has 135 members, 150 hectares in 11 municipalities, and produces 950,000 bottles. Its production remains heavily oriented toward white wines, which account for 95% of its total production.

Col Vetoraz, the art of Valdobbiadene among the UNESCO hills

Col Vetoraz is described as one of the most recognizable expressions of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, set in a unique landscape that combines territorial identity, production quality, and a strong wine tourism appeal. The winery's value is closely tied to the narrative value of the UNESCO hills and its ability to transform the territory into a positioning.

Kaltern winery and the Quintessenz project

Cantina Kaltern's Quintessenz project confirms the Alto Adige cooperative's commitment to interpreting the terroir through parcel selection, technical precision, and the valorization of microclimates. The Quintessenz Chardonnay thus becomes the expression of a viticulture that focuses on altitude, ventilation, and temperature ranges to achieve finesse and identity.

Ventiventi, a young, growing Emilian winery

Ventiventi, a Modena-based company founded in 2020 by the Razzaboni family, represents a new expression of Emilian wine. In just a few years, it has grown from 20,000 to over 66,000 bottles, with a total of 70 hectares, 30 of which are under vine and managed using certified organic methods. Its growth is built on generational renewal, an entrepreneurial structure, and a contemporary vision.

Sinus Underwater Wines, Calabria's underwater winery

In San Nicola Arcella, an underwater aging project is taking shape, combining wine, innovation, and sustainability. Sinus Underwater Wines uses the sea as a natural environment for aging at 35 meters of depth, taking advantage of constant temperatures and the movement of currents for continuous riddling without energy consumption.

Terre d'Oltrepò, tensions grow over rescue operations

The crisis at Terre d'Oltrepò continues to spark discussion. The Pavia-Lodi branch of the FAI CISL union denounces opaque management and the lack of real union involvement in decisions regarding the cooperative's future, which is considered central to the area's agricultural and social economy.

Inside the Matter of Wine: The Story of the Cellar as an Experience

A narrative reportage focuses on the winery as a place of authenticity, time, and substance. An editorial approach that highlights wine not only as a product, but as the result of a balance between labor, aesthetics, and production identity.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Toscana IGT opens up to sparkling wines

Tuscany, historically associated with great reds, is taking a significant step toward diversification. The National Wine Committee has approved changes to the Toscana IGT regulations, introducing the sparkling wine category. This move reflects both the market's evolution and the growing focus on more dynamic and versatile wine styles.

Screw Caps: A Masterclass Against Prejudice

At the Slow Wine Fair, screwcaps were discussed in a masterclass led by Giancarlo Gariglio. The focus was on preservation, reliability, micro-oxygenation, and consumer perception. The topic remains divisive in Italy, where the screwcap continues to face cultural resistance, despite its technical qualities.

Vineyards and climate: Piedmont invests in technology

With the IN-VITE and AgriCAM projects, the Polytechnic University of Turin is advancing new solutions to address the impact of climate change on viticulture. Sensors, electronics, and technical-scientific support are becoming key tools for more resilient viticulture, especially in highly productive regions like Piedmont.

Chiara Giorleo: Communicating Wine Without Betraying Its Identity

Chiara Giorleo calls on the industry to use communication more effectively, making wine more understandable without trivializing it. The issue is crucial: today's market demands more accessible, less self-referential, and more authentic storytelling, overcoming many of the prejudices that still shape the narrative of wine.

Spanish study: Moderate wine and the Mediterranean diet

A new study from the University of Navarra, published in the European Heart Journal, rekindles the debate on the role of moderate wine consumption within the Mediterranean diet. The focus is on its possible association with a reduction in cardiovascular risk, despite the context in which the health-consumption issue remains particularly sensitive and needs to be addressed with balance.

Best-selling wines in large-scale retail trade: Prosecco, Lambrusco, and Trebbiano

The Circana study for Vinitaly outlines the ranking of the most purchased wines in 2025 in large-scale retail trade: Prosecco leads the way with over 53 million liters, followed by Lambrusco and Trebbiano. Also growing are Vermentino, Ribolla, Primitivo, and Metodo Classico.

Vermentino takes centre stage in Sardinia

In Sardinia, Vermentino remains the most popular wine, ahead of Cannonau and Prosecco. This fact reinforces the role of white wines with a distinct local identity in regional consumption, paralleling the national growth of various white wines.

Large-scale retail trade 2025: volumes falling, sparkling wines the only exception

The key data of the day is clear: in 2025, 737 million liters of wine and sparkling wine were sold in Italian retail chains, 20 million fewer than in 2024. The market recorded a 3.4% decline in volume and a 1.1% decline in value. Only sparkling wines held steady and grew, with 1.5% in volume and 1.2% in value, confirming a distinct trend compared to still wine.

Prosecco remains the absolute leader in the supermarket

Of all the types, Prosecco remains the leading wine in large-scale retail trade: 53.7 million liters sold, worth €392 million, and a distribution that transcends production areas, establishing itself as the top choice in numerous Italian regions.

International

Italian wine returns to the United States with the Gambero Rosso tour.

Gambero Rosso's US tour resumed in Los Angeles, involving over 50 Italian companies and industry professionals, including importers, distributors, sommeliers, and restaurateurs. The American market remains strategic, but industry professionals report a complex environment, marked by rising costs, tax pressure, and increased difficulty in doing business.

Wine events

The Great Terroirs of Barolo Return to Monforte d'Alba

The seventeenth edition of "I Grandi Terroir del Barolo," organized by Go Wine, returns to Monforte d'Alba on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th, 2026. The event confirms its focus on Additional Geographical Mentions and interpreting Barolo through crus, parcels, and different interpretations of Nebbiolo.

Valpolicella, on the hills of the Wine Roads

On Sunday, March 22nd, fourteen Valpolicella wineries will open their doors to the public for a day of tastings, guided tours, and local food experiences. The initiative strengthens the connection between wine, hospitality, and the region, promoting an experiential model that is increasingly central to wine tourism promotion.

Slow Wine Fair: Wine is also discussed on technical details.

The masterclass dedicated to screwcaps, held during the Slow Wine Fair, confirms how the sector's major events are increasingly places of cultural as well as commercial exchange, useful for challenging established stereotypes of the wine world.

Agriculture, supply chain and generational turnover

The future of agriculture: listening to consumers and ending monoculture.

A strong message emerges from the San Salvo debate: agriculture must pay closer attention to consumer trends and focus on diversification. This issue also closely affects wine, which today must address different consumption styles, demands for lower alcohol content, and greater production flexibility.

Gardini: Without profitability, young people won't stay in agriculture.

Maurizio Gardini calls on the sector to adopt a concrete vision of generational change. Attracting new businesses requires profitability, organized supply chains, support tools, and greater certainty regarding production protection.

Ismea relaunches Generazione Terra

With €120 million, "Generazione Terra" (Land Generation), the ISMEA tool to facilitate access to agricultural land for those under 41, is back. This measure finances up to 100% of land purchases and is one of the main tools supporting generational turnover in agriculture.

Strategic summary of the day

The March 20 snapshot shows a sector experiencing a dual dynamic. On the one hand, Italian wine is showing signs of struggling domestic consumption, especially in large-scale retail trade, with the sole exception of sparkling wines and a few white wines that are better able to capture demand. On the other, signs of renewal are emerging: new product categories, innovation in the vineyard, distinctive winemaking projects, local investments, and a growing focus on identity.

The key point today is not just to produce well, but to better align production, language, market and supply chain.

Today's wine press review courtesy of WINEIDEA.IT

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