Wine press review for Thursday, February 5, 2026!

Italian wineries

• Caviro Group relaunches Tavernello. A new national campaign featuring Nino Frassica for the iconic brand of the world's best-selling Italian wine. Industry-standard numbers: 36,000 hectares, 11,500 winemakers, 150 million liters in 90 markets. This move reaffirms the role of cooperatives as a productive and commercial infrastructure.
• Edoardo Freddi acquires a majority stake in Agriment. The company specializes in the export of over 60 wineries, closing 2025 with a 6% revenue share. Skepticism about alcohol-free wine as a structural market solution.
• A collector opens a super wine shop in Milan. Fabio Cagnetti takes years of collecting and trading rare wines offline. A project focused on fine wines, a climate-controlled cellar, and an informal approach: experiential retail evolves.
• Franchini and Amarone above a Roman villa. In Negrar, archaeology and viticulture intertwine: excavations funded by the company have revealed a 3rd-century Roman cellar. Cultural heritage becomes a lever for wine tourism and identity.
• Cà du Ferrà, Liguria's Resistance Heroic viticulture in Bonassola: reclaiming the terraces, slowness as a method, and landscape as an agricultural choice, not just a backdrop.
• Vogadori Winery opens to bulk wines. A weekend dedicated to direct sales in Valpolicella: authenticity, direct contact with consumers, and a short supply chain as a concrete response to new consumer trends.
• Cantina Pizzolato at Winter House Milan focuses on organic sparkling wines and non-alcoholic ready-to-drinks. In the US, the brand is #1 in organic sparkling wines, with triple-digit growth: a clear and consistent positioning.
• Cantina Tollo presents the TO BE line: fresh, low-alcohol wines with a contemporary style to appeal to international markets and younger consumers. Preview at Wine Paris.
• Ammura (Tommasi Family Estates) at Wine Paris Presentation of the new Etna Rosso and Bianco vintages and of Liuni Etna Rosso DOC: continuity in the valorization of a complex and highly recognizable terroir.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

• Lollobrigida: "The decline in US exports is not a tragedy." At the Masaf wine meeting, a joint discussion was held: dealcoholization has been shelved, and now the focus is on the CMO, CAP, and production containment. Caution regarding eradications, and the central role of agriculture in protecting the territory.
• Valpolicella: not just styles, but identity rituals. From Amarone Opera Prima, a historical-cultural rereading of the denominations: communicating wine beyond technique, basing the story on coherence and historical truth.
• Marchesini: The future lies between integrated production and the end of widespread drying. The SQNPI protocol is growing (47%), while organic production is declining (-9%) due to climate change. Practical sustainability is replacing ideological sustainability.
• CMO Wine grants in Lombardy: €3.7 million to 139 companies for investments in wineries, hospitality, e-commerce, and innovation. Only one company in Como received funding: a marginal but confirmed presence.
• Canned wine is growing (outside Italy). This alternative packaging is driven by convenience, informal consumption, and a lower environmental impact. It remains a niche market, but it appeals to young lifestyles.
• Health and Red Wine: The debate on the cardiovascular benefits of moderate consumption is returning: a sensitive topic that requires balanced and scientifically responsible communication.

International

• New resistant grape varieties: Agroscope's "magnificent 7." After 15 years of research, seven varieties resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew have been identified. This is a strong signal for the future of European viticulture, including climate change.
• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles rethinks communication Medals are no longer enough: we need understandable narratives, capable of speaking to young people and occasional consumers in a shrinking market.

Wine events

• Milan–Cortina 2026: a global showcase for food and wine. Between the Olympics, fine dining, and luxury hospitality, Italian wine becomes a tool for cultural diplomacy and regional branding.
• Amarone Opera Prima n.22 Verona at the center of the debate on Valpolicella between identity, communication, and production models.
• Wine Paris 2026 Strong Italian presence: Brunello di Montalcino with 53 companies and a consortium wine bar, Ammura, Cantina Tollo and many other internationally oriented companies.
• Wine tourism boom. The AITE–SRM report for FINE Wine Tourism Marketplace Italy confirms: less wine consumed, more value generated in the winery. Hospitality becomes a strategic asset.
• Best Wine Hospitality Manager 2026 Hospitality professionals rewarded: people are back at the center of brand value.
• Roero, wine and truffles From the Gathering of the Trifulau emerges a territorial model integrated between viticulture, gastronomy and local identity.
• Fieragricola Verona Zaia reiterates: Veneto is Italy's second-largest agricultural region, and first for wine. Agriculture is an identity, even before production.
• DOC Sicilia: San Valentino and San Faustino Communication that combines ritual, conscious consumption, and the adaptability of wines to different moments in life.
• UNESCO Prosecco Hills: Nearly €1 million for a visitor center and cultural projects: tourism, youth, and sustainability as long-term strategic axes.

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