Wine press review for Thursday, October 30, 2025

ITALIAN WINERIES

Kaltern Winery: A Century of Wine and Connections The historic Alto Adige cooperative showcases its "Selections" line in Rome. A journey through ten nuances of the Caldaro region, dedicated to quality and shared memories.

Cantina di Venosa Verbo Rosato IGP Basilicata 2024 A surprising pure Aglianico: fresh, elegant, and mineral. This Vulture rosé captivates with its personality and an excellent score in the Il Vino per Tutti guide.

Cantina Tramin presents Epokale 2017. The new vintage of Gewürztraminer Spätlese, the pinnacle of quality for this grape variety, as described by Willi Stürz: a wine with extraordinary aging potential, the fruit of research and patience.

Wine as an architectural language: the Antinori winery in Chianti Classico. Architecture blends with the landscape at the masterpiece of San Casciano in Val di Pesa. Alessia Antinori describes a vision that unites art, land, and time.

Santalucia 2024 – Maculan renews its partnership with the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi. The sixteenth edition of the solidarity project chooses a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as the symbolic wine of Venetian solidarity.

Former Army Marshal, President of the Cantina Sociale: the tragic death of Clemente Colella. Solopaca mourns the passing of the president of the Cantina Sociale, a highly respected figure in the Benevento agricultural community.

ITALIAN WINE AND OENOLOGY

GARDA DOC CONSORZIO – Changes to the production regulations approved . New rules for more competitive, distinctive, and contemporary wines. President Fiorini: "This is a strategic step to meet consumer and market needs."

Chianti Rosé: Cotarella on Criticism and the Market. The president of Assoenologi analyzes the Tuscan rosé phenomenon: "It lacks character, but it's a market winner." This reflection sparks a debate on the new aesthetics of light drinking.

Brunello against violence against women. The Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium entrusts the 2025 tile to the Una Nessuna Centomila Foundation. Art and wine as tools for social commitment.

"Zibibbo di Calabria" wins "50 Shades of Wine." Saveria Sesto's book was awarded the title of the work that most contributes to the dissemination of Italian wine culture. Tradition and rediscovery of the quintessential Mediterranean grape variety.

The Muvit in Torgiano showcases wine as a gift from the gods. Sixty previously unseen archaeological finds from the Vulci Necropolis are on display. A narrative that intertwines art, history, and viticulture, at Italy's most important wine museum.

In 10 years, the price of wine in Italy has increased by only 7.4%, among the lowest increases in Europe. In Croatia, the increase was 92%, in Bulgaria 67%. Italian wine remains competitive, but the stability of margins is a concern for producers.

INTERNATIONAL SCENE

Santorini's vines threatened by climate and tourism . Grape production has halved in twenty years on the Greek island. "Without intervention, it will disappear by 2040," warns the Producers' Union. The climate, once again, is putting tradition to the test.

Ferrari No. 1 in Wine Enthusiast's "Top 100 Cellar Selection." The 2015 Trentodoc Riserva Lunelli was crowned the world's best cellarable wine. Italy placed 20 wines out of 100, consolidating its leadership in the global sparkling wine industry.

Made-in-Italy exports are booming. September saw a record-breaking increase in non-EU exports: an average of 9.9% and 34.4% to the US, also driven by naval orders. Even without the one-off effect, real growth remains significant (12%).

Italian grappa, between rhetoric and rebirth. An ironic and bitter analysis of grappa's communication: a vibrant and creative sector, yet still trapped in outdated narratives that stifle its international potential.

WINE EVENTS

RossoBarbera 2025 – Sardinia takes center stage in Costigliole d'Asti. From October 31st to November 3rd, over 200 wineries and 400 labels will celebrate Piedmont's iconic grape variety. New for 2025: a dialogue with Sardinia's great reds.

Lombardy, Land of Wine – Wine on TV. Eight episodes, every Friday on Teletutto, showcasing Lombardy's wine regions from Garda to Valtellina. A wine tourism journey curated by Francesca Roman and Ascovilo.

Piedmont – Open Cellars on San Martino. From November 1st to 11th, the autumn event featuring the wineries of the Wine Tourism Movement returns. Tastings, pairings, and post-harvest grape harvest culture are available.

Wine tourism of the future: the land before the wine (and with AI). From the "Fine – #WineTourism Marketplace Italy" fair in Riva del Garda, a new paradigm emerges: wine as an ambassador for the landscape. The future is experiential and digital.

A Room with a Cellar – Italy Travels Among the Vineyards. Wine tourism is booming: 14 million Italians choose winery holidays, especially those under 35. The agricultural experience is becoming a lifestyle and an economic driver for local communities.

Caltanissetta – “One Love” between reggae and wine Music, inclusion, and conviviality in an event that transforms the Sicilian city into a symbol of freedom and unity.

Review by QUIDQUID – October 30, 2025 In collaboration with WINEIDEA.IT – where information meets the taste for knowledge.