Wine press review for Wednesday, April 22, 2026!

Italian wineries

Spinelli Wineries, international growth without losing its identity. The Abruzzo-based company continues its solid trajectory in foreign markets, maintaining strong territorial consistency and a strong production structure. Revenue is expected to reach around €18 million in 2025.

Sardinian estate amid historic vineyards and territorial revitalization A few kilometers from Cala Moresca, a winery in Ogliastra promotes Cannonau and forgotten local varieties, strengthening the link between viticultural heritage, agronomic innovation, and Sardinian identity.

Tenuta Olianas expands its wine tourism offerings . In the Sardinian hinterland, "Sa Frorèa" opens, a new space for weddings and events, flanked by an amphitheater amidst the vineyards. This investment strengthens the winery's position in the advanced hospitality sector.

Cantine Zanchi: Between the Past and Future of Amelia Wine. At Vinitaly 2026, the Umbrian winery relaunches the value of Leonardo Zanchi's legacy, focusing on authenticity, native grape varieties, and experimentation with agrobiodiversity.

Bio Cantina Sociale Orsogna obtains Plastic Free certification. This is an important recognition for the Abruzzo cooperative's environmental commitment, recognized for its progressive reduction in plastic use throughout the entire supply chain.

Lento Winery flies with the Pope. Two Calabrian labels will accompany Pope Leo XIV on his apostolic journey. This achievement has strong symbolic and media significance for Calabrian wine.

Angelini Winery: A Dialogue of Wine and Music Gabriele Montanaro's talk drew great attention. He discussed the parallels between musical interpretation and wine's identity, highlighting wine culture and dissemination.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Vinitaly 2026 closes with strong numbers and a focus on geopolitics, advocacy, and alcohol-free trade. The 58th edition closes with 4,000 companies and 90,000 attendees from 135 countries. The event's international standing, focus on emerging markets, and the increasingly central theme of No-Lo are highlighted.

Alcohol-free wines: strong interest, but production in Italy remains stalled. Wineries believe in the segment, but domestic plants are still awaiting operational authorization. The market is there, but the Italian supply chain is not yet fully unlocked.

No-Lo, a concrete opportunity for the sector. Vinitaly provides an increasingly clear vision: the low-alcohol or no-alcohol wine segment is seen as a lever for revitalization. According to some estimates, it could reach very significant figures in the coming years.

Frescobaldi: No- and Low-Alcohol Wines Could Reach 5% of the Market . The issue is no longer marginal. The growing presence of dealcoholized wines on international wine lists confirms that the shift in consumption is already underway.

Raw Wine: Natural wine enters a more mature phase. In Verona, producers are calling for a new approach: less ideology and more technical precision. The message is clear: the time for flawed natural wines is over.

BluWine: Research towards zero-emission and zero-waste supply chains. The University of Milan and Assoenologi are launching a European project involving 60 researchers and nine international institutions to reduce emissions and waste in the vineyard and winery.

Vine vegetative recovery and abiotic stress management. Technical focus on the key phase of the season's start: thermal, water, and nutritional stress can compromise the vintage. The goal is to support regular development and production potential.

Italy's best rosé is on Etna. Al-Cantàra wins the title of Best Rosé Wine at 5StarWines – the Book 2026. This recognition strengthens Etna's prestige as a distinctive and competitive territory.

SACE: Italian wine remains a pillar of exports. The new report captures a sector of great economic importance, with Italy becoming the world's leading producer in 2025 and Veneto still the regional export leader, despite a challenging environment.

PwC Italia-Meregalli: Here's who's talking about wine online. Analysis of digital conversations confirms the centrality of local culture, conviviality, sustainability, and quality. Millennials lead the way, but Gen Z is more active on visual and native social media channels.

Women in wine challenge the "glass ceiling." A Crea study presented at Vinitaly shows that women-led wineries have average incomes 5% higher, indicating a supply chain more open to equality than other agricultural sectors.

Wine Ethics: Responsible Production Becomes a Strategic Issue. The debate is moving beyond "organic" or "natural" labels: today the key issue is environmental, social, communication, and supply chain responsibility.

Piedmont, incentives for energy efficiency of wineries. The Region allocates over 6.7 million euros to support investments aimed at improving the energy performance of companies in the sector.

Conegliano, Amorim cork flies into space. The cork-based material developed by Amorim will also be used in NASA's Artemis II mission. A prime example of advanced innovation based on nature.

Forestry carbon credits: growing interest in Grosseto. The conference promoted by Confagricoltura highlights new revenue opportunities linked to forestry projects and CO2 storage, a potentially strategic topic for integrated agricultural systems.

International

France launches distillation of excess wines. Paris is launching a special €40 million program to dispose of over 1.2 million hectoliters of surplus wine. A subsidy of €33 per hectoliter is planned for producers and distillers.

US tariffs declared illegitimate, refund season begins. The US Supreme Court's decision opens an important front after the heavy impact of tariffs on wine exports, especially Italian ones, to the United States.

Bali discovers wine as a new production and tourism frontier . Bars, restaurants, and producers focused on wine are growing on the Indonesian island. This small phenomenon is indicative of the cultural expansion of wine into non-traditional markets.

Switzerland, wine consumption continues to decline . Overall consumption will decline by 3.3% in 2025. Domestic wines are holding up better, while imported wines are declining sharply. This is a clear sign of a more selective market.

Wine events

Orange Wine Festival, Isola returns as the capital of orange wines. On April 24, over 90 winemakers from 11 countries will bring white, orange, and sparkling wines for tasting, in an event that combines natural wine, gastronomy, and local identity.

Contrade dell'Etna 2026, a record-breaking edition. Nearly 100 wineries, 3,000 bottles opened, over 45,000 tastings, and a strong press and hospitality industry presence: the event confirms its position as a leading platform for Etna wine.

Vinitaly 2027: Three Issues Not to Be Postponed After the 2026 edition, some structural issues for the event's future emerge: lower attendance on the final day, the departure of restaurants, and growing discontent among some producers.

Strategic Conclusion The day paints a very clear picture: Italian wine remains strong in terms of reputation, territories, and market dominance, but it is entering a phase in which sustainability, innovation, new consumption patterns, and trade fair models will need to be interpreted from a more industrial and selective perspective.

Thanks for listening, we remind you that today's wine press review is brought to you by WINEIDEA.IT .

See you tomorrow.