Wine press review for Wednesday, March 18, 2026!

Italian wine today is navigating a balance between identity, innovation, market tensions, sustainability, and new ways of engaging with consumers. Alongside signs of difficulty in the sector, there are emerging investments, acquisitions, international awards, wine tourism, and technologies for the viticulture of the future.

Italian wineries

Cuvage, Piedmontese elegance between Alta Langa and Moscato d'Asti

Cuvage, founded in Acqui Terme in 2011, continues to promote Piedmont's sparkling wine tradition through the Classic Method. The company works with native grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, Cortese, and Moscato, alongside Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for its Alta Langa DOCG. It has a strong focus on sustainability, certified through ISO 14001 and SA8000 protocols.

Piedmontese cooperatives respond to Ascheri

The debate over the crisis in Piedmontese wine is heating up. Following Matteo Ascheri's statements, Confcooperative Fedagripesca Piemonte has responded firmly, rejecting the idea that cooperative wineries are the scapegoat for the sector's difficulties and calling for a more serious and structural discussion.

Argea joins Stronger Together

Argea joins the international Stronger Together program to combat labor exploitation in the agri-food supply chain. This membership strengthens the group's position in terms of social sustainability and responsibility along the supply chain.

Casa Vinicola Martino: Wine Returns to Relationships

In a more competitive and less linear market, Casa Vinicola Martino identifies the direct relationship between producer and consumer as a strategic lever. The message is clear: less technicality, more simplicity, accessibility, and the ability to inspire emotion.

La Dormiente Winery: New Arrivals in Torrecuso

The Sannio-based winery, led by Guerino Cocchiaro, announces changes to the winery with the arrival of enologist Ernesto Buono and the launch of two new labels. While expanding its range to include an international grape variety, Merlot, the winery maintains its ties to the historic Taburno varietals: Aglianico, Falanghina, and Coda di Volpe.

Valdo Spumanti acquires 100% of I Magredi

A significant move in the Italian wine scene: Valdo Spumanti acquires 100% of Friuli-based I Magredi, after previously owning 20%. The acquisition expands the group's reach into the no-alcohol and low-alcohol segments, strengthening a diversification strategy already supported by production and sales growth.

Cantina Vogadori, premium experience in Valpolicella

The Fratelli Vogadori winery offers "The Art of Terroir," an exclusive experience in Valpolicella Classica, including historic vineyards, a fruit cellar, a wine shop, and premium tastings of the great Veronese reds.

Italian wine and Italian oenology

Italian wine: the numbers of excellence

A special feature on Italian wine highlights the value of a production spread across all regions, with a wealth of DOC and IGP labels that tell the story of its history, territories, biodiversity, and winemaking tradition.

Agricultural Civil Service kicks off with over a thousand young people

The Agricultural Civil Service has officially launched, with 82 selected projects and 1,057 young people involved. This isn't just a tool for recruiting workers, but rather a training and civic program focused on promoting the local area, sustainability, food education, and inclusion.

Robots, vineyards, and intelligent machines: the future lies in Chianti.

Enovitis in campo is celebrating its twentieth anniversary and is focusing on robotics, electrification, soil and canopy management, biostimulants, and agronomic innovation. The event is scheduled for June 17th and 18th at the Nozzole Estate, in the Chianti Classico region.

Renzo Cotarella awarded by the Masters of Wine

The Institute of Masters of Wine has awarded Renzo Cotarella the 2026 "Winemakers' Winemaker Award," recognizing the value of his winemaking journey and the pivotal role he has played within Marchesi Antinori. This award confirms Italy's central role in the global premium wine scene.

World Pignolo Day: Udine celebrates the Friulian grape variety.

"World Pignolo Day" returns to Udine on Friday, March 20th, an initiative dedicated to the protection and promotion of Pignolo, an ancient native Friulian grape variety. The event confirms the growing attention paid to distinctive grape varieties and niche productions with a strong territorial focus.

Mattia Binotto from Formula 1 to the vineyard

The former Ferrari manager presents his first wine, Animantica, produced in Faedo, Trentino, at the new Eleusi winery. A project that combines anticipation, precision, and identity, transforming wine into a new form of personal and entrepreneurial expression.

Between a difficult 2025 and a vision for 2026

ProWein Düsseldorf offers important insights from numerous Italian wineries. 2025 is seen as a complex but not catastrophic year, while 2026 highlights the need to focus on passion, the market, adaptation, and a renewed ability to engage consumers.

Campanian wines take center stage at ProWein

The Campania Region confirms the centrality of wine in its agri-food sector, bringing tastings, masterclasses, and protection consortia to Düsseldorf. Public support for international promotion remains a strategic cornerstone for the competitiveness of regional businesses.

Women Producers: Gilda Guida and Campanian Wine Through a Female Eye

Gilda Guida's journey, linked to Cantine Grotta del Sole and the promotion of native Campanian grape varieties, expresses an entrepreneurial vision in which wine, territory, and the presence of women become drivers of rebirth and consolidation.

Tariffs and exports: expectations for 2026 trends

ICE President Matteo Zoppas reports a slowdown in Italian exports to the United States at the end of 2025, despite a still positive outlook. Attention now shifts to the first months of 2026, which are crucial for understanding the evolution of the impact of tariffs on wine and Made in Italy products.

International

Artémis Domaines supports wine professionals affected by wars

The Pinault family holding company, in conjunction with the Gérard Basset Foundation, is launching the "Golden Vines 2026" scholarships for wine professionals whose careers have been interrupted by war or geopolitical crises. The project offers six-month paid internships at the group's estates.

Duclot challenges restaurant markups

In France, a concrete debate is taking place regarding the price of wine at restaurants. Duclot's initiative, which aims to offer great Bordeaux wines at more accessible prices, is reigniting the debate on consumption, margins, purchasing power, and the economic sustainability of the supply chain.

Canadian wine booms in the domestic market

In Canada, sales of American wines are plummeting, while local wines are growing strongly, especially in Ontario. Trade tensions with the United States are driving a reconfiguration of domestic consumption and a new visibility for domestic producers.

Wine events

The Agricultural Show in Trento drew 13,000 visitors.

The 79th Agricultural Exhibition and Bio-logicA in Trento were well attended, with 13,000 attendees. The event confirmed the public's growing interest in biodiversity, sustainability, the agricultural supply chain, and local produce.

Fairs, festivals, and events for the weekend of March 20-22

With the onset of spring, events dedicated to wine, craft beer, regions, and gastronomic traditions are multiplying throughout Italy. Tastings, e-bike tours through the vineyards, cooking demonstrations, and experiential tours reinforce the role of wine as a driver of tourism and connection.

Open Vineyards returns to Friuli Venezia Giulia

Starting March 21st, "Vigneti Aperti" (Open Vineyards) will resume, an initiative by the Movimento Turismo del Vino FVG (FVG Wine Tourism Movement) that will accompany wine tourists until autumn with visits, walks, tastings, and meetings in the region's vineyards and wineries.

Drops of Beauty Brings Cantina Destefanis to Turin

On March 25th, Locanda Bellezia hosts an evening of wine, live music, and cuisine with Cantina Destefanis. This urban and convivial format brings the winery experience directly to the city.

Pianzio celebrates spring in the Euganean Hills

The Venetian winery offers an aperitif in the cellar overlooking the Pianzio Valley, focusing on conviviality, local tradition, and hospitality as tools for engaging the public.

Calici a Palazzo: Wine, History, and Beauty

On Saturday, March 21st and Sunday, March 22nd, Palazzo Ducale hosts “Calici a Palazzo,” an event that combines tastings, historical heritage, and direct encounters with producers and wineries in a setting of great cultural value.

Strategic focus of the day

The March 18 snapshot highlights five very clear guidelines for the wine sector:

1. Consolidation and acquisitions The Valdo-I Magredi transaction signals that the market is seeking critical mass, new categories, and greater commercial presence.

2. Agricultural and technological innovation Robotics, electrification, and intelligent vineyard management are becoming increasingly central to competitiveness and sustainability.

3. Wine tourism and direct relationships Open Vineyards, winery tastings, and local events demonstrate that wine is increasingly sold through experience and human contact.

4. Territorial identity and native vines From the Pignolo of Friuli to the Taburno vines, the strategic value of productions with a strong identity is growing.

5. International pressure and the need to adapt. Between tariffs, unstable markets, restaurant markups, and new consumer habits, the sector is being called upon to rethink its positioning, accessibility, and narrative.