It is an important birthday for the new Italian Wine Guide 2024 which blows out thirty-seven candles with this edition. A generational leap from the premiere in 1987 which was born with a clear and noble objective: to tell the story of the great and very great wines of Italy, also to restore the credibility of the Bel Paese in the world, profoundly undermined by the methanol scandal of 1986. Already the year The following year marks a break, with a revolutionary edition for the time, with a bottle green cover, a strange outsized format and very elegant graphics. Up to the present day, with a new change of clothes, renewed and even more legible graphics, but a philosophy that remains unchanged over the years: always attentive to the valorisation of new quality realities, punctual in reporting those who work respecting the environment , small companies as well as large internationally renowned brands, from small artisans in the vineyard and cellar to large cooperatives.
For thirty-seven editions, the Italian Wine Guide has told and interpreted the history of wine in Italy: an editorial product that has grown in recent years - from 1,400 wines tasted in 1988 to 50 thousand today - thanks to the work of producers from all over Italy and to the passionate work of the great Gambero Rosso team, with its 70 competent tasters and many collaborators who "this year is growing again with a new deputy curator, William Pregentelli, who joins Lorenzo Ruggeri - declare the editors of the Guide, Marco Sabellico, Gianni Fabrizio and Giuseppe Carrus -. Today the Italian Wine Guide is produced in three editions in foreign languages, German, English and for some years also in Chinese. This allows us to take the best of Made in Italy wines around the world with over 40 events. A strong voice, which our wine industry, sector operators and above all consumers need."
The 2024 Italian Wine Guide: a healthy sector
The Tre Bicchieri, the Tre Bicchieri Verdi and wines under 15 euros
It is the result of months of blind tastings at consortia and institutions: 50 thousand labels tasted, up from 46 thousand in 2023, showing a higher average level of Italian production, in each region, compared to the past year. Only a part of these will find space in the pages of the Guide. This year too, two extra-border territories are included: that of the Canton of Ticino and the Slovenian Brda, where millenary historical and cultural ties make these areas very close to the Italian winemaking tradition. The final tastings - where 2,300 wines were involved - led to the awarding of the Tre Bicchieri, the highest recognition, to 498 wines (vs. 455 in 2023). 174, equal to 35% of the total, are the Tre Bicchieri Verdi, produced by certified organic or biodynamic companies (vs 154 in 2023): an absolute record for Vini d'Italia, confirming a virtuous trend that is fueled by harvest in harvest, from micro-cellars to large companies capable of relaunching the multiple challenges of environmental sustainability. There are 56 award-winning wines available in wine shops within the 15 euro range, including 7 labels even under ten euros.
The 12 Special Awards
The best wines of the year, with Italesse partners
The Rosso of the Year goes to a sumptuous edition of the Barolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale Rosso 2019 from the Giovanni Rosso winery in Serralunga d'Alba (CN). A wine of spectacular richness which manages to combine extraordinary harmony, yet another confirmation of the Langa as one of the great terroirs of world winemaking;
The White of the year comes from Friuli: it is Marko Primosic's Collio Chardonnay Riserva 2018, which demonstrates once again how Italian whites can be fascinating and long-lived;
The Sparkling Wines of the Year remain the prerogative of Lombardy with the excellent Franciacorta Nature 2016 by Gatti, the historic maison of the denomination;
The Rosé of the Year is Pettinella's Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Tauma 2022. A rosé with an artisanal, genuine, truly identifying character. And irresistible.
The Meditation Wine of the Year (which this year is not sweet) is a 2011 Marsala Vergine Riserva from Florio. Both the company and the name need no introduction. A well-deserved contribution to the relaunch of this historic prestigious denomination;
The Best Value for Money this year is represented by Sardinia with the Mandrolisai Rosso Fradiles 2021 from Fradiles of Atzara, which manages to offer a memorable red, from old sapling vines with very low yields at a more than accessible price.
With the support of the partner Zignago Vetro:
The Award for Sustainable Viticulture
Terre Margaritelli di Torgiano, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy in the province of Perugia, which represents an example of quality viticulture that respects the environment and social values.
The Emerging Cellar
Ceri di Carmignano, in the countryside between Florence and Prato, which debuts in the Guide with a fascinating version of Carmignano, the Riserva Arrendevole 2020. Small denomination but great wines.
The Winemaker of the Year
Marinella Camerani from Corte Sant'Alda in Mezzane di Sotto (VR). A life spent among the vineyards, in harmony with nature.
The Award for the Solidarity Project
Velenosi from the Marche region, with the virtuous initiative that the owner Angela has been carrying out for some years, giving concrete help to a group of autistic children.
The Special Award for the Cooperative of the Year
Cantina Tramin, on the Wine Route in Bolzano, which for years has interpreted the territory in a masterful way.
Winery of the Year
Umani Ronchi di Osimo, in the Marche region. The Bernetti family company has been sailing at levels of excellence for years; the series of labels tasted this year, in addition to being perfectly representative of the terroirs in which it operates, has once again demonstrated the value of the company.
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