Alba Vitæ 2026: AIS Veneto stands in solidarity with AGbD with Speri's Amarone Sant'Urbano

AIS – Italian Sommelier Association of Veneto ETS renews its commitment to solidarity with the sixteenth edition of Alba Vitæ , a wine-solidarity project born in 2011 that annually supports a socially committed organization through a great local wine. In 2026, Alba Vitæ returns to the Verona Delegation , where the initiative was born: the protagonist will be the Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG Sant'Urbano 2020 by Speri Viticoltori . The magnums on sale, created specifically for the AIS Veneto project, will support the activities of AGbD – Down Syndrome Association ETS , active in the Verona area since 1984. The bottle can be purchased for a contribution of 80 euros on the Association's website. www.aisveneto.it/albavitae starting from October 16th .

In the fifteen previous editions, Alba Vitæ has traveled across the Veneto region, involving producers, sommeliers, and provincial delegations, raising a total of €103,000 to organizations and associations.

" Alba Vitæ represents one of the most concrete ways in which our Association takes wine culture beyond the glass," says Gianpaolo Breda , President of AIS Veneto. "For sixteen years, a bottle has become the meeting point between producers, sommeliers, enthusiasts, and social groups. This is the true value of the project: transforming the culture and sharing of wine into a concrete gesture of solidarity."

"At AGbD," explains Alberto Maculan , President of the Association, "we work every day to ensure that independence isn't just a one-off achievement. We want our people to live lives that don't just exist, but thrive. The funds raised on occasions like this energize our projects, reshape our kids' present, and restore vitality, strength, and a future to entire families' journeys. When one person gains their own space in the world, the entire community takes a step forward."

For over forty years, AGbD has supported individuals with Down syndrome and their families from birth to adulthood. The association currently supports more than 170 families thanks to the work of a team of over 30 healthcare professionals and educators. Activities include therapeutic programs, residential projects, development of employment skills, and social inclusion initiatives that already involve approximately 70 adults. In addition to its clinical work, AGbD also carries out ongoing awareness-raising efforts in the local community, aiming to break down prejudice and foster an increasingly inclusive community.

The star of this edition is the Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG Sant'Urbano 2020 , one of Speri Viticoltori's flagship wines. For seven generations, the Speri family has interpreted Valpolicella Classica while maintaining a close connection to the territory and its historic grape varieties, such as Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, and other native varieties. Produced in the Sant'Urbano hillside cru in Fumane, from historic vineyards located between 280 and 350 meters above sea level, after drying, Sant'Urbano ages for 24 months in French oak tonneaux and 18 months in medium-large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by 12 months of bottle aging. This Amarone is profoundly representative of Valpolicella Classica, and with Alba Vitæ 2026, it is putting its excellence at the service of a concrete solidarity project.