Winemag Guide 2026: Wineries and Wines of the Year. The Keyword is “Authenticity”

Time for announcements for the Winemag Guide 2026, which once again brings together the best Italian wines and the best wineries in Italy, selected through a rigorous blind tasting. A work of analysis and comparison that rewards territorial identity beyond commercial potential, capturing the state of the art of Italian wine in 2025. The keyword of the Winemag Guide 2026 is “Authenticity”, as opposed to the exasperated—and often forced—pursuit of “Contemporaneity” by the rest of wine criticism, which is increasingly tending to reduce the concept of “modern wine” to a mere matter of color (pale), concentration (moderate), and alcohol content (medium-low).

The 2026 edition of the Top 100 Best Italian Wines by Winemag goes beyond, rewarding the character and typicity of wines, combined with the courage to dare of Italian winemakers and producers, from North to South of the peninsula. Characteristics clearly evident in all the labels that achieved the highest scores in the blind selections, sublimated by the nominations of wineries and wines of the year. All this anticipates a revolution in the Winemag Guide format that will affect the next edition, 2027, which we will discuss in due course.

• Italian Winery of the Year 2026:
  Silvano Bolmida (Monforte d’Alba, Cuneo – Piedmont)
  Recognition for stylistic consistency and interpretive depth of Barolo, of which Silvano Bolmida is not only a passionate actor-protagonist, but now an indispensable author-director in any “wine list” that aims to tell the story of the denomination. A range, that of the Monforte d’Alba winery, which also includes a high-level Sauvignon Blanc.
• Italian Breakthrough Winery 2026:
  Azienda Agricola Mattè (Volano, Trento – Trentino)
  Founded in 2019, Azienda Agricola Mattè stands out for technical precision and the personality of Trentodoc. But it also produces still wines such as Nosiola and an elegant red from Vallagarina, fully expressing the characteristics of a Trentino still to be discovered.

• Winery of the Year 2026:
  Cantine Federici – La Baia del Sole (Luni, La Spezia – Liguria)
  Interpreter of the qualitative growth of Ligurian viticulture, between identity and innovation. The winery enhances local native varieties, primarily Vermentino, expressing the identity of the territory with elegance and authenticity.
• Breakthrough Winery 2026:
  Cascina Rey (Asti – Piedmont)
  A young Piedmontese reality that stands out for elegance and stylistic purity of wines. The owner, Monica Monticone, is a passionate and courageous winemaker, capable of conveying with extreme clarity in each of her labels the character of a patch of pristine land in the Asti area.

• Winery of the Year 2026:
  Podere La Regola (Riparbella, Pisa – Tuscany)
  Brothers Flavio and Luca Nuti can be considered—without a shadow of doubt—the soul, heart, and hands of Riparbella, an emerging reality in the Tuscan wine scene, in the province of Pisa. A territory of great vocation, as demonstrated by the entire range of the La Regola winery and the excellent work of the Riparbella Winegrowers Association.
• Breakthrough Winery 2026:
  Viandante del Cielo (Passignano sul Trasimeno, Perugia – Umbria)
  The potential of Trasimeno wines, finally expressed with rare consistency and immense finesse. A winery not to be overlooked, also for the careful and capable oenological guidance of renowned winemakers such as Maurizio Castelli and Mery Ferrara.

• Winery of the Year 2026:
  Caparra & Siciliani (Cirò Marina, Crotone – Calabria)
  Emblem of the Calabrian renaissance and the enhancement of Cirò Doc, the winery has taken a true giant step by entrusting oenological direction to another young winemaker who is shaping the idea of quality wines in various Italian regions: Jacopo Vagaggini.
• Breakthrough Winery 2026:
  Baronia della Pietra (Alessandria della Rocca, Agrigento – Sicily)
  Symbol on one hand of the new generation of Sicilian producers, tied to the territory and authenticity; on the other, of that Sicily that doesn’t love the spotlight and works hard, without too many proclamations. Offering real wines, with the island inside. Moreover, with growth margins that could lead this winery to definitive consecration.
• Organic Winery of the Year 2026:
  Sequerciani (Gavorrano, Grosseto – Tuscany)
  Sequerciani is not a winery but a cosmos devoted to the enhancement of nature, in all its forms. Winemag.it rewards the commitment, passion, and consistency of Ruedi Gerber and his extraordinary team—young, dynamic, and with the right dose of experience—for the natural approach and the courage to propose organic and biodynamic agriculture, certified Demeter Italia, in Maremma.

Barolo Docg Bussia Vigna dei Fantini 2021 – Silvano Bolmida
A great Nebbiolo from Monforte that represents and combines the depth and precision of a Barolo that some would call “contemporary”; we call “authentic” and—for this reason—worthy of great recognition in the panorama of Italian red wines of structure and longevity.

• Classic Method: Trento Doc Riserva 2019 Extra Brut Mattè – Azienda Agricola Mattè.
  A small masterpiece, at a bargain price.
• Italian Method / Charmat: Valdobbiadene Docg Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza Extra Brut Marna del Bacio 2024 – Andreola.
  When oenological precision becomes a pretext, albeit necessary, to express the essence of a territory and its extreme peaks of quality.
• Sweet Sparkling: Sangue di Giuda dell’Oltrepò Pavese Doc 2024 – Quaquarini.
  A wine that few know outside the borders of Pavia and Milan, but which deserves a taste for its versatility and unique character.
• Pét-Nat: Vino frizzante rosé Ancestrale – Sequerciani.
  One of those “bubbles” that can now be found everywhere around the world, but which few really know how to make, preserving varietal character and thus aiming for authenticity. Here, precisely: two of the cornerstones of Sequerciani.

• Best Italian white wine 2026: Bianco di Pitigliano Superiore Doc Isolina 5 anni 2019 – Sassotondo.
  Pitigliano, in a nutshell. In a bottle. Longevity and character to spare, with that fine wine manner that only a few manage to disguise with so much concreteness and taste. A true pearl.
• Best Italian rosé wine 2026: Cirò Doc Rosato 2024 Le Formelle – Caparra & Siciliani.
  The new course of the winery, which in Cirò could not overlook rosé: just one of the shades of the “new Gaglioppo” by Caparra & Siciliani.
• Best Italian red wine 2026: Costa Toscana Rosso Igt 2021 Strido – Podere La Regola.
  Strido, in reality, is a song: that of a Merlot that plays the notes of Riparbella. And elevates this corner of Tuscany to an essential destination for anyone who wants to go beyond the obvious.
• Best Italian sweet wine 2026: Friuli Colli Orientali Doc Verduzzo Friulano passito 2022 Cràtis – Scubla.
  A winery that is now a certainty in the Winemag Guide and confirms itself as such in the 2026 edition. Cràtis is a story of territory, passion, precision. Authenticity.
• Best Italian orange/macerated wine 2026: Provincia di Pavia Igt Sauvignon Blanc 2023 O.N.S. One Night Stand – Colle del Bricco, Matteo Maggi.
  Young Matteo Maggi stands out in Oltrepò Pavese for his extreme dedication in the vineyard and cellar experiments that, year after year, give Colle del Bricco more and more credibility among the new generation wineries in the Pavia area. O.N.S. stands for One Night Stand, in honor of the single night that Sauvignon Blanc spends on the skins. A provocation that actually hides the promise of eternal love that Matteo Maggi addresses to his Oltrepò.
• Best Italian organic wine 2026: Paestum Igp Greco Biologico 2022 Elea – San Salvatore 1988
  A wine that tells the story of the sun and land of Paestum, its Mediterranean landscapes and the ancient memories of the city of Elea. Character and identity, combined with great oenological precision. A structured white that doesn’t forget drinkability.
• Best Italian Piwi wine 2026: Venezia Giulia Igp 2023 Limine bianco – Terre di Ger
  Limine bianco confirms itself as Best Italian Piwi Wine of the Winemag Guide. Robert Spinazzè’s oenological project in Pravisdomini continues to demonstrate that a new approach to viticulture is possible, even through disease-resistant grape varieties.

Barolo Docg 2011 – Famiglia Anselma
Recognition for the longevity and evolutionary capacity of a Barolo produced in an early vintage, saved by providential September rains. A wine capable of combining drinkability and structure, with the fruit still at the center of the sip, despite clear evolution.

ITALIAN WINERY OF THE YEAR 2026

• Silvano Bolmida (Monforte d’Alba, Piedmont)

ITALIAN BREAKTHROUGH WINERY 2026

• Azienda Agricola Mattè (Volano, Trentino)

WINERIES OF THE YEAR BY AREA

• Northern Italy: Cantine Federici – La Baia del Sole (Luni, Liguria)
• Central Italy: La Regola (Riparbella, Tuscany)
• Southern Italy: Caparra & Siciliani (Cirò Marina, Calabria)

BREAKTHROUGH WINERIES BY AREA

• Northern Italy: Cascina Rey (Asti, Piedmont)
• Central Italy: Viandante del Cielo (Passignano sul Trasimeno, Umbria)
• Southern Italy: Baronia della Pietra (Alessandria della Rocca, Sicily)

ORGANIC WINERY OF THE YEAR 2026

• Sequerciani (Gavorrano, Tuscany)

BEST ITALIAN WINE 2026

• Barolo Docg Bussia Vigna dei Fantini 2021 – Silvano Bolmida

BEST ITALIAN SPARKLING WINES 2026

• Classic Method: Trento Doc Riserva Mattè – Azienda Agricola Mattè
• Italian Method / Charmat: Valdobbiadene Docg Extra Brut Marna del Bacio 2024 – Andreola
• Sweet sparkling/frizzante: Sangue di Giuda dell’Oltrepò Pavese Doc 2024 – Quaquarini
• Petnat: Vino frizzante rosé Ancestrale – Sequerciani

BEST STILL WINES 2026

• White: Bianco di Pitigliano Superiore Doc Isolina 5 anni 2019 – Sassotondo
• Rosé: Cirò Doc Rosato 2024 Le Formelle – Caparra & Siciliani
• Red: Costa Toscana Rosso Igt 2021 Strido – Podere La Regola
• Sweet: Friuli Colli Orientali Doc 2022 Cràtis – Scubla
• Orange/macerated: Provincia di Pavia Igt Sauvignon Blanc O.N.S. One Night Stand – Matteo Maggi
• Organic: Paestum Igp Greco Biologico 2022 – San Salvatore 1988
• Piwi: Venezia Giulia Igp 2023 Limine bianco – Terre di Ger

“OLD VINTAGE” AWARD 2026

• Barolo Docg 2011 – Famiglia Anselma