The Vulture area, in Basilicata, will be the Italian Wine City for 2026

After the Castelli Romani in 2025, it will be the Vulture district, land of Aglianico, to represent the Italy of wine in 2026. The wine-growing area of Basilicata, thanks to a group of 14 municipalities with Ripacandida as leader, beat the candidacies from Abruzzo, Sicily and Veneto. The title of Italian Wine City 2026 was awarded by a jury of experts (academics, tourism, food and wine, and specialised press) on 19 September unanimously. The baton thus passes to one of the great red wines of southern Italy, in a territory that, in addition to Ripacandida, includes the municipalities of Rionero in Vulture, Melfi, Ginestra, Barile, Rapolla, Genzano di Lucania, Atella, Acerenza, Palazzo San Gervasio, Lavello, Forenza, Venosa and Maschito.

The jury’s reasons

The choice, reports the national Città del Vino association which promotes the recognition, was dictated by the ability to “combine winemaking tradition and territorial development – reads the motivation – with the ambition of transforming the Vulture into a real national laboratory of good practices.” The Ripacandida dossier convinced the commission. A project that highlighted the “connection with the aspect of territorial development, with the ambition of becoming a true national laboratory and that proposed many new activities to be carried out in the area not only on the occasion of 2026 but also in the following years, as a permanent heritage of experiences and planning.” At the heart of the project is the concept of regenerating the rurality of inland areas, which includes viticulture.

Future initiatives

For the 14 municipalities involved, an intense phase of work begins: the creation of an annual programme of cultural, wine tourism, environmental and social events, designed to enhance the tangible and intangible heritage linked to vines and wine. According to Città del Vino, this is an “opportunity that promises to shine a spotlight on the Vulture, strengthening the promotion of its products and stimulating new tourism opportunities.” The unanimous verdict, explained president Angelo Radica, confirms the value of the project and, at the same time, recognises the quality and depth of the dossiers coming from northern, central and southern Italy.