Vini d’Italia 2026 Guide: The 13 special awards assigned by Gambero Rosso

In the Vini d’Italia 2026 guide by Gambero Rosso, now in its thirty-ninth edition, you will find both the most established names in the Italian wine scene and the brand-new realities taking their first steps — all presented without stylistic or ideological barriers. Their wines are described in equal measure: some marked by austere composure, like the traditional Barolos, others the most fascinating orange wines, skin-contact varieties, spontaneous fermentations, or new-generation resistant grapes. Together, they form the rich and complex mosaic of Italian viticulture.

Italy through the lens of the Gambero Rosso wine guide

In short, we go from baroque to reggaeton or neopunk, passing through opera, singer-songwriters, rock’n’roll and metal. There are no conceptual constraints in the Guide; the only requirement is that behind every label lies something authentic, something true, that faithfully tells the story of a producer and their land. We therefore see ourselves as guarantors of authenticity, rather than of formal canons and styles that, in today’s context, perhaps no longer hold meaning.

What picture of Italian wine emerges at the end of this journey, which has taken us from the Alps to the heart of the Mediterranean? It is a complex and dynamic landscape: there have been excellent vintages in many of the classic regions — for example, 2019, 2020 and 2021 in Tuscany and Piedmont — but also in others. Our wineries continue to experiment and invest in modern technologies, while rediscovering ancient traditions reinterpreted with fresh eyes: the use of amphorae, cocciopesto, ceramic vessels, and new-generation concrete vats.

In the vineyard, we see a revival of ancient grape varieties alongside the spread of resistant ones, and many wineries now use satellite technology and drones for vineyard monitoring and disease prevention, adopting low-impact treatments. This is Viticulture 4.0, a renewed relationship with the environment driven by sustainability and harmonious development, with wineries increasingly engaged in the policies and life of their territories.

The 2026 Special Awards

As we love to say, the best way to fully grasp our philosophy is to look beyond the Tre Bicchieri to the Special Awards given to wines and producers that have particularly moved us during these months of travels, tastings and retastings.
This year, the Guide features a new Special Award dedicated to the Young Producers of the Year, strongly supported by Banca di Asti, which has created an important credit programme for agricultural and wine businesses.

The producers and wines receiving Special Awards will be present at the great Tre Bicchieri tasting on 12 October at the Roma Convention Center La Nuvola.

Young Producers of the Year

Davide Zoppi and Giuseppe Luciano Aieta – Cà du Ferrà

Cà du Ferrà is located in Bonassola, a small village in the province of La Spezia, on the Riviera di Levante, near the Cinque Terre National Park. Here, Giuseppe Luciano Aieta and Davide Zoppi, partners in both life and work, have created a delightful relais and a small winery that vinifies grapes from their five hectares of vineyards.
Their Ruzzese is an extraordinary wine made from a near-extinct heritage grape variety — and it is of remarkable quality. But just as extraordinary is their commitment against all forms of discrimination. The wine’s name is Zero Tolerance for Silence. We stand with you!

Award for Sustainable Viticulture

Antonelli – San Marco

The estate was founded in 1883, but it is thanks to Filippo’s leadership that it has reached absolute excellence. Its vineyards are surrounded by woods, and alongside viticulture, the farm also cultivates grains, olives, and livestock.
The entire estate has long been certified organic, with Equalitas-certified sustainability, and follows a virtuous policy of recycling production waste, while producing its own fertilisers.

Red Wine of the Year

Brunello di Montalcino ’20 – Giodo

Carlo Ferrini has spent his professional life crafting an impressive number of great wines across Italy. The 2020 Brunello, made with his daughter Bianca at their small, beautiful Montalcino estate, represents the culmination of his lifelong passion for Sangiovese, his first love.
Giodo ’20 is a majestic red that enchants with its complex aromatic elegance, rich and profound structure, and captivating harmony and finesse.

White Wine of the Year

Roero Arneis Renesio Incisa Riserva ’20 – Monchiero Carbone

Francesco Monchiero has explored the ageing potential of Arneis through different vinification and maturation techniques. This modern research naturally begins in Renesio Hill, whose history is deeply linked to the Arneis grape — some even suggest the grape’s name derives from this toponym.
Monchiero has achieved his goal: his 2020 Arneis is a wine of great class and character, capable of ageing gracefully in bottle.

Sparkling Wine of the Year

Franciacorta Brut Nature ’21 – Bosio

Cesare and Laura Bosio have gifted us an outstanding version of Franciacorta Brut Nature from the 2021 vintage. Made from Chardonnay with 30% Pinot Noir, it shows a brilliant greenish-gold hue, delightful aromas of white fruit, citrus, and hawthorn, with subtle hazelnut notes.
On the palate, it is harmonious, vibrant, savoury and elegant, creamy and deep — an extraordinary calling card for this appellation.

Rosé Wine of the Year

Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Baldovino ’24 – Tenuta I Fauri

Fashion and modernity — two similar words with different roots — suit neither the wines of the Di Camillo family. For them, Cerasuolo means history and tradition, far removed from the Provençal trend of pale rosés resembling white wines.
Baldovino retains its cherry colour and firm structure; it is a fleshy, savoury, and well-structured Cerasuolo — a great Italian-style rosé.

Sweet Wine of the Year

Lina Passito ’23 – Santa Barbara

Stefano Antonucci lives his vineyard and cellar with an intimate connection that makes him much more than a simple winemaker. His wines never leave one indifferent, and Lina, his extraordinary sweet Verdicchio, is a perfect example.
Its bouquet is captivatingly complex, and on the palate it achieves perfect balance between sweetness and tension, gliding with a velvet touch and endless persistence. A great, rare wine.

Solidarity Project Award

Nino Caravaglio

On the island of Salina, Nino Caravaglio has proven that it is much more than just a tourist destination — especially where viticulture struggles due to labour shortages. In collaboration with the Don Bosco 2000 association, he has been training and employing migrants from reception centres for several years, offering them new life opportunities and social integration.
An example that, fortunately, is proving contagious.

Emerging Winery

Torre Zambra

It may seem odd to call a winery founded in 1961 “emerging”, yet the return of Federico De Cerchio, the fourth generation, has triggered a total revolution — a true rebirth.
A new cellar with a restaurant and suites has been built, but more importantly, a new mindset entirely dedicated to quality. This year, their Villamagna Riserva ’22, a Montepulciano bursting with ripe black-berry aromas and powerful on the palate, impressed us the most.

Best Value for Money

Cirò Bianco Mare Chiaro ’24 – Ippolito

With 180 harvests behind them, the Ippolito family celebrates both an anniversary and a Tre Bicchieri with a Special Award! Their Cirò Bianco Mare Chiaro ’24 is a wine of depth, with a delightful bouquet of jasmine, frangipani and exotic fruit, complemented by marine, iodised, and Mediterranean notes.
On the palate it is fresh, savoury, and energetic, and can be found in wine shops for under €10. A celebration for everyone!

Winemaker of the Year

Francesco Carfagna – Altura

We met Francesco Carfagna many years ago when he first began as a winemaker, having fallen in love with the small island he never left after a late-1980s holiday. With his partner Gabriella, he built a family and spent years restoring abandoned vineyards on tiny terraces with dry-stone walls, where every task, both in vineyard and cellar, must be done by hand.
His Ansonaca is a small hymn to the millennia-old Mediterranean civilisation, and continues, year after year, to captivate us.

Cooperative Winery of the Year

La Guardiense – Janare

This excellent cooperative from Guardia Sanframondi has achieved a quality journey over the last decade that few in Italy can match, especially considering its 1,000 members and 1,500 hectares of vineyards.
Thanks to a passionate, high-level management team, its wines today stand among the finest expressions of Campanian oenology — and beyond.
A triumph for its growers and for wine lovers worldwide who appreciate their labels.

Winery of the Year

ABFV Italy – Alejandro Bulgheroni Family Vineyards

Being a wealthy magnate is not enough to make great wines. Alejandro Bulgheroni is a man who truly loves and understands wine, as shown by the creation of prestigious wineries in some of the world’s most beautiful wine regions.
In Italy — specifically in Tuscany — he has established five estates, each of exceptional quality. With top-tier management and technical teams, outstanding terroirs, and a remarkably curated portfolio, this group earns the title of Winery of the Year in this edition of the Guide.
Bravo!