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Territory, Tourism, and Market Evolution Shape New Strategy as Valpolicella Celebrates Sustainability Milestone at Amarone Opera Prima, Verona

Valpolicella has reached a historic turning point in environmental stewardship, with certified sustainable practices now covering the majority of its vineyards for the first time. Speaking at Amarone Opera Prima in Verona, Christian Marchesini, President of the Valpolicella Wine Protection Consortium, announced that 53% of the denomination’s vineyard area is now certified, representing nearly 4,666 hectares of the region’s total 8,600 hectares.

The two-day event, held at the Gallerie Mercatali on January 31 and February 1, unveiled the 2021 vintage while highlighting a decisive shift toward sustainability as a strategic pillar for long-term competitiveness. The milestone reflects a broader recalibration of Valpolicella’s identity—one that integrates territorial heritage, environmental responsibility, and evolving market dynamics.

Representing more than 2,400 businesses across 19 municipalities in the province of Verona, the Valpolicella Wine Protection Consortium serves as the authoritative voice of one of Italy’s most distinguished wine regions. With annual revenues exceeding €600 million, largely driven by Amarone’s global success, the Consortium plays a central role in safeguarding and promoting the denomination both domestically and internationally.

The Future of Amarone: Sustainability and Market Resilience

At Amarone Opera Prima, 70 producers presented the new vintage, underscoring sustainability’s dual function as both an environmental imperative and a market asset.

“In an increasingly competitive landscape, Valpolicella is investing heavily in sustainability. It is a green asset for the territory and also a powerful market lever across key demand areas, from Northern Europe to North America, where it is perceived as a value-added factor,” Marchesini noted.

The rapid expansion of certified viticulture reflects this strategic commitment. Voluntary SQNPI certification (National Quality System for Integrated Production), which promotes sustainable practices in both vineyard and cellar, increased by 47% in 2025 alone and by 110% over the past three years. Of the certified area, approximately 1,100 hectares are organic, while nearly 3,500 hectares carry the Ministry of Agriculture’s official sustainability label.

Despite challenging market conditions in 2025, the denomination demonstrated notable resilience. Bottled volumes experienced modest declines—Amarone down 2.4% to approximately 102,000 hectolitres, Valpolicella down 2.7% to 123,800 hectolitres, and Ripasso down 3.7% to just over 205,000 hectolitres. However, export performance outpaced national trends.

Veneto PDO red wines in Valpolicella’s segment recorded a value decline of only 2.1% in the first ten months of the year, significantly outperforming the national red wine category’s 6.2% drop. Key international markets posted positive growth, including Canada (+4.8%), Germany (+5.1%), Sweden (+4.7%), the United Kingdom (+8.9%), and the Netherlands (+12%).

Regional Identity, Terroir, and Classification

Valpolicella’s distinctiveness derives from its unique geographical position between the Dolomites and Lake Garda. The Monti Lessini plateau shields vineyards from Alpine cold, while Lake Garda moderates temperatures and provides natural ventilation. This combination enables extended growing seasons and supports the production of concentrated wines with vibrant acidity.

The region’s flagship Amarone is produced using the traditional appassimento method, whereby grapes are dried before fermentation to concentrate sugars, aromas, and structure. This centuries-old technique remains central to Valpolicella’s identity.

Unusually, all four principal styles of Valpolicella wine are produced throughout the region using the same limited selection of native grapes: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara.

By regulation, Valpolicella DOC wines must contain between 45% and 95% Corvina. Corvinone may substitute up to 50% of the required Corvina, contributing round, characteristic cherry notes. Rondinella constitutes 5% to 30% of the blend and is valued for its floral aromatics and resilience. Molinara, though used less frequently today, provides lean acidity and freshness.

The resulting wines are distinguished by their bright, lively, and balanced profile, marked by savoury sour cherry flavours and elegant structure.

The region produces four principal wines: Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG. These may originate from three territories: Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella DOC Classico, and Valpolicella DOC Valpantena.

Experiencing Valpolicella: Culture, Cuisine, and Landscape
Beyond viticulture, Valpolicella offers a rich cultural and experiential landscape. Historic villages such as San Giorgio di Valpolicella showcase Romanesque architecture, while Fumane features the preserved Maso degli Orzi rural complex. San Pietro in Cariano’s Villa Serego Alighieri functions as both winery and museum.

Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an ideal base for exploration, with landmarks including the Roman Arena, Juliet’s House, and Piazza delle Erbe. Nearby Lake Garda offers water sports, scenic villages, and recreational opportunities.

Local gastronomy further enhances the visitor experience, with regional specialties such as bigoli with duck ragù and paparotte (cabbage and bean soup) complementing Valpolicella’s wines.

Heritage and the Path Forward

The Valpolicella community is currently seeking UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for its appassimento tradition. Rather than pursuing commercial advantage, the initiative aims to preserve and safeguard this cultural practice for future generations.

The application process has strengthened regional cohesion while allowing for diverse interpretations of tradition and innovation. Visitors can engage with this heritage through a wide range of accommodations, from family-run farmhouses to luxury wine resorts housed in restored Renaissance villas, all within easy reach of Verona.

My choices of Valpolicella’s producers

Below are a few notable producers that caught my eye, and palate, during this year’s Amarone Opera Prima event. They range from historic estates to new state-of-the-art wineries and small, passionate producers focused on terroir and sustainability.

Corte Figaretto — www.cortefigaretto.it

Mauro Bustaggi and his daughter Sofia lead this family-run estate in Valpantena. Known for elegant, terroir-driven wines, Corte Figaretto produces Amarone della Valpolicella Brolo del Figaretto and Valpolicella Superiore Alte Quare, noted for balance, finesse, and volcanic-limestone expression.

Cà la Bionda — www.calabionda.it

Founded in 1902, this historic estate in Marano di Valpolicella is managed by Alessandro and Nicola Castellani. Their Amarone Classico and single-vineyard Casalvegri exemplify traditional methods and limestone-driven minerality.

Villa Della Torre — www.villadellatorre.it

Owned by the Allegrini family, this Renaissance estate in Fumane serves as both cultural centre and winery. Production focuses on the historic Brolo vineyards, combining architectural heritage with precision winemaking.

Novaia — www.novaia.it

The Vaona family has stewarded this 15th-century estate since 1700. Certified organic, Novaia produces wines of freshness and mineral depth, including Amarone Corte Vaona and Amarone Riserva Le Balze.

Le Guaite di Noemi — www.leguaite.it

Noemi Pizzighella represents a new generation of Veneto winemakers. Her wines emphasize purity, balance, and restrained elegance, distancing themselves from excessive opulence.

La Collina dei Ciliegi — www.lacollinadeiciliegi.it

Founded by Massimo Gianolli, this high-altitude Valpantena estate produces wines with notable acidity and minerality. The restored Ca’ Del Moro offers immersive hospitality experiences.

Massimago — www.massimago.com

Dating to 1883, Massimago blends historic roots with contemporary hospitality. Under Camilla Rossi Chauvenet, the estate has developed a Wine Relais and diverse experiential programs.

Tenuta Villa Bellini — www.tenutavillabellini.com

A pioneer of organic viticulture in Valpolicella, this historic estate introduced wild yeast fermentation in the early 1990s and continues to emphasize biodynamic principles.

Zýmē — www.zyme.it

Founded by Celestino Gaspari in 1999, Zýmē is built within a former sandstone quarry. The winery embodies a synthesis of tradition, innovation, and environmental integration, producing wines that transparently express terroir.

Valpolicella’s evolution illustrates how historic wine regions can adapt to contemporary challenges without compromising identity. By integrating sustainability, market intelligence, and cultural preservation, the denomination is positioning itself for long-term relevance in a rapidly changing global landscape.

As Amarone Opera Prima demonstrated, Valpolicella’s future lies not in abandoning tradition, but in refining it—aligning environmental responsibility with excellence, resilience, and place-based authenticity.

Filippo Magnani

Reframing Europe’s Wine Sector Through Policy and Tourism

The European Parliament’s recent approval of revised regulatory measures for the wine sector reflects a strategic recalibration of European viticulture within a broader framework of sustainability, market adaptation, and destination development policy. Rather than treating agricultural production and tourism promotion as separate governance domains, the new legislation integrates climate resilience, product innovation, and experiential tourism into a unified institutional model. This approach positions wine tourism not merely as a complementary activity, but as a structural driver of regional competitiveness, cultural heritage preservation, and long-term economic stability across Europe’s wine-producing territories.

Regulatory Clarity and Consumer Transparency

A central element of the reform concerns the standardisation of labelling for de-alcoholised and reduced-alcohol wines. Products containing no more than 0.05% alcohol by volume may now be marketed as “alcohol-free 0.0%,” while wines with alcohol content above 0.5% and at least 30% lower alcoholic strength than their original category may be designated as “alcohol reduced.” These provisions enhance consumer transparency and support innovation in response to health-conscious and moderation-oriented consumption trends. Within wine tourism contexts, such clarity facilitates more inclusive tasting experiences, enabling producers to engage diverse visitor demographics without compromising regulatory integrity.

Strengthening Adaptive Capacity and Risk Management

The legislation also expands financial instruments to assist producers confronting climate-related disruptions, plant disease outbreaks, and extreme weather events. Additional funding mechanisms, including enhanced support for distillation, green harvesting, and vineyard restructuring, are designed to stabilise production systems and preserve regional viticultural landscapes. These measures are particularly significant for wine tourism destinations, where vineyard continuity and landscape authenticity constitute core components of visitor appeal and place-based branding.

Institutional Support for Wine Tourism and Export Promotion

Of particular relevance to destination development is the expanded funding framework for wine tourism and international promotion. Eligible initiatives, including exhibitions, experiential events, destination studies, and promotional campaigns, may receive up to 60% EU co-financing, supplemented by national contributions. Funding may be renewed for up to nine years, enabling sustained, long-term investment in tourism infrastructure, storytelling strategies, and cross-border branding initiatives.

By positioning wine tourism alongside export promotion, the policy acknowledges experiential consumption as a key driver of market differentiation and regional economic diversification. This integrated approach supports rural employment, strengthens producer–consumer relationships, and enhances the global visibility of European wine regions.

Governance and Strategic Orientation

As articulated by rapporteur Esther Herranz García, the reform provides member states with a coordinated toolkit to accelerate climate adaptation, strengthen promotional capacity, and enhance sectoral competitiveness. The legislation reflects a broader governance shift from reactive crisis management toward anticipatory, place-based development strategies that align agricultural sustainability with tourism-led growth.

The newly adopted regulatory framework signals a paradigmatic evolution in European wine policy. By embedding climate resilience, product innovation, and wine tourism promotion within a unified institutional architecture, the European Union is redefining the strategic role of viticulture in regional development and cultural heritage preservation. For wine destinations, this reform offers both financial leverage and policy legitimacy to expand experiential offerings, diversify revenue streams, and reinforce Europe’s leadership in global wine tourism.

Pending final approval by the Council, these measures are expected to enter into force in the coming months, shaping the sector’s institutional and economic trajectory for the coming decade.

From Tasting to Creating: The Rise of Experimental Wine Tourism

For decades, wine tourism followed a familiar script: scenic vineyards, guided tastings, souvenir bottles, and carefully curated narratives about terroir. Today, that model is quietly being rewritten. Across leading wine destinations and emerging regions, visitors are no longer content to observe. They want to participate.

They want to create. And increasingly, wineries are responding.
At the center of this shift is the rise of experimental wine workshops, particularly blending experiences that invite guests into the creative and technical heart of winemaking. These programs reflect a broader recalibration in luxury and experiential travel, where co-creation, learning, and emotional engagement now define value more than passive consumption.

One illustrative example is the Valentine’s Wine Blending Workshop at Kismet Estate Winery in British Columbia, Canada. Designed as a small-group, guided experience, the program combines winery tours, sensory training, and hands-on blending sessions under the supervision of professional winemakers. Participants learn how balance, aroma, and structure interact before crafting a personalized wine blend, which they bottle and label as a lasting memento.

This format transforms the traditional tasting room into a creative studio. Visitors are no longer just evaluating finished products; they are temporarily stepping into the role of winemaker. The result is a deeper understanding of production decisions, and a stronger emotional bond with the brand.

Food plays a strategic role in these experiences. Curated small bites and regional pairings extend the learning process beyond the glass, reinforcing the multisensory nature of contemporary wine tourism. Gastronomy becomes an interpretive tool, helping guests connect flavor profiles with place, process, and cultural identity.

These workshops reflect a structural change in how wine destinations compete. The focus is moving from infrastructure and aesthetics toward engagement and memory creation. In this new model, the most valuable asset is not the view from the terrace, but the depth of the experience.

Experimental blending programs encapsulate this transition. By turning visitors into co-creators and embedding education within leisure, they redefine what a winery visit can be. They function simultaneously as tourism products, branding tools, and learning platforms.

As global travel continues to evolve, wine regions that invest in participatory formats are positioning themselves at the forefront of experiential tourism. The future of wine travel is not only about where visitors go. It is about what they are invited to do once they arrive.

For further information: https://www.kismetestatewinery.com/

Barcelona Wine Week 2026: Strengthening Spain’s International Wine Strategy

The sixth edition of Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) concluded in 2026 with strong indicators of international expansion, commercial vitality, and sectoral influence, reaffirming its role as a strategic platform for positioning Spanish quality wine in global markets. Hosted at Fira de Barcelona, the event recorded 25,953 professional visitors, representing a 25% increase over the previous edition—and brought together 1,350 wineries operating under 90 Denominations of Origin and quality seals.

This diverse exhibitor base, encompassing both major producers and small-scale artisanal wineries, reflected the structural richness of Spain’s wine sector and its growing export orientation. Approximately 73% of participants exhibited under official appellation frameworks, while the remaining 27% operated under independent brand identities, illustrating the sector’s balance between institutional governance and entrepreneurial dynamism.

Internationalisation emerged as a defining feature of the 2026 edition. Twenty per cent of visitors originated from more than 70 countries, supported by an expanded hosted buyer programme developed in collaboration with national export agencies. A total of 962 international buyers from key markets, including the United States, Brazil, Germany, China, India, Indonesia, and several Mercosur countries, participated in the event.

At the inauguration of BWW, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, announced the deployment of an ambitious international promotion strategy to consolidate the presence of Spanish products in emerging markets with high growth potential, including India, the Mercosur bloc, and Indonesia as key destinations for the agri-food sector, particularly winemaking.

According to BWW President Javier Pagés, the scale of international engagement confirms the fair’s growing capacity to showcase the territorial diversity and qualitative distinctiveness of Spanish viticulture. The volume and intensity of buyer–exhibitor interactions further demonstrate sustained global demand for Spanish wines across multiple price and stylistic segments.

Beyond its commercial dimension, BWW 2026 reinforced its knowledge-based mission through an extensive programme of tastings, conferences, and professional forums. A total of 138 speakers, including critics, oenologists, Masters of Wine, and international analysts—contributed to sessions addressing heritage, innovation, and sustainability. Particular attention was devoted to the legacy of great family wine dynasties, alongside contributions from Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times, who highlighted the global relevance of Spanish terroirs and evolving production models.

The fair’s estimated economic impact on the city of Barcelona, calculated at approximately €17 million, further illustrates its significance within the regional tourism and events economy. More broadly, Barcelona Wine Week 2026 demonstrated how trade fairs can function as integrated ecosystems, combining commercial exchange, professional education, policy alignment, and destination branding.

Bordeaux Claret and the Evolution of Appellation Identity

The Bordeaux wine authority’s recent decision to grant official Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status to a new style known as Bordeaux Claret marks a significant moment in the region’s ongoing adaptation to structural change. Available from the 2025 vintage, this designation formalizes a lighter, fruit-driven, lower-alcohol red wine style that stands apart from Bordeaux’s traditionally powerful reds. The move reflects a strategic recalibration at the intersection of climate pressure, shifting global consumption patterns, and the reactivation of Bordeaux’s historical identity.

From a viticultural and climatic perspective, the recognition of Bordeaux Claret responds directly to warmer growing seasons and rising alcohol levels across the region. As Stéphanie Sinoquet, managing director of the Bordeaux growers’ association, has noted, improved ripeness consistency now frequently coincides with alcohol levels approaching or exceeding 15%, challenging both balance and market appeal. Bordeaux Claret offers a structurally different expression: lighter in body, lower in tannin, and driven by primary fruit, designed to be consumed young and served lightly chilled, typically between 8°C and 12°C. This stylistic shift aligns Bordeaux with broader international trends favouring freshness, drinkability, and lower perceived heaviness.

While the term “claret” has long been used in Britain as a generic reference to Bordeaux red wines, Bordeaux Claret is neither a marketing abstraction nor a revival of Bordeaux Clairet, the darker, rosé-like appellation that already exists. Instead, it explicitly reconnects Bordeaux to its medieval past, when lighter-coloured wines shipped to England from the 12th century onward defined the region’s reputation. In this sense, Bordeaux Claret is less a reinvention than a historically informed reinterpretation, translated for contemporary palates.

From a market and tourism perspective, the formalization of Bordeaux Claret signals an institutional willingness to modernize the region’s image. As red wine consumption continues to decline in key European markets, particularly among younger consumers, the PDO provides Bordeaux with a clearly defined, officially sanctioned style that counters perceptions of heaviness, expense, and long cellar ageing. By embedding this evolution within the appellation framework, Bordeaux preserves regulatory credibility while expanding stylistic diversity.

Bordeaux Claret represents more than a new category on a label. It illustrates how one of the world’s most tradition-bound wine regions is negotiating continuity and change.