Elena Walch, Petrolo, Venica, Pieropan, Benanti, and more: the “Top 10” by “Bibenda” 2027

From Piedmont, the 2022 Barolo Villero Arnaldo Rivera from Terre del Barolo, a historic and well-established cooperative, and a wine from the line named after its founder, Arnaldo Rivera, who was also mayor of Castiglione Falletto at the time; to South Tyrol, one of Italy’s white wine gems, home to the 2023 Alto Adige Bianco Grande Cuvée Beyond The Clouds from Elena Walch, a renowned South Tyrolean winery (which also produces Trentodoc in neighboring Trentino, under the Moncalisse label) led by Elena Walch alongside her daughters Julia and Karoline Walch; from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where the spotlight turns to another “white gem”, an expression of a region with great potential: the Collio Sauvignon Ronco delle Mele 2025 from Venica & Venica, a “cult” label (which celebrated its 30th harvest in 2025) from one of the region’s iconic wineries, based in Dolegna del Collio and run by Gianni Venica, his wife Ornella, and their children Giampaolo and Serena; to Veneto, home of the Soave Classico La Rocca 2024 produced by Pieropan, a name that, when it comes to Soave, is a true institution, so much so that the winery, founded by Leonildo Pieropan and now run by his sons Andrea and Dario, is one of the most prestigious in the region and beyond. Next, there’s Tuscany, with the Val d’Arno di Sopra Merlot Vigna Galatrona 2023, the flagship wine of Petrolo, a winery with a commitment to organic farming and one of the symbols of the region linking Florence and Arezzo, led by Luca Sanjust, the third generation of the Bazzocchi-Sanjust family; from Marche comes Il Pollenza 2023, the iconic wine of Il Pollenza, owned by Count Aldo Brachetti Peretti, one of the most famous and celebrated brands in the Marche region; from Lazio, the Habemus Etichetta Bianca 2024 from San Giovenale, undoubtedly one of the most famous names in Lazio’s wine industry; from Campania, the Taurasi Vigna Macchia dei Goti 2022, a “jewel” from Cantine Antonio Caggiano, one of the leading producers in the Irpinia and Campania regions; from Puglia, the Gioia del Colle Primitivo Senatore 2023 from Casa Vinicola Coppi, a brilliant family-run winery with a passion for native grape varieties, of which the “Senatore”, a label dedicated to the winery’s founder, is one of its best-known wines; and finally, from Sicily, here is the Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina 2021 from Benanti, one of the most prestigious wineries in the famous Etna region. These are the 10 wines of the year from “Bibenda” 2027, the guide published by the Sommelier Foundation (FIS), led by Franco Ricci, selected from among the many wines awarded the “Cinque Grappoli”, 701 award-winning wineries, for over 780 “Cinque Grappoli” awards - as previously reported by WineNews (the presentation is scheduled for November 28 in Rome) - namely those “labels that remain in the mind, soul, and heart” and that “are never forgotten”.