Merano WineFestival among elegance, technology and diversity, Italian wine future goes on stage

“Since 1992, we have always sought to keep our focus firmly on the future of the wine world, which cannot be separated from its territories and producers. With this edition, we also want to highlight the role of technology and AI as cross-cutting tools and potential allies, from vineyard to cellar. They can help make the wealth of wine knowledge more accessible, create opportunities for communication and promotion in international markets, and ensure transparency and information for consumers. This edition will be dedicated to the theme of elegance becoming art, expressed through the beauty of the Kurhaus, the harmony of music, the creativity of haute cuisine and high fashion, and the refinement of wine and gastronomic specialties showcased in Merano”. These were the words of Helmuth Köcher as he launched the edition No. 35 of the Merano WineFestival, set to take place from November 6th to 10th at the historic Kurhaus in the South Tyrolean town. What has increasingly become a sort of “early New Year celebration” for Italian wine will also provide an opportunity for WineNews (the event media partner) to take stock of the state of the sector and of the 2026 harvest, now completed but still scarcely discussed in terms of production figures and quality estimates, pending official data, both in the most renowned wine regions and in those yet to be fully discovered or better understood.
The spotlight will shine on a packed program of new initiatives and events, ranging from the organic wine world to No- and Low-Alcohol wines, from haute cuisine to traditional-method sparkling wines, alongside moments dedicated to celebrating excellence and exploring the future of the wine industry. The programme was officially presented today in Merano during a press conference.
The festival will officially open on Friday, November 6 at 10:00 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Senate vicepresident Gian Marco Centinaio, Merano Mayor Katharina Zeller, Ice Agency president Matteo Zoppas and Coldiretti president Ettore Prandini (at 10 a.m). At the same time, Piazza della Rena will host the Slow Food and Slow Wine Alto Adige Farmers’ Market, once again showcasing high-quality handcrafted products.
Friday will also feature “TasteTerroir - Bio & Dynamica”, dedicated to organic, biodynamic and natural wines, as well as wines produced from PIWI grape varieties. The programme will also focus on sustainable viticulture, amphora winemaking, underwater ageing, outstanding expressions of Riesling and, finally, the “Cult Enologist” excellence trail, dedicated to Italy leading winemakers selected by Helmuth Köcher: Franco Bernabei, Carlo Ferrini, Luca D’Attoma, Riccardo Cotarella, Alessandro Cellai, Gianni Menotti, Paolo Caciorgna and Gabriele Gadenz.
At 4:30 p.m., the Puccini Theatre will host the WineHunter Award Platinum ceremony, including the presentation of the special “Honor Awards” and recognitions for the eight “Cult Oenologist”.
Later, from 7:00 p.m., the Kurhaus will transform to host the Gala Dinner, an exclusive gastronomic journey created in collaboration with Teritoria, a collection of over 300 Maisons and Tables sensationnelles across Europe, with chef Alain Ducasse serving as “brand president”. Guests will embark on a journey through five territories and five distinct interpretations of elegance: from purity, expressed by chefs Sarah Bertocchi and Fabrizio Molteni (Teritoria Frosch Restaurant), to the bond between territory, roots and memory represented by chef Massimo Spigaroli (Teritoria Antica Corte Pallavicina, Michelin-starred). The experience will continue with harmony, interpreted in the first course by chef Arcangelo Tinari (Teritoria Villa Maiella, Michelin-starred), character, expressed by chef Giacomo Devoto (Teritoria Locanda de Banchieri, Michelin-starred), and finally beauty, embodied in the dessert created by chef Anna Ghisolfi (Teritoria Ristorante Anna Ghisolfi). The gala dinner will also welcome the world of fashion into the Kursaal with “The Birth of Beauty” fashion show, curated by Andrea Maria Tratter of Runggaldier Manifaktur, Margherita De Cles of La Cles Atelier, Fiorella Ciaboco with her Vegea dresses (an innovative biomaterial derived from grape pomace), alongside jewellery by Estefania Monti and handbags by Maria Luisa Craia. The evening will also feature the presentation of the five WineHunter Stars 2026, awards celebrating the leading figures of Italian food and wine culture. Winemaker Roberto Cipresso will receive the “Winemaker Star”; Osteria Francescana maître-sommelier Beppe Palmieri will be honoured with the “Wine Manager Star”; Giuseppe “Peppone” Calabrese will receive the “Wine & Food TV Host Star” (presented by WineNews Editor-in-Chief Alessandro Regoli, who received the award for Best Wine & Food Web Journalist in 2025); the “Wine Artist Star”, dedicated to the memory of Livio Felluga, will be awarded to his son Filippo Felluga; while Master of Wine Cristina Mercuri, the first woman in Italy to earn the title, will receive the “Communication Star”.
From Saturday, November 7th to Monday, November 9th, “The Festival” will fill the Kurhaus with more than 350 wineries in the “Wine Italia” section, ranging from the leading South Tyrolean estates, with home-field advantage (from Elena Walch to Cantina Bolzano, from Terlano to Tramin, from San Michele Appiano to Nals Margreid and Colterenzio), to many of Italy most prestigious producers. These include, among others, names such as Masciarelli and Feudi di San Gregorio, Marisa Cuomo and Quintodecimo, San Salvatore 1988 and Ceci, Nonino and Zorzettig, Lunae Bosoni and Bellavista, Berlucchi and Ca’ del Bosco, Conte Vistarino and Nino Negri, Perla del Garda and Umani Ronchi, Velenosi and Di Majo Norante, Damilano, Fontanafredda, La Scolca, Marchesi di Barolo, Leone de Castris and Mack & Schuhle Italia, Varvaglione 1921 and Antichi Poderi Jerzu, Argiolas and Santadi, Donnafugata and Mandrarossa, Planeta and Tasca d’Almerita, Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari, Avignonesi, Banfi, Carpineto, Dievole, Cecchi, Fèlsina, Fontodi and Il Borro, Isole e Olena and Tenuta di Biserno, Tenuta del Nicchio and Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano, Altemasi and Ferrari, Maso Martis, Resistenti Nicola Biasi, Rotari-Mezzacorona and San Leonardo, Caprai and Lungarotti, Adami and Bertani, Bortolomiol and Carpenè Malvolti, Collis Veneto Wine Group and Farina, Maculan, Masottina, Pasqua, Ruggeri, Tommasi, Val d’Oca, Marilisa Allegrini and Villa Sandi. The event will also feature more than 100 producers from 12 different countries in the “Wine International” section, including Lebanon, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa, alongside more than 120 labels selected for the “WineHunter Area”, served for tasting by the young sommeliers of Fisar Alto Adige. Among the novelties of the 2026 edition is the “Next Platinum” selection, highlighting products that have reached the highest level within their award category, as well as wines that received the “Gran Medaglia d’Oro” at the “Mondial des Vins Extrêmes”, the international competition organised annually by Cervim, a benchmark institution in heroic and mountain viticulture.
Among the most unusual highlights, on Saturday, November 7th, the inaugural sabrage ceremony will take place on Ponte Lenoir: 35 master sabreurs for 35 magnums of Montalbera “140+1®” Pas Dosé Traditional Method sparkling wine, a special limited edition made from 100% Pinot Noir. The wine takes its name from its 140-month ageing period, plus one additional day devoted to the final tasting (2 p.m.). From November 6th to 9th, the GourmetArena will host 150 companies showcasing gourmet products, beers and spirits from across Italy, together with a rich programme of showcookings and food-and-wine pairings. Highlights include “Gourmet Campania - Sfumature di Gusto”, featuring leading chefs and pizzaioli from the Campania region. Among the new features of the 2026 edition, the GourmetArena will also host the “WineHunter Rosé Selection”, dedicated to the finest expressions of rosé wines, and a No-Low Alcohol Area, focused on emerging trends in reduced- or no-alcohol beverages. The low-alcohol wine trend is becoming increasingly evident, including within the selections of “The WineHunter” Guide itself. Köcher noted that the average alcohol content of wines submitted by producers has steadily declined year after year, with a growing number of labels coming in below 13% Abv. Always from November 6th to 9th, at Merano WineFestival, at Enoteca Italia one can discover, in preview, the new edition of guide “Vinibuoni d’Italia” 2027.
The showcooking program will continue at the FuoriSalone on Corso Libertà, featuring chefs from Abruzzo and Calabria in collaboration with their respective regional administrations. The public-access FuoriSalone will also host Casa Campania, South Tyrol and Umbria Top Wines.
In addition, the WineHunter Masterclasses will offer 28 guided tastings led by producers and industry experts at the Hotel Terme Merano. As in previous years, proceeds will support the charitable project “A Well for Life” promoted by the Merano Missionary Group. Complementing these exclusive tastings will be four special presentations dedicated to wineries and territories worth discovering, including LiSignori, Çobo Winery, Bersi Serlini and the Umbria region through Umbria Top Wines.
But Merano WineFestival is not only about tastings and lifestyle events. It is also a platform for discussion and in-depth analysis. In collaboration with the International Viticulture & Enology Society (Ives), Connected Reality and ForTeam, the summit “Breath and Cry of the Earth” will return on Friday, November 6 at the Puccini Theater (9 a.m.). The program includes opening remarks by Helmuth Köcher and Ives director Julien Dumercq, followed by presentations of five scientific research projects in viticulture and oenology by Francesco Mirone and Sara Zanella of the Interdepartmental Centre for Research in Viticulture and Enology, Valeria De Rosa of the Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Trento, Matteo Migliorini of the University of Verona, and concluding remarks by Emanuele Boselli of the Free University of Bolzano.
The Merano WineFestival program also includes several moments dedicated to discussion and the discovery of compelling stories from the world of wine. Activities begin on Friday, November 6th (Sala Sissi, 12 p.m.) with a roundtable presentation of Giovanni Scapagnini book “La Via del Vino - Il gusto di sentirsi bene” (Mondadori), featuring Federico Veronesi of Oniwines and Signorvino alongside Helmuth Köcher. Laura Donadoni will present the European project Grapes of Change (Puccini Theatre, 3 p.m.), aimed at promoting gender equality within the wine sector. At the same time, in the Palm Lounge of Hotel Terme Merano, journalist Rocco Catalano will present his book “Sulle orme di Veronelli” (Ampelos Editions) in conversation with fellow journalist Leonardo Romanelli. On Saturday, November 7th, again in the Palm Lounge, Camilla Lunelli, interviewed by Stefania Mafalda, will present “Un’arte di famiglia” (Sperling & Kupfer), a volume narrating her personal and professional journey (12 p.m.). Later, in the same venue, Chiara Giorleo, interviewed by Manuela Zennaro, will introduce “Vino, donna. Storie e passioni di 90 protagoniste del cambiamento”, a collection of interviews with women shaping the wine world, published by Luciano Pignataro (4 p.m.). The day will conclude at the Women Museum with “Voices in the Glass”, a celebratory toast bringing together the museum historical heritage and the excellence of the Trentino-Alto Adige chapter of Donne del Vino (6 p.m.). On Sunday, November 8th, the Palm Lounge will host the presentation of “Alto Adige in a Glass. Winegrowers of the Burgraviato” by Mario Vacca, published by Edizioni Nisroch (2 p.m.), followed by the launch of the new edition of “I Vini del Cuore” by Olga Sofia Schiaffino, with a foreword by Marco Sciarrini (4 p.m.). Meanwhile, Casa Campania will host the talk “Sardinia, 3,000 Years of Wine Civilization and Culture: From Nuragic Roots to Contemporary Identity”, presented by Professor Giorgio Murru (2:30 p.m.).
To further foster connections between producers and markets, Merano WineFestival is also strengthening its dedicated B2B networking platforms, including the WH Buyers’ Club at Forst Sala Sixtus in Merano and the ICE Buyers Area, organized in collaboration with ITA - Italian Trade Agency at the Hotel Therme Merano. Among the events focused on international market opportunities, on Saturday, November 7th, the Palm Lounge at Hotel Therme will host the talk “Brazil & Europe: New Frontiers for the Wine Business”, featuring Wh Ambassador Karine de Souza, Helmuth Köcher, Nelson de Andrade Junior representing Brazil Ministry of Agriculture, Professor Marcelo Vargas, and Cristian Silva, respectively an industry educator and wine producer, both from Brazil (3 p.m.). On Monday, November 9th, again in the Palm Lounge, the spotlight will turn to international markets with a session organized by the Wh Wine Observatory, the new initiative launched by Helmuth Köcher to explore future scenarios for the wine world together with the international WH Ambassadors (3 p.m.). As tradition dictates, the festival will conclude with “Catwalk Champagne & More” on Tuesday, November 10th, a day entirely dedicated to the sparkling world of Italian and international bubbles, culminating in the blow of the sabre of a Methuselah of Champagne Encry.
Merano WineFestival remains a landmark event that successfully blends glamour and business while looking firmly toward the future of wine. According to Köcher, “technology and Artificial Intelligence must also be among our priorities, because they can strengthen all other development pathways. Innovation should help us enhance what makes us unique, not produce wines that all taste the same. Italy wine biodiversity is a cultural, agricultural and economic heritage that we must transform into greater competitiveness. We need to move from a viticulture which merely reacts to change to one that is capable of anticipating it. Quality will remain our benchmark, but on its own it will no longer be enough. It must be accompanied by knowledge, innovation, sustainability and the ability to communicate effectively”.