A GUESS AT THE WINNERS OF GAMBERO ROSSO AWARDS: GIACOSA BEST WINERY, FINO FOR VITICULTURALIST, GATTINARA SAN GRATO ANTONIOLO BEST RED WINE, FIANO DI AVELLINO COLLI DI LAPIO ROMANI BEST WHITE, GRAAL CAVIT BEST SPUMANTE, AND BARATTIERI FOR SWEET WINE

October is the month when the top Italian wine guides make their annual presentations and the anticipation to discover who are the top scorers among Italy’s producers and sector workers is growing. And the Gambero Rosso guide, the most read guide to wine in Italy, is the most coveted spot to earn the most “bicchieri” (the guide’s scoring system that awards from 1 to 3 glasses depending on the quality of a wine).
Obviously, the rumors have already begun to fly about who will be 2009’s lucky winners and WineNews has listed below those who, according to these rumors, are most likely to win.

The winery of the year should got the Piedmont’s Bruno Giacosa in Neive (Cuneo); the best red wine is also Piedmontese with Gattinara Osso San Grato 2005 by Antoniolo; the best white goes to Fiano di Avellino Colli di Lapio ’08 by Clelia Romano; top sparkling wine is Altemasi Graal Brut Riserva 2002 Cavit from Trento; and sweet wine Barattieri Colli Piacentini Vin Santo Albarola Val di Nure 1999 from the Emilia Romagna region. The best new winery should also be from the Emilia Romagna region with Gallegati. Best viticulturalist will be given to Gianfranco Fino and best enologist will not be one of the big names but a new and young enologist.

The novelty for 2009 is the “three glass plus” ranking, which is an extra recognition given by the guide’s director, Daniele Cernilli.