Italian wine in “Legacy Icons”, “Classics” and “New Voices” at “Opera Wine 2026” by Wine Spectator

Italian wine is like a great art gallery, preserving and showcasing to the world a “permanent exhibition” of producer-artists who have shaped (and continue to shape) the history of their territories. It features a well-established area where names of absolute prestige are “on display”, which are, at this point, living classics, and a space dedicated to more or less emerging or already partially affirmed “artists” who, in their own way, express the vibrancy and dynamism present both in the most beloved and famous regions, and in those that are increasingly carving out a place in the glasses of wine lovers around the world. “Legacy Icons” (31 wineries featured in every edition, “producers who, thanks to their consistent focus on excellence, have had a historic impact on Italian wine”), “Classics” (69 producers “leaders in their regions with a strong track record of quality”), and “New Voices” (50 wineries “founded since 1990, selected for their ability to deliver quality, innovation, and continuous evolution in Italian wine”), in other words, to use the “classification” of Wine Spectator, which announced, for the first time from the U.S. during Vinitaly.USA in Chicago (October 5th-6th), the list of wineries which will be featured at OperaWine 2026, the annual super tasting, prologue to Vinitaly. This event celebrates the flagship companies of Italian wine in the U.S. and will take place in Verona on April 11th, ahead of the main Italian wine fair (scheduled for April 12th - 15th 2026).
Names ranging from Masciarelli to Feudi di San Gregorio, from Famiglia Cotarella to Ca’ del Bosco, from Nino Negri to Umani Ronchi, from Tormaresca Tenuta Bocca di Lupo to Donnafugata, from Planeta to Tasca d’Almerita, from Ferrari Trento to Antinori, from Castello di Ama to Castello di Volpaia, from Fèlsina to Fontodi, from Marchesi Frescobaldi to Mazzei, from Ornellaia to Tenuta San Guido, from Lungarotti to Allegrini, from Masi Agricola to Zenato, among “Legacy Icon”; from Jermann to Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore, from Lvnae Bosoni to Bellavista, from Guido Berlucchi to Braida di Giacomo Bologna, from Ceretto to Cogno, from G.B. Burlotto to G.D. Vajra, from Giacomo Borgogno & Figli to Oddero Poderi e Cantine, from Pio Cesare to Sandrone, from Argiolas to Tenute Sella & Mosca, from Benanti to Tenuta delle Terre Nere, from Cantina Terlano to Elena Walch, from San Michele Appiano to Tenuta San Leonardo, from Altesino to Argiano, from Biondi-Santi to Boscarelli, from Canalicchio di Sopra to Caprili, from Carpineto toCasanova di Neri, from Castello Banfi to Eredi Fuligni, from Il Poggione to Isole e Olena, from Le Macchiole to Rocca delle Macìe, from Antinori Castello della Sala to Caprai, from Bertani to Nino Franco, from Roberto Anselmi to Romano dal Forno, and Tedeschi among “Classic”; and, still, among the “New Voices”, names such as Quintodecimo, San Salvatore 1988, Villa Bucci, Gianfranco Fino, Arianna Occhipinti, Feudo Maccari - Famiglia Antonio Moretti, Graci, Pietradolce, Maso Martis, Argentiera, Biserno, Grattamacco, Lamole di Lamole, Le Chiuse, Poggio al Tesoro (Marilisa Allegrini), San Filippo, Tenuta di Arceno, Tenuta di Trinoro, Tolaini, Tenuta Castelbuono (Fratelli Lunelli), Biancavigna, Gerardo Cesari, and Zýmē, just to name a few (full list available in the focus section).
In total, there are 45 new wineries compared to the 2025 edition. In terms of representation, Tuscany leads the dominance of ambassadors of Italian wine (with nearly a third of the selected producers, quota 48), followed by Piedmont (24), Sicily (15), and Veneto (12).
“OperaWine is a symbolic event and represents our only international tasting - declared Alison Napjus, senior editor at Wine Spectator, during the presentation of the "Opera Wine" 2026 winery list in Chicago -  for me and Bruce Sanderson, senior editor, the wineries featured in Verona are always a source of inspiration and exploration of Italian wines, selected through our blind tastings. For next year, we have expanded the representation of Italian wine excellence, introducing the “New Voices” category exclusively for 2026, with the aim of identifying new thematic categories for future editions. We thank Veronafiere-Vinitaly for their trust in Wine Spectator. We are thrilled to spotlight these extraordinary producers at the Verona event and to present them to our 3.5 million readers worldwide”.

Focus - The 150 wineries selected by “Wine Spectator” for “Opera Wine” 2026
Legacy Icons
Masciarelli
Feudi Di San Gregorio
Mastroberardino Agricola
Livio Felluga
Famiglia Cotarella
Ca’ Del Bosco
Nino Negri
Marche Umani Ronchi
Aldo Conterno
Giuseppe Mascarello & Figlio
Paolo Scavino
Tormaresca Tenuta Bocca Di Lupo
Donnafugata
Planeta
Tasca D’almerita
Ferrari Trento
Antinori
Castellare Di Castellina
Castello Di Ama
Castello Di Volpaia
Fèlsina
Fontodi
Marchesi Frescobaldi
Mazzei
Ornellaia
Tenuta San Guido
Lungarotti
Allegrini
Masi Agricola
Pieropan
Zenato

Classics
D’angelo
Borgo Del Tiglio
Jermann
Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore
Vie Di Romans
Liguria Lvnae Bosoni
Arpepe
Bellavista
Guido Berlucchi
Marche Bisci
Marche Garofoli
Braida Di Giacomo Bologna
Cavallotto
Ceretto
Cogno
Elio Altare
G.B. Burlotto
G.D. Vajra
Giacomo Borgogno & Figli
Marchesi Di Gresy
Massolino
Oddero Poderi E Cantine
Pio Cesare
Pira Chiara Boschis
Produttori Del Barbaresco
Ratti
Roagna
Sandrone
Vietti
Argiolas
Tenute Sella & Mosca
Benanti
Duca Di Salaparuta
Passopisciaro
Tenuta Delle Terre Nere
Cantina Terlano
Elena Walch
J. Hofstätter
St. Michael-Eppan Winery
Tenuta San Leonardo
Altesino
Argiano
Biondi-Santi
Boscarelli
Canalicchio Di Sopra
Caprili
Carpineto
Casanova Di Neri
Castello Banfi
Castello Di Albola
Castello Di Monsanto
Castello Romitorio
Eredi Fuligni
Fattoria Le Pupille
Il Poggione
Isole E Olena
Le Macchiole
Ricasoli
Rocca Delle Macìe
Siro Pacenti
Valdicava
Antinori Castello Della Sala
Arnaldo Caprai
Tabarrini
Bertani
Nino Franco
Roberto Anselmi
Romano Dal Forno
Tedeschi

New Voices
La Valentina
Elena Fucci
Colli Di Lapio
Galardi
Quintodecimo
San Salvatore 19.88
Terre Di Valter
Chiara Condello
Bastianich
Liguria Terenzuola
Liguria Terre Bianche
Marche Villa Bucci
Molise Catabbo
Ca’viola
Mauro Veglio
Trediberri
Felline
Gianfranco Fino
Masseria Li Veli
Agripunica
Ammura (Tommasi Family Estates)
Arianna Occhipinti
F. Tornatore
Feudo Maccari
Feudo Montoni
Giovanni Rosso
Graci
Pietradolce
Maso Martis
Argentiera
Biserno
Grattamacco
Il Molino Di Grace
Ipsus
Istine
Lamole Di Lamole
Le Chiuse
Podere Salicutti
Poggio Al Tesoro
Riecine
Rocca Di Frassinello
Rocca Di Montegrossi
San Filippo
Tenuta Di Arceno
Tenuta Di Trinoro
Tolaini
Tenuta Castelbuono
Biancavigna
Gerardo Cesari
Zýmē