Milano-Cortina 2026, among fine wines, signature restaurants, Michelin-starred chefs, luxury hotels

A major sporting event that puts the spotlight on Italy, but also on its flavors: at Milano-Cortina 2026, from February 6 to 22, food and wine - one of Italy’s most beloved and well-known symbols around the world, recently recognized as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage - will naturally be among the main protagonists, together with excellent hospitality, great wines, signature restaurants, Michelin-starred chefs, and exclusive hotels. So, amid the snow and ski lifts, icy slopes and balaclavas, Milano-Cortina 2026 will also be an opportunity for athletes, institutional representatives, media correspondents from around the world, and visiting VIPs to taste the best bottles made in Italy and discover the flavors of the region.
The headquarters of Italian hospitality during the Games, between territories and wine glasses, will be “Casa Italia,” divided into three official locations - at the Triennale in Milan, the Galleria Farsetti in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the Aquagranda in Livigno - a meeting point for athletes, institutions, international delegations, and the media. The hospitality project is called “Musa”, in homage to the inspiring role that Italy, with its beauty, history, and creativity, has played for centuries in the imagination and culture of the world. In classical tradition, the Muses preserve memory, nourish knowledge, and transform thought into harmony through the arts. The gastronomic offering will be curated by chef Davide Oldani, who will pair his refined cuisine with 26 “Olympic wines” selected to represent the various regions for CONI by the Lt Wine & Food Advisory team, supported by journalist and deputy editor of Corriere della Sera Luciano Ferraro. The choice was guided by guidelines that promote the main appellations and native grape varieties, representing the entire Italian wine economy, from the big national players to the cooperative world and small producers, which best illustrate the richness, variety, and progress made in recent years by Italian wine.
Prosecco DOC, the Official Sparkling Wine Sponsor of “Milano-Cortina 2026”, debuts with the Italian flag on its state seal for the occasion. The new label for DOCG and DOC wines, produced by the Italian State Printing Works and Mint, is a tool that increases security, protecting consumers from “fake” wines passed off as Italian (and therefore from Italian Sounding), and focuses on traceability with the great visual novelty of the Italian flag: the first labels will be applied to special bottles created for the Winter Olympics.
The wines of the Serenissima will also be in the spotlight: the Consorzio Vini Venezia will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 19 at the “Casa Veneto” venue, in an event aimed at presenting and promoting the five appellations protected by the Consortium: Malanotte del Piave, Lison DOCG, Venezia DOC, Lison Pramaggiore DOC, and Piave DOC. A tasting event designed to introduce an international audience to the wines of the Serenissima and their deep connection to the Veneto region.
But Verona will also play a leading role in the Winter Olympics, as the venue for the closing ceremony and the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. In this context, Amarone becomes the trait d'union of a collective identity narrative: at “Amarone Opera Prima” 2026, the event organized by the Valpolicella Wine Consortium dedicated to the region’s most prestigious wine, which ends today, there was a talk entitled “Amarone on the podium with Italian cuisine and the Olympics.”. Speakers included Maddalena Fossati, editor-in-chief of the historic magazine “La Cucina Italiana,” creator of the UNESCO nomination, and president of the promoting committee, Deborah Compagnoni, sports legend, the only winner of three Olympic gold medals and one silver, three world gold medals and one World Cup in giant slalom, and ambassador for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics, and Cristina Bowerman, chef at Glass Hostaria in Rome, winner of one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso Forks.