“Mondial des Vins Extrêmes”, Italy of heroic viticulture conquers 20 Great Gold Medals

From Trentino Doc Chardonnay Riserva Selezione Echo 2024 by Corvée (Trentino) to Costa Viola Igt Zibibbo L’eroico 2025 by Cooperativa Terre della Costa Viola (Calabria), from Valle d’Aosta Dop Petite Arvine 2025 by Les Cretes Società agricola (the Aosta Valley) to Carignano del Sulcis Doc Riserva Is Arenas 2023 by Cantine Sardus Pater (Sardinia), from Riviera Ligure di Ponente Doc Pigato “Braie” 2024 by Società agricola Durin Sas, and Colli di Luni Doc Vermentino Vigna Sarticola 2025 by Azienda agricola Federici (Liguria) to Candia dei Colli Apuani Doc Vermentino Reale 2019 by Tenuta Lodolina, Candia dei Colli Apuani Doc Vermentino Ora 2025 by Azienda agricola Le Canne di Pucci Luigi and Colli di Luni Doc Mezzaluna 2025 by Azienda agricola Boriassi (Tuscany), passing through Etna Bianco Doc Sommer 2022 by La Rosa Isabella, Passito di Pantelleria Doc Nes 2024 and Bianco di Pantelleria Doc Isesi 2024 by Carlo Pellegrino, Passito di Pantelleria Doc Sentivento 2014 by Prosit, Passito di Pantelleria Doc A Signurina 2022 by Azienda agricola I Giardini di Tanit, and Igt Terre Siciliane Catarratto “Masso” 2025 by Feudo Montoni Di Fabio Sireci (Sicily) up to Pinerolese Bian Ver Doc Servaj 2025 by Società agricola Cardon (Piedmont), and Igt della Bergamasca Rosso Picialì 2020 by Petraia Mussinelli (Lombardy).
These are Italy 20 Great Gold Medals, making it the second most awarded country after Spain, won at the edition No. 34 of “Mondial des Vins Extrêmes”, following the work of the tasting panels which met in recent days in Châtillon, in the Aosta Valley. Overall, a total of 84 Great Gold Medals and 295 Gold Medals were awarded among the 1,175 wines entered by 432 wineries from 22 countries in the world’s only wine competition dedicated to mountain viticulture, steep-slope vineyards, and small islands. The competition is organized annually by Cervim (Center for Research, Studies, Safeguarding, Coordination and Promotion of Mountain Viticulture). The samples were evaluated blind according to the criteria of the Oiv (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin) by 11 judging panels, comprising a total of 55 jurors, including technicians, journalists, and Italian and international wine-tasting experts.
The awards recognized those wineries and wines that enhance vineyards located on steep slopes and in challenging terrain, where vineyard work requires between 600 and 1,200 hours of labor per year. These are “extreme” vineyards because, from northern to southern Italy (and throughout the rest of the world), they all share elevations above 500 meters and slopes exceeding 30%, while also being united by their outstanding beauty. In addition to the medals, 20 Special Awards were presented, 5 of which went to Italian recipients. The “Cervim Grand Prize” 2026, awarded to the wine with the highest overall score, went to the Spanish Valle de Güímar Pico Cho Marcial Afrutado 2025 by Sat Viticultores Comarca de Güímar, based in Arafo, Tenerife. The “Cervim Special Award” was presented to seven producers: Cooperativa Vinicola Aurora Ltda (Brazil), Scv L’Étoile (France), Weingut Reis-Feine Weine (Germany), Carlo Pellegrino (Italy), Mateus & Sequeira Vinhos (Portugal), Sat Viticultores Comarca de Güímar (Spain), and Domaine Blondel (Switzerland). The “Cervim Excellence Award” was won by Campos de Cima da Serra Zanotto Troppo Maturo 2020 from Vinicola Campestre Ltda (Brazil), Cuvée Barrique Rotwein Trocken 2018 from Weingut Reis-Feine Weine (Germany), Pantelleria DOC Passito Sentivento 2014 from Prosit (Italy), Islas Canarias DO Quiquere Blanco Seco 2025 from Bodega Gallo & Quiquere Wines (Spain), and Ticino DOC Merlot Carato Riserva 2022 from Angelo Delea (Switzerland). Cosimo Capasso, from Cosimo Capasso Vini di Montagna in Tocco Caudio (Benevento, Campania), was named the best winegrower under 35 and winner of the Cervim Future Award 2026. The Cervim Small Islands Award went to Pantelleria DOC Passito Sentivento 2014 by Prosit, while the Cervim Women Award was presented to Isabella La Rosa of Azienda Agricola Isabella La Rosa in Sicily and to enologist Ioanna Vamvakouri of Mikra Thira in Santorini, Greece. The Mondial des Vins Extrêmes Award 2026 for the wine-growing area with the largest number of wines entered was awarded to the Canary Islands.
“The figures from this edition demonstrate the ability of heroic viticulture to bring together very different territories  - declares Nicola Abbrescia, president of Cervim -  the wines in the competition provide an increasingly more detailed picture of the heritage of heroic viticulture. Behind every sample lie complex growing conditions, as well as specialized expertise and strong territorial identities. It is through this international exchange that we aim to continue growing the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes in the upcoming years”.