The dialogue which goes from person to vine, and from vine to person in the Fivi Manifesto

An image depicting a terraced rural landscape with pergola-trained vineyards, often characteristic of hillside and mountain viticulture, namely the kind practiced every day by 81% of Independent Winegrowers on sloping terrain: this is the author Manifesto for the 2026 edition No. 15 of the “Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti” - “Market of Wines by Independent Winegrowers” by Fivi, taking place from November 21st to 23rd at BolognaFiere, an increasingly more prominent Italian and international “wine hub” (which also organizes “Champagne Experience” on October 4th - 5th with Excellence Sidi, the “Slow Wine Fair” in synergy with Sana Food from February 21st to 23rd, 2027, and has expanded beyond Bologna with “Wines Experience” events in London, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Mexico City). The manifesto is signed by Emiliano Ponzi, one of the most acclaimed, recognized, and award-winning Italian illustrators and visual artists worldwide, who has collaborated with Apple, Louis Vuitton, Armani, and the MoMA in New York, and whose works have appeared in international publications such as “The New York Times” and “The New Yorker”.
For the official “launch” of the 2026 Market, Fivi once again chose Biografilm, the international film festival in Bologna dedicated to biographies and life stories, of which it is a partner. The event included the presentation of the Manifesto, the result of a renewed collaboration with Corraini Edizioni, which in recent years has featured illustrations by artists such as Guido Scarabottolo (2023), Steven Guarnaccia (2024), and Sarah Mazzetti (2025). “we are happy to continue collaborating each year, involving new image-makers to represent the spirit of indomitable wine creators”, confirms publisher Pietro Corraini.
“With this bucolic image immersed among vineyards and grape clusters, I wanted to represent the care and craftsmanship that characterize independent winemaking - explains Emiliano Ponzi - the protagonists are not only wine and grapes, but also the elements which make their growth possible: the landscape, the light as a source of life, and above all the human presence. The female figure touching the vine embodies the constant attention of the winegrower, marking a clear difference from industrial production. Here, wine arises from a direct and daily relationship with the land: the vineyards are observed, followed, and understood through the eyes of those who care for them. In the image, the act of looking and reaching out takes on symbolic value. The woman observes the vine, and in this silent exchange emerges the theme of presence and closeness: the importance of being seen and recognized, in a dialogue which goes from person to plant and from plant to person. It is precisely in this relationship of mutual attention that the essence of Independent Winegrowers resides”. These are wineries which personally oversee the entire wine production chain, from grape cultivation to bottling and sales, and that are among the agricultural actors most deeply rooted in their territory, with which they share a profound relationship based on knowledge often passed down through generations.
“A Manifesto which is a hymn to the vine, to what it means for us winegrowers who care for and cultivate it, and to what it inspires in wine lovers who admire it - says Rita Babini, winegrower and president of Fivi - the geometries of vineyards, whether the pergolas of the terraced vineyards of Northern Piedmont that inspired Emiliano Ponzi, the contour-following rows of hillside vineyards, or the parallel lines of trained vines, are among the most iconic elements of the Italian rural landscape. They are the result of generations of work and the layering of decades, sometimes centuries, of careful, conscious, and consistent human intervention. For this reason, vineyard landscapes are, almost by definition, cultural landscapes, where memory and culture intertwine and where the identity of a place is reflected. Guardians of the land, guardians of the landscape: this is what we winegrowers are, starting from the care of our vineyards and everything which surrounds them”.
Meanwhile, the figures for the 2025 edition of the “Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti” have been confirmed for now: at BolognaFiere there will be 1,000 winegrowers from every Italian region, ready to welcome the public alongside several delegations of European winegrowers representing the national associations belonging to Cevi (Confédération Européenne des Vignerons Indépendants), as well as more than 30 members of Fioi (Federazione Italiana Olivicoltori Indipendenti), confirming the alliance in the name of territorial and quality agricultural production. BolognaFiere will provide an exhibition space of 40,000 square meters for tastings and shopping with the traditional carts, along with a rich program of masterclasses organized in collaboration with Alma, the International School of Italian Cuisine founded by Gualtiero Marchesi. There will also be the “Leonildo Pieropan” award in memory of one of Fivi founders, and the “Vignaiolo come noi” - “Winegrower like us” award for a figure from the world of culture, journalism, sports, economics, or entertainment who, despite not being a winegrower, embodies in their work the values of quality, originality, professionalism, and love for well-crafted things, carried out with passion and artisanal care, just like independent winegrowers. There will also be the “Fuori Mercato” events, which will spread throughout Bologna and its most iconic venues.
“The image of this edition effectively represents the identity of “Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti”: a place where the direct relationship between people, territory, and production returns to the forefront - underlines Rossano Bozzi, director of the Heritage Business Unit at BolognaFiere - for BolognaFiere, this event is much more than an occasion: it is a living platform which connects supply chains, communities, and culture, interpreting in a contemporary way the evolution of consumption and experiences related to wine, also as a privileged channel for relationships and direct sales between winegrowers and the public”.