The perfect wine list? It’s made up of 1,000 wines selected by 100 top Italian sommeliers

What if the best sommeliers of the Italian restaurant industry were the ones to choose the “wine for every moment”? The result is “Wine List Italia” 2024, the “perfect wine list” made up of 1,000 Italian and foreign labels, selected by 100 top sommelier professionals in our country for the unique guide published by Mww Media-Vendemmie, and unveiled yesterday at Palazzo Bovara, at the opening of “Milano Wine Week”, the “week” that Milan dedicates to the passion for Italian wine (until October 13).
In edition No. 2, the publishing project expands the roster of experts involved - twice as many as in 2023 - by entrusting 100 renowned sommeliers with the story of the 10 must-have references on their wine list. Who are they? From North to South, via Central Italy, from young talents to award-winning masters, this is a diverse and highly competent portfolio of professionals. Many are already well-known faces on the wine scene, such as Marius Dumitru (Ma.Ri. Na Ristorante, 1 Michelin star in Olgiate), “Best Sommelier of Lombardy” 2024, and Gianluca Sanso (Ristorante Cracco in Galleria, 1 Michelin star, Milan), who has been working side by side with chef Carlo Cracco since 2018; from Salvatore Maresca, who lends his great experience to Ristorante Maresca, 1 Michelin star, in Torre del Greco, one of the most prestigious establishments in the Campania region, to Andrea Gionchetti (Ristorante Qafiz, 1 Michelin star, Santa Cristina d’Aspromonte), famous for his focus on the local wines of Calabria and his ability to create innovative food & beverage pairings. There are also numerous young promises that return a current and next-generation point of view, such as Matteo Di Lernia (Enoteca Pinchiorri, 3 Michelin stars, Florence) and Marco De Signoribus (Ristorante Gabbiano 3. 0, 1 Michelin star, Marina di Grosseto), class of 1998 and 1999 respectively, from Gabriele Bianchi (Ristorante Procaccini Milano, 1 Michelin star, Milan), recognized among the 100 young leaders under 30 in food & drink in 2022, to Nicolas Bertuletti (Osteria Tre Gobbi, Bergamo), class of 2000, the most junior face of the “Wine List” of “Milano Wine Week”. Representing the professionals of the Italian sommellerie are, instead, Manager and Head Sommelier Mara Vicelli (Acanto Restaurant, Milan) among the most renowned professionals of the Italian dining room, to Wine Manager Jessica Rocchi (Andrea Aprea Ristorante Presso Fondazione Luigi Rovati, 1 Michelin star, Milan), from Head Sommelier Federica Radice (Due Colombe - Ristorante al Borgo Antico, 1 Michelin star, Borgonato di Corte Franca), to Cristina Pinciroli, sommelier at Palazzo Utini in Noceto. Also, Head Sommelier Marianna Romano (Borgo Santandrea Restaurant, 1 Michelin star, Amalfi), among the most authoritative voices in the world of wines on the Amalfi Coast, and Sofia Carta, sommelier at Forte Village Resort in Santa Margherita di Pula. Last but not least, the young and talented Bianca Modonesi, class of 1997, sommelier at Osteria degli Assonica, 1 Michelin star, in Sorisole.
To them, the challenge of choosing “a wine for every moment”, pinned in the guide, conceived by Federico Gordini, president “Milano Wine Week”, and Paolo Porfidio, Head Sommelier of Terrazza Gallia in Milan and “Best Sommelier of Italy” 2023 according to Identità Golose, as well as coordinator of the “Wine List Italia” project in 10 distinct categories - The Smart Choice (for value for money), The Sommelier’s Discovery (a “gem” unknown to most people), The Memorable Vintage (to keep in the cellar), An International Look, A Taste of Territory (the wine that represents the territory of the restaurant where the sommelier works or the idea of cuisine desired by the chef), The Roots in the Goblet (the wine that brings back to the sommelier’s origins), Label in Pink, The Ethical Choice, A Sweet Sip, and The Wine by the Goblet - for a total of 1,000 prestigious labels carefully selected and narrated, including 855 from Italian wineries and 145 from foreign companies.
“The world wine scene is rich and varied, and while it is essential to pay homage to the iconic wines that represent established excellence, it is equally important to give space to the small oenological gems that are just waiting to be discovered”, explains Paolo Porfidio. “It is in this context that the role of the sommelier assumes central importance. We are faced with, no longer just an expert, but a true Wine Manager and an exceptional communicator, capable of balancing the great classics with innovative proposals and transforming a simple tasting into a cultural experience for the consumer, who will be able to fully appreciate the nuances and understand the importance of a conscious and informed choice”.
Accompanying the launch of the guide, today in “Milano Wine Week,” were masterclasses at Palazzo Bovara, with Riccardo Cotarella, co-founder of Famiglia Cotarella and president of Assoenologi, and with Ca’ del Bosco with Andrea Menichetti and patron Maurizio Zanella, and an exceptional vertical of the most famous Riserva, Franciacorta Annamaria Clementi. But also masterclasses dedicated to Poggiorosso, the Sangiovese Cru from San Felice, a historic winery in Chianti Classico, narrated by winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini, and with Berlucchi’s Franciacorta Reserves with Alessandro Ramagini, the commercial director, and Ferdinando Dell’Aquila, the winemaker, and an exclusive vertical of old vintages from the private archives of the Ziliani family winery, where Franciacorta was born.