“The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands” 2025: Gaja No. 2 overall, and first among Italians

Gaja, the undisputed symbol of Langhe Barbaresco and Barolo, of the Gaja family, a winery led by Angelo Gaja with his children Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni, and his wife Lucia, is the best Italian (and European) wine brand in the world, and No. 2 overall, behind the most admired brand, which is that of the Argentine winery Catena. This is the verdict of “The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands” 2025, the ranking drawn up annually by the magazine “Drinks International” and analyzed by WineNews, based on the votes cast by an “academy,” made up of 100 of the most influential wine writers, horeca entrepreneurs, Masters of Wine and others.
A ranking that sees the podium completed by one of the most important names in the wine of Spain, La Rioja Alta, but which as always also sees an important presence of the big names of Italian wine. At No. 4, in fact, there is Antinori, history and reference of Italian wine, led by Albiera Antinori with her father Piero and sisters Allegra and Alessia, and CEO Renzo Cotarella, who also returns to the ranking with one of its most iconic wines, Tignanello (at position No. 46. ) Also in the “Top 10” is another absolute top brand from Italy, such as Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia, owned by the Incisa della Rocchetta family, which heads the historic Bolgheri estate together with Tenuta San Guido’s president, Alessandro Berlingieri, and CEO Carlo Paoli. Position No. 34 for another top Italian wine brand, Frescobaldi, a historic reality led by Lamberto Frescobaldi, and a group that also puts another jewel of Italian enology, such as Ornellaia, in the rankings. And, at No. 36, to bring up once again that Sicily which is now in the firmament of great world wine, here is Planeta, a winery that under the leadership of Diego Planeta first, and cousins Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta today, was and is one of the great griffes of the island’s wine “renaissance”.
Here, then, is Italy in the ranking of the world’s 50 best wine brands, compiled by looking at factors such as “wine quality and consistency”, “value for money”, the strength of “branding & marketing” actions, and other factors such as the social sustainability and “corporate responsibility” of the producing companies.

Focus - The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2025
1 - Catena (Argentina)
2 - Gaja (Italy)
3 - La Rioja Alta (Spain)
4 - Antinori (Italy)
5 - Familia Torres (Spain)
6 - Penfolds (Australia)
7 - Sassicaia (Italy)
8 - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (France)
9 - Vega Sicilia (Spain)
10 - Concha y Toro (Chile)
11 - Ridge (Usa)
12 - M. Chapoutier (France)
13 - Chateau Haut-Brion (France)
14 - Chateau Margaux (France)
15 - Faustino (Spain)
16 - Symington (Portugal)
17 - Cvne (Spain)
18 - Marques de Caceres (Spain)
19 - Gerard Bertrand (France)
20 - Guigal (France)
21 - Henschke (Australia)
22 - Chateau Petrus (France)
23 - Chateau d'Yquem (France)
24 - Kanonkop (South Africa)
25 - Yellow Tail (Australia)
26 - Montes (Chile)
27 - Marques de Riscal (Spain)
28 - Chateau Latour (France)
29 - Errazuriz (Chile)
30 - Craggy Range (New Zealand)
31 - Felton Road (New Zealand)
32 - Ramón Bilbao (Spain)
33 - Cheval Blanc (France)
34 - Frescobaldi (Italy)
35 - Esporao (Portugal)
36 - Planeta (Italy)
37 - Schloss Johannisberg (Germany)
38 - Yalumba (Australia)
39 - Bodegas Protos (Spain)
40 - Tyrrel's (Australia)
41 - 19 Crimes (Australia)
42 - Chateau Mouton Rothschild (France)
43 - Chateau Lafite (France)
44 - Screaming Eagle (Usa)
45 - Cono Sur (Chile)
46 - Tignanello (Italy)
47 - Bruce Jack (South Africa)
48 - Cloud Bay (New Zealand)
49 - Royal Tokaji (Hungary)
50 - Ornellaia (Italy)