OperaWine 2026: when Italy’s wine giants toast their own legacy

On 11 April, Verona will host Italy’s most prestigious tasting with 150 producers selected by Wine Spectator. This year, the event pays homage to the historical figures who transformed Italian wine into a global phenomenon

On Saturday, 11 April 2026, one day before Vinitaly, the world’s largest international wine and spirits fair, gets underway, Verona will host OperaWine, the inaugural event that has marked the starting gun for Italy’s most important wine appointment since 2012.

But this year’s edition has something special. Beyond the tasting of the 150 best Italian wines selected by Wine Spectator, OperaWine 2026 unfolds a visual and narrative concept that turns the history of Italian wine into an almost cinematic experience: an imaginary encounter where the great figures who built Italian viticulture toast together whilst contemplating an ideal horizon.

A landscape where legends converge

This year’s visual concept draws a dreamlike setting where the peaks of Italian architecture merge with the silhouettes of those who made Italian wine a global icon. From a privileged vantage point, historical figures separated by centuries contemplate a timeless spectacle together.

There stands Leonardo da Vinci, an avid winegrower in his spare time between inventions and frescoes. Beside him, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, architect of Italian unification but also of the modernisation of the country’s wine scene in the 19th century. Alongside them, icons of contemporary wine such as Marchioness Giulia Colbert Falletti—driving force behind Barolo as we know it—Mario Incisa della Rocchetta—creator of the legendary Sassicaia—and Giacomo Tachis, the oenologist who revolutionised Tuscany.

All of them toast together, standing as ideal guardians of an excellence that transcends generations.

«Designing OperaWine is always a balancing act. It has to be special, it has to be different, and it has to live up to the OperaWine name,» explains Stevie Kim, managing partner of Vinitaly. «This year, we allowed ourselves a lighter touch, creating an imaginary landscape where icons of Italian wine history meet on a shared horizon that celebrates culture, creativity, and continuity.»

150 wines, one afternoon

OperaWine is not a conventional trade fair. It’s a curated, selective tasting designed to offer journalists, sommeliers, and international wine professionals a precise snapshot of the best that Italy can offer at this moment.

The selection is made by Wine Spectator, the influential American magazine that reaches more than three million readers and which each year chooses 150 Italian producers representing the strength, diversity, and excellence of Italian wine. Every wine present is, in the organisation’s words, «a testament to the harmony and craftsmanship of the Italian wine sector.»

«Wine Spectator is delighted to highlight the strength and diversity of Italian wine through this exceptional tasting and to partner once again with Vinitaly and the 150 outstanding producers taking part in the event,» says Alison Napjus, senior editor and tasting director of the magazine.

The event will take place at Verona’s Ex Gallerie Mercatali, an iconic space that combines industrial history with contemporary elegance—the perfect setting for an occasion that is both celebration and statement of intent.

More than a tasting: the spirit of Vinitaly

OperaWine is the flagship event that launches Vinitaly, the fair that in its 2025 edition brought together 97,000 attendees, including more than 32,000 international trade visitors from 130 countries. This represented a 7% increase on the previous edition, consolidating Verona as the global epicentre of wine each April.

Vinitaly 2026 will run from 12 to 15 April, but OperaWine functions as an exclusive prelude, a sort of glamorous preview where the international press and industry professionals enjoy iconic wines in a more intimate and controlled environment than the hustle and bustle of the general fair.

The philosophy behind OperaWine is clear: it’s not just about tasting wine, but about understanding Italian wine as a cultural continuum that connects centuries of history, technical innovation, family tradition, and oenological creativity.

Vinitaly International Academy: training Italian wine ambassadors

Since 2014, Vinitaly has also been driving an educational project through the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA), whose aim is to spread the excellence and diversity of Italian wine worldwide through certified training.

This year, VIA launched the 34th edition of its Certification Course. To date, there are 464 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors, of whom 22 have also achieved the level of Italian Wine Expert, the programme’s highest distinction.

These ambassadors act as qualified prescribers of Italian wine in their local markets, helping to communicate the complexity and richness of a viticulture that spans from the Alps to Sicily, from Nebbiolo to Nero d’Avola.

A living tribute to the past as future inspiration

The concept of OperaWine 2026 is, fundamentally, a declaration: Italian wine is not just a product, it’s living heritage. By symbolically bringing together Da Vinci, Cavour, Incisa della Rocchetta, and Tachis on the same imaginary horizon, the event invites professionals to view the past not as a museum, but as a living source of inspiration for the sector’s future.

In an increasingly competitive global market, where emerging regions challenge Old World certainties, Italy responds with what it does best: combining millennial tradition, oenological innovation, and a cultural narrative that no other wine country can replicate.

On 11 April, in Verona, 150 wines will tell that story glass by glass.

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Practical information:

Event: OperaWine 2026
Date: Saturday, 11 April 2026
Venue: Ex Gallerie Mercatali, Verona, Italy
Audience: Journalists, sommeliers, and international wine professionals (closed event)
Selection: 150 producers chosen by Wine Spectator
Complete producer list: https://www.vinitaly.com/eventi/operawine/operawine-2026/

Vinitaly 2026: 12-15 April 2026, Verona