A day at the Opera

Vinitaly is the most important wine fair dedicated to Italian wines, to which about 4.000 winemakers take part every year. One day before Vinitaly begins, a much more exclusive wine event takes place: Opera Wine, at which only 100 Italian winemakers can exhibit, only the best 100.

Compared to the long-living fair Vinitaly, which is now at its 50th edition, having been first organized in 1967, Opera Wine is a newborn event, since it’s only at its 5th edition in 2016.

Yet, it is already a very important event because of the quality of the exhibitors and of the reputation it quickly gained, also thanks to its international recognition.

It is organized by the same Vinitaly and other important local institutions, like the Italian agriculture ministry and the Exhibition Authority of Verona, with the contribution of what’s probably the most renowned wine magazine in the world: Wine Spectator.

The event’s formula is as simple as that: which is the most widespread and eminent wine magazine for English-speaking readers? And which are the best 100 Italian wine producers according to it?

So here’s Opera Wine, the “opening event” to Vinitaly at which the best 100 Italian winemakers, chosen by Wine Spectator, exhibit.

We could say that Opera Wine is a distillate of Vinitaly, and indeed its audience is also restricted: entrance is allowed on invitation only and the program includes a light lunch and the taking of a group picture with the 100 greatest winemakers.

According to Wine Spectator, the Italian wine makers that deserves to exhibit at Opera Wine 2016 are:

Agri Punica

Allegrini

Altesino

Argiolas

Arnaldo Caprai

Avignonesi

Mascarello

Banfi

Barone Ricasoli

Bellavista

Bellenda

Bertani

Bibi Graetz

Binomio

Bisol

Braida

Bruno Giacosa

Ca’ del Bosco

Cantina Terlan

Carpineto

Casa E. Di Mirafiore

D’Angelo

Casanova di Neri

Castellare

Castello di Albola

Castello di Ama

Mazzei

Castello di Volpaia

Cavallotto

Ceretto

Cesari

Cusumano

Damilano

Di Majo Norante

Donnafugata

Drei Donà

Elena Walch

Elvio Cogno

Falesco

Fèlsina

Ferrari

Feudi di San Gregorio

Fontodi

Tedeschi

Frescobaldi

Gaja

Galardi

Gianfranco Fino

Pra’

Hofstätter

Ippolito

Jermann

La Tunella

Le Macchiole

Librandi

Lini 910

Livio Felluga

Lungrotti

Lunae

Maison Anselmet

Marchesi Antinori

Russiz Superiore

Masciarelli

Masi Agricola

Masseria Liveli

Massolino

Mastrobernardino

Mastro Janni

Medici Ermete

Nino Negri

Odoardi

Ornellaia

Petrolo

Pieropan

Planeta

Poderi Aldo Conterno

Re Manfredi

Renato Ratti

San Felice

Sandrone

Paolo Scavino

Schola Sarmenti

Siro Pacenti

Suavia

Tabarrini

Tasca

Tenuta di Nozzole

Tenuta il Palagio

Il Poggione

Sassicaia

Tenuta Sette Ponti

Tenute Dettori

Terre Bianche

Terredora

Tommasi

Tormaresca

Umani Ronchi

Valdicava

Vietti
Zenato

Everyone of the 20 Italian region is represented at Opera Wine, although not equally.

The region with the lower number of exhibiting winemakers is Lazio, which can boast only one producer among the best 100 (and it’s Falesco, with its Lazio Montiano 2011). On the other hand, the region with highest number of admitted winemakers is - as one would expect - Tuscany, with its 29 producers.

Opera Wine is going to take place on April 9th 2016 at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona, in the famous Piazza Bra, just in front of the Arena.