The Wine of Tomorrow: 9 Visions of Excellence – A Masterclass on the Future with ISWA and Cristina Mercuri at Vinitaly 2025

The ten-year anniversary of the Italian Signature Wines Academy (ISWA) celebrates not only a decade of excellence in Italian winemaking but also serves as a meaningful opportunity to reflect on what lies ahead.

At Vinitaly 2025, the masterclass “The Wine of Tomorrow: 9 Visions of Excellence”, held in collaboration with Cristina Mercuri (Wine Educator, DipWSET), explored how the nine producers of ISWA are shaping a new identity for Italian wine — one that is deeply rooted in tradition, yet fully aware of the challenges of the future.

Antonio Capaldo, Vice President of ISWA, opened the masterclass, which took place on Monday, April 7, in the Iris Room of the Palaexpo at Vinitaly 2025, by recalling how the Academy was born from a spontaneous encounter at the fair itself. “We wanted to create something together. Something with a strong sense of Italianità — something that reflects our families, our territories, and the excellence of our wines. We also wanted to emphasize hospitality, and one more thing: the idea of family. Not just in the traditional sense of continuity, but as a family that can look toward the future.”

Special emphasis was given to ISWA’s “Academy” aspect. ISWA has long been committed to highlighting the cultural value of wine, something especially relevant in times of great change like today.

The masterclass, led by Cristina Mercuri in a lively and interactive format, featured a tasting of nine wines, each representative of one of the ISWA estates. These wines were selected as examples of a forward-looking vision grounded in Italian heritage:

• VILLA SANDI: Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG “La Rivetta” Brut 2024
• BELLAVISTA: Franciacorta DOCG Alma Assemblage 1 (NV)
• FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO: Cutizzi Greco di Tufo DOCG Riserva 2023
• PLANETA: Eruzione 1614 Carricante Sicilia DOC 2022
• FRESCOBALDI: Aurea Gran Rosé – Rosé Toscana IGT 2023
• MASCIARELLI: Villa Gemma Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC Superiore 2024
• ALLEGRINI: Grola Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC 2022
• FONTANAFREDDA: Barolo DOCG Vigna La Delizia Lazzarito 2019
• ARNALDO CAPRAI: 25 Anni Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2020

Each wine was presented by its producer with comments centered around the idea of “wines of the future.”

The tasting opened with a reflection on how wine is often perceived by the average consumer as something austere or overly complex, particularly in a time of declining consumption.

Diva Moretti Polegato (Villa Sandi) highlighted the added value in Prosecco, beyond its wide-scale production: “The terroir of Prosecco fully expresses the essence of the Glera grape — it’s known for freshness, but it also has real complexity.”  La Rivetta 2024 represents a modern interpretation of the Cartizze terroir, with a low sugar content that breaks from traditional norms and sets a new tone for the future of drinking.

Francesca Moretti (Bellavista) offered a glimpse into the evolution of Franciacorta through Alma Assemblage, shaped by careful study of the land and its plots: “Our guiding principle is not technology — it’s our sense of place. The land is what matters most: how it expresses itself, and how we work it. […] People remain at the heart of it, guiding new technologies that support work in the vineyard, enabling precision agriculture alongside increasingly gentle winemaking. […] The human touch determines the direction, not a standardized process, but one that is deeply personal.”

In Irpinia, Antonio Capaldo (Feudi di San Gregorio) stressed the importance of sustainability and the values that shape their distinctive winemaking approach: “Preserving vineyards, even if it means giving up fruit or volume some years, is something we’ve always done. […] What’s becoming increasingly important is bringing together a purely viticultural vision with a full-circle business mindset, so we can leave the world a little better than we found it.”

Alessio Planeta (Planeta) spoke about the role of Sicilian tradition in shaping future wines, referencing the 2022 Carricante: “We’ve always moved forward by looking not just at innovation or tradition, but both. […] Sometimes experimenting with non-native grapes feels like betraying the land. […] We planted more whites than reds on Etna — the tradition was there, but we reimagined it. […] We chose the name ‘Eruzione 1614’ to classify Etna not by vineyard sites, but by volcanic eruptions.”

From Sicily, the conversation moved to Tuscany with Andrea Orsini (Marchesi Frescobaldi), who linked centuries of heritage with innovation: “After 700 years of history, it becomes clear that innovation is essential — otherwise, history remains something you just read in books, and not something that builds the future. […] Our task is to interpret the land in the best possible way. (With Aurea Gran Rosé), our aim was to truly understand what was best to plant at Tenuta Ammiraglia. […] We wanted to experiment, to look forward — and rosé wines are definitely part of that journey.”

Marina Cvetic (Masciarelli), continuing in Abruzzo, spoke about the pioneering nature of their rosé production and its alignment with regenerative practices: “Villa Gemma Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo has always been a challenge. We believed in it — and did so alone — since 1981. […] It stands for regenerative agriculture […] which in ten years will be widespread across the planet.”

Opening the red wine segment, Silvia Allegrini (Allegrini) reflected on the timeless character of their estate’s style: “It has always been essential for us to let the vineyards speak. […] I believe that great vineyards have the ability to express themselves — their climate, their grape varieties — in a way that transcends trends. […] With Grola 2022, we return to our origins and let the land speak. […] This will guide us toward a more authentic vision of Valpolicella going forward.”

Moving on, Andrea Farinetti (Fontanafredda) continued with thoughts on how rediscovering the past informs their future path, especially in reviving old single vineyards: “It’s really about rediscovery. I think that to understand where we’re headed, we need to pause, look back at the road we’ve taken, and only then can we understand the direction forward. […] Looking to the past inspires what the future needs to be.”

Bringing the masterclass to a close, Marco Caprai (Arnaldo Caprai) spoke about the ongoing challenge of creating wines with strong identity and relevance, especially for Umbria: “The challenge is always the same: to create wines with identity — and that people understand. […] It’s quality that changes the world and makes these wines a success. It creates history, value, and the ability to carve out a small but meaningful space in the market.”

A heartfelt thank you to all the producers and their extraordinary wines, to Cristina Mercuri for guiding a tasting full of insights, and of course, to the many attendees who joined in such great numbers.