Rome – Wine List Italy on Tour
Wine List Italia on Tour arrives in Rome: the focus is sommeliers and the contemporary tale of wine.
On May 4 at Palazzo Ripetta a day between conference and Grand Tasting with 50 professionals of the room and 300 labels in tasting
After four years of work dedicated to the enhancement of Italian sommeliers, Wine List Italia continues its journey with a new stage of the Wine List on Tour project . On May 4, 2026 it lands in Rome inside the iconic five-star Tridentine hotel, Palazzo Ripetta, which since its opening has established itself as a reference point for wine lovers.
A natural evolution for a format born within the Milano Wine Week that, keeping its identity intact, expands its scope with the aim of building connections, generating confrontation and strengthening the role of dining professionals in the contemporary restaurant system. Goals that have always been stated by the project’s creator and MWW president Federico Gordini.
>”Arriving in Rome, for the first time, with Wine List on Tour means more than just adding a stage to our journey: it means entering the symbolic heart of Italian hospitality and one of the world capitals of dining,” Gordini explains. “It is the culminating moment of a journey that today increasingly coincides with a movement capable of involving professionals, restaurants and wineries throughout Italy, with the aim of building a new awareness around the value of the dining room.”
Sommeliers and the tasting format
At the center of the project remain sommeliers, key figures in the mediation between production and consumption, who are increasingly crucial in the construction of thegastronomic experience. For the Rome leg, 50 professionals will be involved. They will be selected from some of the best addresses in Lazio, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise and Sardinia. Each will present six labels, for a total of 300 wines, according to a format that alternates territorial rootedness and personal research.
>The selection follows a precise structure but is open to individual interpretation: three wines linked to the territory of reference, an expression of landscape, culture and traditions; a “gem” discovered in one’s professional career; a proposal of bubbles and a wine designed for service by the glass. A system that allows the audience to read the wine through the eyes of those who live it daily in the room, transforming the tasting into a direct and personal story.
The program for the day on May 4
The May 4 day hosted by Palazzo Ripetta will be divided into two main moments. The morning (from 11 a.m.) will be dedicated to the conference “The present and future of sommellerie and room service.” It will be an opportunity to discuss the strategic role of the dining room professions and the need to make them increasingly attractive to new generations as well. During the meeting, the “Wine List on Tour | Rome” guide will be presented , a printed and digital publication that collects the profiles of the leading sommeliers and the selection of labels.
In the afternoon, from 3 to 9 p.m., space will be given to the Grand Tasting. 50 stations manned directly by the sommeliers will offer the public of operators, press and enthusiasts the opportunity to taste the selected wines and discuss them with those who every day narrate and propose them in the room. A format that makes the work of sommellerie visible in a direct and accessible way, focusing on the relationship between professional and guest.
The Senate Award
Alongside the May 4 event, the project continues the following day with an institutional moment. On May 5 , in fact, at the Senate of the Republic, the first edition of the Italian Room Excellence Award will be held, promoted by Milano Wine Week and Wine List Italia. An award designed to enhance the protagonists of the dining room who, through competence, vision and professional rigor, contribute to the growth and prestige of the Italian restaurant industry. There will be 30 personalities awarded. An initiative that marks a further step in the path of building a real system of recognition for sommellerie and service.
The vision of the project
With this stage, Rome becomes a strategic step for Wine List Italia, which consolidates its role not only as a selection platform, but as a space for growth and recognition for the entire Italian sommellerie ecosystem. Next October 18, instead, appointment with the national event in Milan, during the second day of the 9th edition of Milano Wine Week (October 18-25).
Wine List Italia on Tour | Rome Grand Tasting is open to the public. Tickets, soon available at www.winelistitalia.com and Eventbrite. The project has the support of Lurisia, Sponsor of the Tour, a partner of excellence in the tale of Italian taste.
The Program
- Monday, May 4 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Grand Tasting
- Monday, May 4 11:00 a.m. Conference “The Present and Future of Sommeliers and Room Service” & Presentation of the Guide “Wine List on Tour in Rome”
Speakers include Sergio Paolantoni | President FIPE Rome and National Vice President FIPE Confcommercio, Alessandro Onorato | Councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion of the Municipality of Rome, Federico Gordini | President of Milano Wine Week, Marco Reitano | Head Sommelier of Heinz Beck’s La Pergola and curator Wine List Italia Roma, Ciro Fontanesi | Coordinator of the Master Sommelier ALMA – AIS, Alessia Meli | COO Gruppo Ginobbi.
Moderator Francesca Romana Barberini RadioTv host and gastronomic storyteller
- Tuesday, May 5, 2026 11:00 a.m. Conference “Italian Room Excellence” Bringing the professional figures of Room and Hospitality back to the center of communication.
Speakers include Sen. Gian Marco Centinaio | Deputy Vice President of the Senate of the Republic, Federico Gordini | President of Milano Wine Week, Marco Reitano | Sommelier and co-curator of Wine List Italia, Ciro Fontanesi | Coordinator of the Master Sommelier ALMA – AIS, Alessia Meli | COO Gruppo Ginobbi, Mario Di Paolo | Founder – Spazio Di Paolo, Francesca Romana Barberini | RadioTv host and gastronomic storyteller
Moderator Michele Cagiano | Deputy Director Sky TG24
At the end of the conference, the award ceremony of the first edition of the “Excellence of the Italian Hall” Award will be held. It will be presented to 30 of the most distinguished professionals of the Italian Hall. Access to the hall with appropriate attire and for men mandatory jacket and tie is allowed until the maximum capacity is reached. Journalists and guests should accredit themselves by writing to: segreteriaorganizzativa@milanowineweek.it
Information and contacts
Palazzo Ripetta – Relais & Châteaux Via di Ripetta, 231, 00186 Rome RM
milanowineweek.com/wine-list-italia/
info@milanowineweek.it
Journalists and guests should accredit themselves by writing to: segreteriaorganizzativa@milanowineweek.it