Italy reaffirms its standing at the 2026 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles with 475 award-winning wines and second place overall among the 51 participating countries. The ceremony in Rome also marked the debut of CMB Certified, the new initiative that brings medal-winning wines directly to restaurants, wine bars, and other venues in the capital, strengthening the dialogue between producers and consumers.
Italy has once again established itself as a leading player at the 2026 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. At the awards ceremony held at Palazzo Valentini in Rome, the 475 Italian wines that won medals were honored: 22 Grand Gold, 172 Gold, and 281 Silver. This result earned our country second place overall among the 51 participating nations, following a selection process that brought together in Yerevan, Armenia (the venue for this edition of the competition), 320 international tasters —including our own Stefania Vinciguerra —were called upon to evaluate thousands of samples in a blind tasting. (Find all the competition’s awards here).
Among the regions with the most awards, Puglia stands out with 70 medals, ahead of Veneto (64) and Tuscany (49). Next are Sicily (42), Lombardy (36), Abruzzo, and Sardinia (33). In terms of Grand Gold Medals, Veneto leads with five awards, followed by Sicily with four.
A day dedicated to producers
The event in Rome was attended by 53 wineries from all over Italy, with 121 wines available for tasting by the press and industry professionals. Among those present at the awards ceremony were Baudouin Havaux, president of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles; Pierluigi Sanna, deputy mayor of the Metropolitan City of Rome; and Hikariko Ono, Japan’s ambassador to Italy, as part of the celebrations marking 160 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
CMB Certified Makes Its Debut
The main new feature of the 2026 edition, however, is the launch in Italy of CMB Certifiedin Italy—a project aimed at ensuring commercial continuity for the medals won. The initiative involves restaurants, wine bars, and other establishments that include at least five wines or spirits awarded by the Concours on their menus, while also adopting the marketing tools provided by the organization.
First ten participating establishments are all located in Rome and range from fine dining restaurants to wine bars, bistros, delicatessens, and specialty shops. The goal is to turn the recognition earned in the competition into a concrete tool for promotion and visibility among end consumers.
According to Baudouin Havaux, the Concours’ mission is not limited to awarding medals, but consists of creating market opportunities for companies by facilitating interactions between producers, trade professionals, and the public. This approach has led the CMB in recent years to develop initiatives increasingly focused on marketing the award-winning wines.
Special Awards
Among the awards presented, the Vinolok Trophy for best rosé stood out, going to the Talamonti Rosé 2025 from Azienda Vinicola Talamonti. The 2026 Italian Wine Revelation award was given to the Foja D’Or Riserva 2019 by Emilio Franzoni (Botticino DOC). While the title of best sparkling wine went to the René 2017 from Feudo Disisa.
Also worth noting is the success of the Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore di Cartizze Dry Cilium. The only Italian Prosecco to have been awarded the Grand Gold Medal. In addition to the accolades received by Pam Panorama’s Calici DiVini line.
An increasingly specialized competition
The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is now divided into four sessions dedicated, respectively, to rosé, sparkling, red, and white wines, as well as sweet and fortified wines. This approach allows each category to be entrusted to specialized tasting panels. With the aim of making the technical evaluation of the competing samples even more rigorous.
