Signed DoctorWine
“Signed DoctorWine” includes editorials by editor Daniele Cernilli or his closest collaborators (so the signature is the DoctorWine journal), as well as stories of memories with key players in the world of wine.
Vinitaly exceeds expectations
The doomsayers who predicted that Vinitaly would be scaled back have been proven wrong by the facts. Fewer visitors, it’s true, but a more professional audience. For those who knew how to prepare for the fair, the results were positive....
All the DoctorWine Guide at your fingertips on the app
The Essential Guide to the Wines of Italy 2026 is now available in a new app: completely revamped, more intuitive, to carry with you at all times. Available for Android and iOS, in Italian and English. And this fall, the...
Wine and health: hurray for the Mediterranean tradition
A new study published in Nutrients reopens the debate on alcohol and health: risk cannot be reduced to a quantitative issue. It matters how much you drink, sure, but also how, what and in what context. Stefania Vinciguerra‘s reflections. Beyond...
Happy Easter to all of you
Editor Daniele Cernilli and the editorial staff of DoctorWine wish all readers a happy Easter, a time for pause and reflection that invites you to slow down and rediscover what really matters. At a time when everything is running fast,...
Is it all the wine’s fault?
Wine is under attack: accused of everything, including declining consumption, media criticism and poor representation. Yet the sector endures, amid difficulties and fragmentation, continuing to work and support an entire industry. It needs more clarity and perhaps a strong voice...
That Brunello ’64
A story of passion, naiveté and redemption: the pursuit of a mythical Brunello that ended up in a braise and was found again 20 years later, to discover what great wine really means. In early 1978 I was new to...
Resistant vines and forgotten varieties: new trend in France
What is changing in French vineyards? Between resistant vines, forgotten varieties and old hybrids, some French winemakers are questioning the traditional varietal heritage. A phenomenon recounted by Le Figaro that opens an inevitable question: what about in Italy? Stefania Vinciguerra...
The paradox of Italian wine: global in the world, local in restaurants
Italy exports more than 8 billion euros worth of wine, but in restaurant wine lists between 70% and 75% of the labels are from the same region as the restaurant. A system that tells the value of the territory, but...
Franciacorta and Oltrepò
Professor Michele Antonio Fino’s proposal for a “Grande Franciacorta” appellation to include the metodo classico produced in Lombardy is causing discussion. Awaiting Stefania Vinciguerra’s in-depth study, some considerations. I confess that I understood little about it and I am waiting...
15 years of DoctorWine: independence, criticism, vision
c_row] Fifteen years ago DoctorWine was born. An independent project, born to tell the story of Italian wine with rigor and freedom of judgment. A tale of Italian wine that continues, with the same curiosity as then. Stefania Vinciguerra tells...
Wine Paris sets the pace for world wine
Wine Paris is no longer a promise. It is an established reality of world wine. The international fair held Feb. 9-11 at the Paris Expo is growing in size, credibility and strategic weight. Here wine speaks all languages and networking...
Harmonic wines: what “harmony” means in wine
What does “harmonic wine” really mean? Harmony, as in music, is not just one. Every wine has different balances, related to typicality and origin: a Barolo does not “sound” like a Riesling. More than a rule, it is an exercise...
Veronelli’s 100 years
One hundred years after the birth of Gino Veronelli, a remembrance of an erratic and brilliant master who forever changed the narrative of Italian wine, launching talent, discovering producers and bringing wine into the country’s cultural debate. Man, before the...
The DoctorWine Selection returns for Vinitaly Tasting
For more than 10 years, DoctorWine has been running the Vinitaly Tasting – The DoctorWine Selection space to celebrate the excellence of Italian wine. This well-established partnership is also confirmed for Vinitaly 2026, scheduled to take place in Verona April...
Watch out for those four
It was the year 1993, and this photo testifies to a pioneering way of working, at least seen through today’s eyes: a “de visu” operational meeting for the 1994 Guide to the Wines of Italy. We were meeting in Viareggio,...
Uncle Aldo
There are truly many, too many, friends in the wine world who have left us in 2025. I would like to remember them all, but I will dwell on Aldo Brachetti Peretti, owner of Il Pollenza. A man of great...
DoctorWine’s last tastings at Santi Apostoli
A move involves a lot of things: each object brings with it memories and rekindles particular situations, which will then have to be recontextualized. So many things accumulate over so many years and, in our case, so many bottles, some...
Alcohol and health: the risk and the importance of dose
We read and hear a lot about the impact of alcohol on human health, and it is true that ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is carcinogenic. But following a conversation with Professor Fulvio Ursini from the University of Padua, Stefania Vinciguerra realized...
Fans and wine guides
Controversy over wine guides often stems from a territorial cheer that biases judgments. But awards are not about parochialism: what matters is widespread quality, critical recognition and the time it takes for an area to really establish itself. Daniele Cernilli...
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from DoctorWine
Merry Christmas to all of you who love good food and good wine. The holidays are the perfect time to gather around a table, share authentic flavors and create memories that stay. Italian Christmas is a journey into regional traditions:...
Resilience is not enough
The year 2026 promises to be a crucial year for the world of wine and food. Amid wars, economic tensions, climate change and changing perceptions of wine, the key word will be resilience. But resilience will not be enough: it...
Michelin-starred wineries
The arrival of Michelin in the wine guide industry introduces a “starred” rating system applied to wineries and not to individual wines. A choice that opens up questions: how will wineries with large productions be evaluated? How will this method...
Acidic drift ten years later
Daniele Cernilli picks up on an editorial from ten years ago that deals with a topic that is still on the agenda among experts, critics and even winemakers. I confess that that article of mine seems less old than I...
The lost classicism of the Brunello, but not only that
Before talking about classicism of Brunello, one should consider the great changes that have taken place in the last 30 years. Not only climate change, but also the evolution of viticulture and enology. Filippo Paoletti, winemaker-and certainly not a runaway-went...
Again origin or process: what really defines a wine’s identity?
The link between a wine and its origin is the foundation of its identity. The recognizability of a wine comes primarily from its terroir, soils, climate and grape varieties. That is why personal taste can never override the analysis of...
Anachronistic Brunello. Daniele Cernilli reflects on criticism
A young critic calls Brunello di Montalcino wines from the southern area, from Sesta to Sant’Angelo in Colle, “anachronistic,” accusing them of being too alcoholic and full-bodied. But wine, like art, should be interpreted, not bent to the taste of...
Wine world: a complex picture
Understanding what is happening in the wine world at this time is not easy, but certainly the phenomenon should not be trivialized and brought back to a single element. This is a perfect storm. Simplifications are useful if they do...
Caps, Heels and Miracles
This is the title of a booklet written by Maddalena Mazzeschi, a professional in the field of communication, public relations and marketing, which collects memories, anecdotes and stories from forty years of experience in this world. I know Maddalena Mazzeschi...
Second wines
We have already talked about the qualitative growth of “second wines,” but it is one thing to recognize their quality, and another to reward them as being better than first wines. In this case, a kind of short circuit is...
Avatar DoctorWine: the digital voice of Italian wine
Daniele Cernilli’s new “collaborator,” an interactive virtual alter ego, was unveiled at the presentation events of The Essential Guide 2026. It will soon be fully operational, marking a new era for wine popularization. After nearly 15 years of success in...