WINE VALPOLICELLA CONSORTIUM: WITH UNESCO CUISINE AND THE AMARONE OLYMPICS. OPERA PRIMA LIGHTS UP VERONA FROM 30 JANUARY TO 1 FEBRUARY
(Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, 15 January 2026). After a 2025 promotional agenda featuring 19 international events and 32 events across Italy, the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella opens the new year with Amarone Opera Prima, the event dedicated to presenting the 2021 vintage of the renowned Veneto red wine, scheduled in Verona from 30 January to 1 February.
‘The 22nd edition marks a symbolic transition for the city and the country,’ says Consortium President Christian Marchesini. ‘On one hand, Italian cuisine has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO; on the other, the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are approaching, with Verona playing a leading role in the closing ceremony and the opening of the Paralympics. In this context, Amarone becomes the trait d’union in a collective identity narrative.’
To accommodate official Olympic events, Amarone Opera Prima 2026 is changing the venue for its scheduled activities. The programme opens on Thursday 30 January at 11 a.m. at the Gallerie Mercatali in Veronafiere with a masterclass led by JC Viens, entitled ‘Back to the Future – Valpolicella 2030: Europe’s Most Advanced Case Study in Regional Reinvention’, highlighting Valpolicella as one of Europe’s leading examples of reinvention, where historical practices meet innovation, with a focus on the future of wine in the European context.
The event continues on Friday 31 January at 10.30 a.m. in the Riccardo Borghero Auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce (Corso Porta Nuova 96), with a speech by President Marchesini and the presentation of the vintage, followed by ‘Amarone da podio con la Cucina italiana e le Olimpiadi’ (Amarone on the podium with Italian cuisine and the Olympics), a discussion comparing different but connected worlds. Speakers include Maddalena Fossati, editor-in-chief of La Cucina Italiana, creator of the UNESCO candidacy and president of the promoting committee; Deborah Compagnoni, sports legend, the only athlete to win three Olympic gold medals and one silver, three world gold medals and one World Cup in giant slalom, and ambassador for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics; and Cristina Bowerman, chef at Glass Hostaria in Rome, with one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso Forks.
From 12.30 p.m., the tasting tables at the Gallerie Mercatali will be open for Amarone enthusiasts from 4 p.m., with tastings also available on Sunday 1 February from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until the evening closing party (from 7 p.m. to midnight).
https://www.amaroneoperaprima.it/it ; www.consorziovalpolicella.it
Valpolicella Consortium Press Office:
Tommaso Accordini and Alessandra Sgaggio
(045 7703194; areastampa@consorziovalpolicella.it)
