As Milano Wine Week unfolds, a new guide is putting the spotlight on the choices of 100 leading Italian sommeliers, aiming to reassert the value of human expertise. The “Top 100” tasting event, a highlight of the guide’s launch, brought leading producers and palates together for a landmark tasting.
As the energy of Milano Wine Week (October 4-12) sweeps across Italy’s design and fashion capital, a vital conversation about the future of wine service is taking center stage. The launch of the third edition of Wine List Italia, a guide designed to give a voice to the country’s often-unseen restaurant sommeliers, culminated in a landmark event yesterday. Unveiled on October 6th at the Milan Marriott Hotel, the new headquarters for the nine-day wine celebration, the volume gathers the selections of 100 professionals to create a powerful statement on the irreplaceable role of human curation in an age of digital transformation.
Published by MWW Media-Vendemmie, the guide features 1,000 national and international labels chosen by the sommeliers as the most representative of their wine lists. The project’s highlight took place on Monday, with the Top 100 Walk Around Tasting, where the 100 most-cited wineries in the guide poured their wines for a discerning audience of sommeliers, buyers, and industry leaders.
A Look Inside the Guide: The 10 Categories
Conceived by Milano Wine Week President Federico Gordini and curated by renowned sommelier Paolo Porfidio, the guide is structured around 10 distinct categories. This framework provides a window into the sommelier’s mind, moving beyond simple scores to capture the context and narrative behind each selection.
The Smart Choice: Celebrating top value-for-price bottles.
The Sommelier’s Discovery: An “ace up the sleeve” selection for surprising curious guests.
The Memorable Vintage: A cellar-worthy collectible to be opened at the perfect moment.
An International Look: A label for traveling the world through the wine glass.
A Taste of Territory: A wine that represents the restaurant’s region or the chef’s culinary vision.
Roots in the Glass: A deeply personal pick that recalls a sommelier’s origins.
Label in Pink: An essential rosé or rosato for any enthusiast’s cellar.
The Ethical Choice: A wine that champions sustainability (Organic, Biodynamic) without sacrificing quality.
A Sweet Sip: A dessert wine to sweeten the palate at the end of a meal.
The Wine by the Glass: A selection that allows guests to taste a great wine without committing to the whole bottle.
The Human Touch in an Age of AI
The project’s philosophical core was eloquently articulated by its curator, Paolo Porfidio. In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, he argues, the sommelier’s role has become more crucial than ever.
“Our time is defined by an epic transformation: artificial intelligence is suggesting what to read, what music to listen to, and even what to drink,” Porfidio explained. “In this context, the sommelier is not an algorithm. He is an interpreter, capable of reading the producer’s hand, understanding the history of a territory, and intuiting a client’s sensibility in an instant. Technology can and must be a tool, but the human value remains irreplaceable: to give meaning to choices, to transform a bottle into a story and a glass into an experience—this is what makes the sommelier’s work unique.”
The Stars of the Cellar: A Look at the Sommelier Lineup
The 100 professionals selected for the 2025 edition represent a mosaic of Italian excellence. The guide features a who’s who of Italian sommellerie, from established masters like Aurelio Marotta of the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio and Cristian Russomanno, recently crowned Best Sommelier of Lombardy 2025, to leading figures like Stefano Genovese, a top interpreter of the new Calabrian dining scene.
They are joined by a new generation of talent, including Nicolas Bertuletti, born in 2000 and an emerging face of the Lombardy scene, and Gabriele Bianchi, recognized by Forbes Italia as a leader under 30. The guide also prominently features the vision of leading female professionals, such as buyer and sommelier Valentina Vago, the internationally-focused Laura Massirio, and the young Bianca Modonesi, class of 1997, solidifying her place as one of the sector’s most promising talents.
Wine with a Conscience: Charity and Sensory Art
Beyond the tastings, Wine List Italia extends its reach into social and cultural projects. A percentage of proceeds from the guide will be donated to the Fondazione Francesca Rava, which celebrates 25 years of activity in 2025 supporting children and vulnerable women.
The experience at the Marriott was also enriched by a unique sound installation by Ca’ del Bosco in partnership with Bang & Olufsen. A transposition of the winery’s “Dome of the Senses,” the installation transformed the hotel’s foyer into an immersive path where wine was not just tasted, but also heard—a fitting tribute to a profession dedicated to multisensory storytelling.
A Bridge to the Future
Federico Gordini, President of Milano Wine Week, summarized the project’s vision: “Wine List Italia is not just a guide to labels, but a choral story that centers on the professionals who live wine every day with competence, passion, and sensitivity, transforming a list into a true cultural and creative act,” he stated. “Thanks to the work of 100 sommeliers, this publication builds a solid bridge between wine, restaurants, and the consumer. It is a testament to how the Italian sommellerie knows how to interpret the present and look to the future with vision.”