There is a particular kind of electricity that exists in a room full of people who truly love wine.
Not people who merely drink it. Not people chasing labels or rehearsed tasting notes for Instagram captions. But people who understand that wine is geography. Agriculture. Memory. Migration. History. Family. A living archive poured into a stemmed glass.
That was the feeling inside this year’s Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Toronto event—a day where Italy unfolded region by region, table by table, sip by sip.
Hosted as part of the internationally recognized Tre Bicchieri tour, the event brought together some of Italy’s most celebrated producers alongside Toronto’s sommeliers, restaurateurs, importers, hospitality professionals, and devoted lovers of Italian culture. The room hummed with overlapping conversations in English and Italian, the soft percussion of bottles uncorking, and the unmistakable cadence of Italians speaking passionately with their hands.
And perhaps that is what makes an event like this so special.
You are not simply tasting wine.
You are tasting place.
From Franciacorta to the Roman hills
One moment, your palate is somewhere in Lombardia, drinking impossibly elegant bubbles beside the lakes of Franciacorta. The next, you’re transported south toward volcanic coastlines, citrus groves, and the windswept hills outside Rome.
That is the beauty of Italian wine: every region feels like its own country entirely.
Italy’s wine culture is inseparable from its regional identity. The food changes every few hours of driving. The architecture shifts. The dialects soften or sharpen. And so do the wines. Tre Bicchieri captures that diversity in motion—offering a kind of edible and drinkable map of the country beneath ballroom lighting in downtown Toronto.
And throughout the evening, certain producers lingered in conversation long after the final sip.
The sparkling north
The northern Italian sparkling producers carried a particular energy throughout the day—one rooted in precision, heritage, and a kind of quiet confidence that never needs to announce itself loudly.
The always elegant Montina Franciacorta, like Export Manager Serena, once again proved why the region continues to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s great sparkling wine producers. Their Franciacorta Brut 2021 carried remarkable freshness and lift, while the Satèn felt softer and creamier, draping itself across the palate with a silk-like texture that made it dangerously easy to keep returning to. The Extra Brut brought sharper structure and mineral tension—a reminder of how versatile and gastronomic Franciacorta can truly be.
Nearby, Bortolomiol brought another compelling expression of Italian sparkling craftsmanship to the table, showcasing the freshness and celebratory spirit that continues to make premium Prosecco one of Italy’s most globally beloved exports. Their Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Bandarossa Special Edition 2025 radiated vibrant orchard fruit and celebratory energy, while the Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae 2023 offered more depth and seriousness beneath the bubbles. The Ius Naturae 2024, produced with no added sugars, felt crisp, clean, and intensely precise—a beautiful expression of restraint.
Meanwhile, Rotari demonstrated the alpine sophistication of Trentodoc with sparkling wines that felt crisp, structured, and impossibly polished. The Arte Italiana Brut Rosé carried delicate berry notes and mountain freshness, while the classic Arte Italiana Brut balanced elegance and drinkability effortlessly. But it was the Rotari Flavio Riserva 2016that truly lingered—complex, layered, and quietly luxurious in the way only long-aged sparkling wine can be.
Then there was Fongaro Spumanti, whose mountain-grown traditional method wines carried striking freshness and minerality shaped by the volcanic soils of the Lessini Mountains. Their Cuvée Extra Brut 2023 felt bright and lifted, while the Lessini Durello Pas Dosé Verde Riserva 2020 revealed a fascinating saline edge and depth that felt almost marine. The Nera Riserva 2017 brought darker, more oxidative complexity—a wine that invited contemplation rather than quick conclusions.
Conversations throughout the tasting also highlighted the growing importance of regional wine consortiums in preserving and elevating Italy’s diverse wine identities. Representatives from the Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese spoke passionately about the future of one of Lombardy’s most historically important yet internationally underappreciated wine regions—a territory increasingly gaining recognition for both Pinot Nero and traditional method sparkling wines.
Nearby, the Consorzio Tutela dei Vini di Valtellina showcased the striking alpine Nebbiolo expressions of northern Lombardia, where steep terraced vineyards carve dramatically through the mountainside in one of Italy’s most visually breathtaking wine landscapes.
Lazio’s quiet revolution
One of the evening’s most fascinating undercurrents was the growing conversation around lesser-known Italian regions finally stepping into broader international recognition. Importers, consortiums, and producers alike all seemed united in one objective: encouraging wine lovers to look beyond the familiar comfort of Toscana and Piemonte and discover the extraordinary diversity still waiting elsewhere in Italy.
At the centre of that conversation stood Casale del Giglio, whose Bellone continues to quietly seduce nearly everyone who tastes it.
Bellone is not yet a household varietal outside Italy, which perhaps makes discovering it feel even more thrilling. Ancient and coastal, with notes of citrus, stone fruit, Mediterranean herbs, and salinity, it carries something distinctly sunlit within it. Their Bellone 2024 felt fresh and vibrant, with overwhelming notes of pineapple on the nose, while the Anthium Bellone 2024 carried greater texture and richness without sacrificing elegance. It may genuinely be one of the most exciting white wines I’ve encountered this year—structured yet easy, sophisticated yet deeply drinkable.
The Matidia Cesanese 2023 offered another compelling glimpse into Lazio’s evolving wine identity. Dark berries, spice, and soft earthiness unfolded gradually in the glass, grounding the tasting in the hills surrounding Rome and reminding guests that Lazio’s future extends far beyond white wine alone.
What Casale del Giglio is accomplishing feels larger than wine itself. There is an intentional effort to reposition Lazio not merely as a stopover en route to Rome, but as a legitimate wine and agriturismo destination in its own right. Through indigenous varietals and regional storytelling, producers are inviting travellers deeper into the countryside—to places where vineyards, olive groves, and slow lunches still define daily life.
Historic names and southern soul
Elsewhere in the room, internationally revered producers like Marchesi Frescobaldi continued reminding attendees why certain Tuscan names endure for centuries. The CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2021 carried remarkable depth and refinement, balancing power with restraint in a way only Brunello can. Their Chianti Classico Tenuta Perano 2022 felt lively and beautifully food-driven, while the Chianti Rufina Montesodi Riserva 2022 offered darker structure and elegance that unfolded slowly with each sip.
At the UniVins table, guests explored the diversity of Italy from Friuli to Sicily. Marco Felluga’s Russiz Superiore showcased Friuli’s extraordinary precision and freshness: the Collio Friulano 2024 felt almondy and mineral, the Pinot Grigio Mongris 2024 bright and polished, while the Cabernet Franc 2022 carried herbal structure and depth without heaviness.
Nearby, Tommasi Viticoltori demonstrated Italy’s geographic diversity beautifully within a single portfolio. The Casisano Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019 was layered and contemplative, the Ammura Etna Rosso 2022 volcanic and energetic, while the De Buris Amarone Riserva 2013 unfolded like velvet and dried cherries—luxurious, concentrated, and impossibly smooth.
Further south, Teanum continued to showcase the expressive beauty of Puglian wine. Their Otre Greco 2025 carried vibrant minerality and freshness balanced against the warmth that southern Italian wines so often radiate naturally—but what struck me most was the powerful bouquet of juicy, ripe pear. Of every wine poured that evening, it may have been the most memorable for me personally: distinctive, expressive, and completely unexpected in the best possible way. The Tiati Black Primitivo 2024 felt richer and darker, while the Otre Primitivo 2024 brought plush fruit and spice that begged for grilled meats and long dinners outdoors.
Meanwhile, I Favati reminded guests why Campania remains one of Italy’s most intellectually exciting wine regions. Their Fiano di Avellino Pietramara 2024 was electric with tension and freshness, the Greco di Tufo Terrantica 2024 mineral and layered, while the Irpinia Campi Taurasini Cretarossa 2018 carried volcanic depth and structure that rewarded patience and attention.
Celebrating the people behind the hospitality
Beyond the tastings themselves, the day also closed to honour some of the restaurateurs, sommeliers, and hospitality leaders continuing to champion Italian wine & food culture in Toronto.
Because Italian wine culture has never existed independently from hospitality. The best bottles are rarely remembered in isolation—they are tied to tables, conversations, music, laughter, and the people who create spaces where others feel welcome enough to linger.
And Toronto’s Italian dining scene continues to do this exceptionally well.
Many of the city’s most beloved Italian restaurants—including many we have featured including TOCA, Notte (story coming soon), Ardo, Cibo, Don Alfonso, DaNico, and Gusto 101—understand something fundamental about Italian hospitality: the objective is not merely to feed people, but to make them feel cared for.
That spirit echoed throughout the room as awards were presented and glasses raised in celebration of the individuals helping preserve and evolve Italian culinary culture here in Canada.
The people bringing Italy to Toronto
An evening like this also serves as a reminder that wine does not travel alone.
Behind every producer standing proudly behind their bottles are the importers, educators, and hospitality professionals helping these wines find a meaningful home on Canadian tables.
Import agencies like Bespoke Wine and Spirits, Grape Brands and UniVins continue playing an important role in shaping Toronto’s evolving relationship with Italian wine culture—introducing both iconic producers and lesser-known regional gems to an increasingly curious audience. Their presence throughout the evening reflected something exciting happening within the Canadian market right now: a growing appetite not simply for prestige labels, but for authentic regional storytelling, indigenous varietals, and wines that carry a true sense of place.
And perhaps nowhere outside Italy is better equipped to appreciate that than Toronto itself.
Wine with a voice
As the day wound down and the final pours settled into glasses, it dawned on me what made the occasion so special.
Italian wine is never just wine.
It is farmers waking before sunrise. Generations of family magic-making. Ancient volcanic soil. Conversations over Sunday lunch. Pride in obscure indigenous grapes. Tiny villages trying to preserve identity in an increasingly globalized world.
Wine may be one of the most beautiful storytellers we have.
Salute. – VV
