The Merano WineFestival reaches the prestigious milestone of its first 35 years and is preparing once again to transform Merano’s Kurhaus into the centre of international wine and haute gastronomy. From 6 to 10 November, the event founded by Helmuth Köcher will celebrate its anniversary with a 2026 edition built around the concept of elegance and beauty—values that have always defined the festival and that this year become the guiding thread of a programme dedicated to outstanding wines, exceptional gastronomic products, and the excellences selected by The WineHunter guide.
Merano WineFestival: an anniversary that looks to the future
Thirty-five years mark a significant achievement for an event that has helped redefine the concept of food-and-wine festivals in Italy. Since 1992, the year of its foundation, the Merano WineFestival has built an international reputation based on the rigorous selection of excellence and the ability to offer exclusive experiences to enthusiasts, operators, and industry professionals.
The 2026 edition aims to celebrate this legacy while preserving its identity and continuing to evolve through new ideas and content.
The programme of the Merano WineFestival builds on the results achieved in 2025, which confirmed the strength and appeal of its format. Over the five days of the previous edition, the event welcomed 8,000 visitors, including more than 3,000 industry professionals. It hosted 150 buyers from 32 countries, while 1,300 companies took part, presenting over 2,000 wines for tasting.
These numbers are complemented by more than 4,300 WineHunter Awards assigned, over 300 accredited journalists, and more than 3 million views recorded across the festival’s social media channels.
Beauty and elegance become the theme of Merano WineFestival 2026
After dedicating the previous edition to the “creators of taste”, the Merano WineFestival now chooses to focus on two concepts that represent its most authentic essence: beauty and elegance.
The goal is to highlight the ability of wine and haute gastronomy to express harmony, balance, and refinement—just as in the great works of human creativity.
This message is further reinforced by the unique setting of the Kurhaus, a symbol of Liberty style, and by the Mitteleuropean atmosphere of Merano, a city that between the 19th and 20th centuries was one of the favourite destinations of the Grand Tour and of Princess Sissi.
Festival founder Helmuth Köcher explains the philosophy behind the 2026 edition:
“Merano WineFestival has always been synonymous with style and excellence, both in the glass and on the plate. For the 35th edition, we want to celebrate elegance as an absolute and timeless value—the same harmony, made of balance, care, and patience, that can be found in high-quality wine and gastronomic products. In these weeks we are working on a programme that will once again turn the Kurhaus into the stage for an immersive and unforgettable narrative dedicated to the mastery of producers, who through their excellence elevate Italy’s name worldwide, now synonymous with elegance, style, and beauty.”
Five days dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and great wines — 6 to 10 November
The programme confirms the structure that has defined the success of recent editions.
The festival will open on 6 November with TasteTerroir – bio&dynamica, an event dedicated to wines that embody respect for the land and conscious viticulture. Alongside organic and biodynamic productions, space will also be given to no-low alcohol wines, amphora winemaking, and innovative projects such as underwater ageing.
From 7 to 9 November, The Festival will take centre stage, showcasing the finest Italian and international wine expressions.
At the same time, the GourmetArena will host Culinaria, the area dedicated to food, spirits, and beer, featuring show cooking, tastings, and meetings.
The event will conclude on 10 November with Catwalk Champagne&more, a day devoted to sparkling wines—from Champagne to the best Italian Metodo Classico labels.
The WineHunter and the value of selection
The heart of the Merano WineFestival continues to be the selections of The WineHunter guide.
The tasting committees coordinated by Helmuth Köcher work throughout the year to identify excellence in the categories of wine, food, spirits, and beer, assigning the WineHunter Award Rosso, Gold, and Platinum.
Over time, these awards have become one of the most authoritative benchmarks for assessing the quality of products presented at the festival. The 2026 edition will dedicate special attention to the Platinum recognitions, awarded to products scoring above 96 points.
Considered the absolute pinnacle of The WineHunter quality pyramid, the Platinum awards will be celebrated through a dedicated ceremony highlighting the finest labels and productions selected by the tasting commissions.
A choice that further strengthens the role of the Merano WineFestival as a place where absolute excellence is celebrated.
