After the great success of previous editions, the event returns to promote and showcase wines produced with at least 95% grapes from PilzWiderstandsfähig (PIWI) varieties – innovative, sustainable grapevines bred for resistance to fungal diseases such as powdery and downy mildew, significantly reducing the need for plant protection products.
The exhibition will take place over two days, 12 and 13 November 2025, during which wines will be evaluated by a panel of experts including oenologists, wine technicians, journalists, sommeliers, and researchers from the agri-food sector. The commission will be assisted by students from the FEM Enotechnician course throughout all stages of the event.
The award ceremony will be held on 22 January 2026.
- Wines will compete in the following categories:
- Red wines
- White wines
- White wines with extended maceration (“Orange”)
- Sparkling wines (Traditional Method)
- Sparkling wines (Charmat Method)
- Semi-sparkling wines
- Wines from dried grapes (residual sugar > 5 g/l)
Wineries wishing to take part in the Fifth National PIWI Wine Exhibition, organised by the Fondazione Edmund Mach, must submit their application by 24 October 2025.
Participation in the exhibition is free of charge.
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PIWI wines: made from disease-tolerant grape varieties
PIWI wines are produced from grapes grown on vines bred for resistance to major fungal diseases affecting vineyards, thus requiring fewer plant protection treatments.
Although these varieties have been admitted into several European PDOs, in Italy their cultivation is still not authorised in some regions, even for generic or IGT wines.
The National Register of Wine Varieties currently includes 36 PIWI varieties, and the total area planted exceeds several thousand hectares. Veneto has the largest share, with additional vineyards in Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lazio, and Piedmont — the most recent regions to authorise their cultivation.
FEM’s research commitment to developing resistant grape varieties
Through this event, the Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM) also highlights its research and experimental work on tolerant grape varieties, which has led to the inclusion of four new selections in the National Register of Wine Varieties, thanks to collaboration with the CIVIT Consortium: Termantis, Nermantis, Charvir, and Valnosia.
Recently, under the VEVIR project, these varieties have proven particularly suitable for cultivation in Trentino, alongside Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Bronner, Palma, Johanniter, and Pinot Regina.
The history of grapevine breeding at FEM dates back to the 1920s, with the pioneering work of Rebo Rigotti. Since 1987, FEM has carried out an extensive breeding programme to develop disease-resistant vines, producing around 35,000–40,000 seeds per year across about 100 crossing combinations. This activity also includes pyramiding crosses to combine multiple resistance traits (e.g. against powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot, etc.).
To enhance selection efficiency, FEM applies marker-assisted selection techniques targeting resistance genes.
In addition, ongoing breeding programmes involve crosses between pyramided parents and Vitis vinifera varieties, which have resulted in the development of Charvir, Valnosia, Termantis, and Nermantis.
Application submission
Wineries wishing to participate must complete the application form (attached) and send it by 24 October 2025 to:
marco.stefanini@fmach.it or andrea.panichi@fmach.it
DOCUMENTAZIONE