We are sad the Olympics are over, so naturally, we had to create our own version in honor of the Games in Northern Italy.

Welcome to the Italian Wine Olympics.

Thirty-two wines.
All 20 regions represented.
One champion.

The Rules

Just like the Games, every region gets to compete.

• At least one wine from each of Italy’s 20 regions

• 32 wines total

• Head-to-head matchups

• Advance your winner each round

• Crown your ultimate champion

You’ll find a blank bracket below. Print it, screenshot it, or fill it in digitally.
No wrong answers. Only strong opinions. And maybe a few angry Italians…

Why This Was Hard

Italy has more native grape varieties than any other country in the world. That means narrowing it down to just 32 wines felt impossible. For every bottle that made the bracket, at least three more deserved to.

We debated:

• Do we include both powerhouses and underdogs?

• Do we seed by Fame? By personality? By region?

• How do you compare alpine whites to volcanic reds?

• Should it be white vs. white and red vs. red only?

In the end, we decided, there isn’t a spe ranking. This is a celebration of Italian wine. Italian wine has the rare ability to offer something for every style of drinker. Structure, freshness, power, elegance, bubbles, salt, sun, mountain, sea.

We tried to make this bracket a sip of all of it.

The Matchups

The bracket is structured by region:

• North

• Central

• South

• Wild Card

Structured vs sparkling.
Volcanic vs coastal.
Iconic DOCGs vs small-production gems.

You decide what advances.

The Wines That Didn’t Make It

This may be the most controversial part.

Some bottles we sadly left out:

• Soave Classico

• Barbera d'Alba

• Negroamaro

• Valpolicella Classico

• Super Tuscans

• Moscato d’Asti

• Etna Bianco

Yes, we know. Leaving out these few alone feels like grounds for protest. But that’s the point.

This bracket isn’t necessarily about the “best.”
It’s about representation, regional identity, making impossible decisions, and for discovering your Italian palate while having some fun.

My Champion 👀

This got personal. I am happy with my selections, but next time, I need a group of people to open 32 bottles with and go at it blind. All for research and love of the sport, obviously.

My Final Four came down to:

North: Barolo
Central: Brunello di Montalcino
South: Etna Rosso
Wild Card: Cinque Terre

Barolo vs. Etna Rosso.
Brunello di Montalcino vs. Cinque Terre.

Structure vs minerality.
Legacy vs modern.
Icon vs underdog.

Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino are two of Italy’s most iconic, historically revered wine regions. Barolo, the “King of Wines and the Wine of Kings.” Brunello, Tuscany’s noble, age-worthy masterpiece of Sangiovese. Two wines of absolute power, prestige, and proven longevity. How could I not go with these two in the final?

But In the end, it was coastal vibes and volcanic energy that won me over.

The final:
Cinque Terre vs Etna Rosso.

Nostalgia and sea breeze on one side. Volcanic bite and quiet elegance on the other.

As much as it hurt not to give the gold to Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino with their history, structure, complexity, and legend, my palate went where it always seems to go. Toward energy, minerality, the lesser known, and nostalgia.

Etna Rosso took the gold!!!

But truthfully? All of these Italian wines are golden to me ;)

These four make up a very clear snapshot of a palate. I love the icons, but I’m always drawn to the edge. I want a wine I can drink on a random Tuesday night, and one I can pull out for a special occasion.

And that’s really the fun of this bracket. As you move wines forward, you start to see patterns. Do you lean structured or mineral-driven? Coastal or alpine? Classic or lesser known?

Filling this out is more than just picking a winner. It’s a surprisingly great way to discover your palate… and maybe even where you should explore next in Italy.

Your Turn

I have a feeling your bracket might look very different, so let’s see it! Fill out the bracket below.

• Fill it out and send it back

• Reply and tell us your champion

• Or bring it to your next dinner party and let the table debate. I feel the makings of a new blind tasting game in the near future ;)

Next week, we will share the most crowned bottle among readers to see who truly wins the Gold!

May the best wine win. 🍷🏆