There is an increasingly contemporary way of telling the story of Italian wine around the world: less formal, more connected to experiences, places, and people. This is precisely the path chosen by Franciacorta, which in 2026 has created a true international tour designed to bring the denomination to the symbolic destinations of global lifestyle.
Not simply tastings, but events built around an idea of hospitality centered on encounters, atmosphere, and networking. After the opening stop in Vienna, held at the end of April at the Hotel Almanac with the participation of 27 wineries, the journey now continues through Switzerland, the United States, and Germany, reaching key cities for the international wine and contemporary luxury audience.
The next stop will be Lugano on May 20, at the Hotel Splendide Royal, featuring 41 producers. This is a particularly meaningful destination, as Switzerland remains one of the markets closest to the Franciacorta world, not only geographically but also culturally. Here, Italian wine has long engaged with an audience accustomed to quality and in search of authentic experiences.
The calendar will then continue overseas with Miami on June 8, likely the most international and glamorous stop of the entire tour. The heart of the Franciacorta Festival, featuring 10 wineries, will take place at Soho Beach House, hosting events dedicated to the trade world, stakeholders, and industry professionals through tastings, meetings, and international networking. Alongside this more professional dimension, the program will also include an exclusive VIP Dinner at the newly renovated Delano Hotel, long considered one of the city’s most iconic destinations. Built in 1947, it was perhaps the hotel that created the myth of Miami’s vibrant social scene throughout the twentieth century, and for Franciacorta it becomes the ideal setting for an evening reserved for socialites, influencers, opinion leaders, and selected guests. The event will revolve around a private dinner, storytelling, and relationship-building moments designed to present the Franciacorta world within one of the symbolic settings of American luxury lifestyle.
The tour will then return to Europe on June 29 in Munich, in the elegant spaces of The Charles Hotel, where 22 wineries will showcase their interpretation of the denomination. Unlike the other stops, the Munich Festival will be entirely dedicated to the trade audience, with events designed exclusively for operators, buyers, and industry professionals.
One of the most interesting aspects of the travelling Franciacorta Festival project is precisely this dual narrative. On one side, the trade world — importers, buyers, and wine professionals — and on the other, wine lovers, involved in evening events also open to consumers, as already happened in Vienna and as will happen in Lugano. Two souls coexisting throughout much of the format, reflecting Franciacorta’s desire to grow while maintaining a direct relationship with those who choose, drink, and truly experience the wine.
Alongside the main tour, Franciacorta continues to strengthen its international presence through collaborations increasingly connected to the lifestyle world. Among these is the partnership with Scuderia Classiche, collaborator of the denomination in a series of events dedicated to classic cars. From May 21 to 23, Franciacorta will in fact be a key presence at Lugano Elegance, an event combining automotive heritage, elegance, and conviviality in one of the most sophisticated settings of the Swiss spring season. The collaboration will then continue in Zurich from May 28 to 31 during the 1000 Miglia Warm Up, confirming the denomination’s ambition to position itself within exclusive, international, and increasingly experiential contexts.
More than a simple calendar of events, Franciacorta today appears as a story in motion. A way of bringing to the world not only a wine, but a lifestyle built around conviviality, beauty, and shared time. From Vienna to Miami, through Lugano, Zurich, and Munich, the vision is clear: to create opportunities for connection in the places where international lifestyle lives, meets, and spends its time.
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