Arbëreshë Wine Competition

On Saturday 5 July 2025, Vaccarizzo Albanese is preparing to celebrate the twentieth edition of the Arbëreshë Wine Competition, an event that has become an essential fixture for the Arbëreshë communities of Calabria. Year after year, this event continues to bring together producers, enthusiasts and curious visitors around the authentic value of artisanal wine, fermented in family cellars according to ancient traditions handed down through generations.

Over 100 producers from more than 15 Arbëreshë communities will participate in this edition, telling a collective story of passion, memory and territory through their wines. A jury led by Gennaro Convertini, president of the Enoteca Regionale Casa dei Vini di Calabria, will select the best wines in the red, rosé and white categories. The winners will be announced at 6.30 pm in Piazza Scura. The day will be enriched by show cooking with Agrichef Enzo Barbieri, food and wine stands, the Coldiretti Village and the participation of important wineries from Calabria, Albania and Kosovo.

At 8 p.m., in a significant moment for the community, Palazzo Elmo will be inaugurated, a new cultural space donated by the Elmo heirs and entrusted to the municipality. This will be followed at 8.30 p.m. by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding “Il Salotto Diffuso” (The Widespread Living Room), with the participation of regional institutions.

The collective exhibition “A piccoli sorsi d'arte” (Small sips of art), promoted by Rossella D'Aula and the Adrobart association, will officially open the activities of Palazzo Elmo, with works inspired by wine and the symbols of Arberia created by young artists between the ages of 6 and 19.

The grand finale will be a musical performance by the Zoe' Live Band and a DJ set by Franco Siciliano, to toast together a tradition that is renewed in the name of community, culture and identity.