The new The WineHunter Award Collection 2026 – Wine-Food-Spirits-Beer is now online: the winners of the WH Award Rosso and Gold have been revealed, alongside the nominees for the prestigious Platinum Award.
August 20, 2026 (Merano, Italy) — The WineHunter Award Collection 2026 is now officially online at winehunter.it. The platform features an outstanding selection of products across the Wine, Food, Spirits, and Beer categories, presenting the results of a rigorous research, tasting and evaluation process conducted by an extensive network operating throughout Italy under the guidance of Helmuth Köcher, alongside the WineHunter Scouts.
THE WINEHUNTER AWARD COLLECTION 2026: BY THE NUMBERS
Out of more than 7,000 wines tasted, 2,662 received the The WineHunter Award Rosso, with scores ranging from 90 to 92.99 points, while 1,506 wines achieved scores between 93 and 94.99 points, earning the The WineHunter Award Gold.
The WineHunter Collection goes far beyond wine. The tasting panels also evaluate products in the Food, Beer and Spirits categories, with a total of 1,245 products assessed. Of these, 371 received the The WineHunter Award Rosso, while 324 were awarded the The WineHunter Award Gold.
Expectations are equally high for the The WineHunter Award Platinum candidates competing for the selection’s highest honor. This year, 213 wines and 96 products from the Food, Beer and Spirits categories are in the running. The winners will be officially announced on 7 October, during a dedicated awards ceremony to be held in Rome for the first time.
THE WINEHUNTER: CONNECTING TERRITORIES WITH THE WORLD
Built around three core principles – selection, research and methodology – The WineHunter’s work goes far beyond the simple attribution of a score. It serves as an authoritative tool for quality recognition and market positioning, highlighting quality, authenticity and a strong sense of place, while giving selected producers direct visibility among buyers, importers, distributors, restaurateurs, wine retailers and discerning consumers. The tasting panels’ work is further supported by a network of 32 WineHunter Ambassadors – international food and wine professionals operating in more than 50 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Together, they act as ambassadors of excellence, driving high-level international promotion and communication.
HELMUTH KÖCHER COMMENTS
“The selection process carried out by The WineHunter Excellence Juries was created to recognise and enhance the vision, consistent quality, and passion that define our artisans of taste,” says Helmuth Köcher, founder of The WineHunter. “The exceptional quality level achieved this year, with scores reaching the maximum of 100/100 for the first time, makes the upcoming announcement of the WH Award Platinum winners even more significant, confirming it as one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated events. Thanks also to the coordinated efforts of our international network of 32 WineHunter Ambassadors, representing 50 countries worldwide, we continue to create tangible growth and internationalisation opportunities, helping selected producers reach new markets and providing them with a prominent global showcase. The WH Award is a distinctive mark of excellence, bestowed upon food and wine producers capable of expressing quality, authenticity and an outstanding vision”.
The WineHunter Award Collection also serves as the exclusive gateway to Merano WineFestival: only products and producers selected for and included in the Collection are eligible to participate in the renowned autumn event. The official platforms for purchasing tickets and passes and submitting applications for press accreditation and trade accreditation are already active at meranowinefestival.com.
