Renzo Cotarella wins Winemakers’ Winemaker award 2026
Antinori chief oenologist Renzo Cotarella has been named as the 2026 recipient of the Winemakers’ Winemaker award at a ceremony during ProWein yesterday (16 March).
Given annually by the Institute of Masters of Wine and the drinks business since 2011, the award recognises outstanding achievement in the field of winemaking and is chosen by a panel of winemaking peers that comprise all Masters of Wine who are winemakers, and the award’s past winners.
Renzo Cotarella is chief executive officer and chief oenologist of Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy’s leading wine producers.
Born in Monterubiaglio near Orvieto in 1954, Cotarella graduated in agricultural sciences from the University of Perugia in 1978, specialising in soils and grape variety matching. In 1981 he was appointed director and Winemaker at Castello della Sala, the Antinori family’s Umbrian estate. He became chief oenologist of Marchesi Antinori in 1993, managing director in 1998 and CEO in 2005.
Cotarella also oversees Antinori estates and ventures internationally, including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley and Col Solare Estate in Washington State. His honours include Wine Enthusiast’s Best Winemaker of the World (2001) and Best Italian Winemaker from Vinoway Selection (2024).
Upon receiving the award at the ceremony, Cotarella said: “I am delighted and truly honoured, both personally and on behalf of the Antinori team, to receive this prestigious award from the Institute of Masters of Wine. I see it as a testament to our commitment to making wines that align with the Masters of Wine philosophy. It is a privilege to see my name alongside the most distinguished winemakers in recent history.”
Sarah Harrison, IMW executive director, said: “Renzo’s combination of technical mastery, passion, leadership and openness has shaped fine wine in Italy and internationally. He is a profoundly deserving recipient of the 2026 IMW Winemakers’ Winemaker Award.”
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Rod Smith MW, IMW chair, added: “Renzo exemplifies the rare balance between innovation and stewardship that defines truly great winemaking, and this he manages to achieve on a truly global scale. It gives me great pleasure to name him this year’s Winemakers’ Winemaker.”
Cotarella now joins the impressive list of previous winners: Stephen Henschke (2025); Michael Brajkovich MW (2024), Jean-Louis Chave (2022), Peter Sisseck (2011), Peter Gago (2012), Paul Draper (2013), Anne-Claude Leflaive (2014), Egon Müller (2015), Alvaro Palacios (2016), Eben Sadie (2017), Jean-Claude Berrouet (2018) and Angelo Gaja (2019).
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