Pantelleria and its ‘heroic’ viticulture:
Cantine Pellegrino wins the 2026 CERVIM Special Award

Two Grand Gold Medals at the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes for ISesi 2024 and NES 2024, and the CERVIM Special Award: Cantine Pellegrino is the only Italian winery to be recognised for its commitment to heroic viticulture in Pantelleria.

This achievement recognises the quality of the wines, but above all the daily work carried out in one of the Mediterranean’s most extreme wine-growing regions. Cantine Pellegrino is the only Italian winery to receive the 2026 CERVIM Special Award, awarded as part of the 34th edition of the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes, the international competition dedicated to wines produced under “heroic” viticultural conditions.

In addition to this accolade, two Grand Gold Medals were awarded to ISesi 2024, a Bianco di Pantelleria DOC, and NES 2024, a Passito di Pantelleria DOC.

«We are particularly proud of this achievement because it recognises not only the quality of our wines, but also the value of the work we have been carrying out for over thirty years in Pantelleria,” says Benedetto Renda, President of Cantine Pellegrino. “On an island where wind, water scarcity, steep slopes and manual cultivation make every task in the vineyard more challenging, producing wine means, first and foremost, preserving a unique agricultural, landscape and cultural heritage. The ‘alberello’ vine training system, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, is an integral part of this landscape and the island’s history. This award encourages us to continue investing in the territory and its ‘heroic’ viticulture».

Pellegrino’s connection with Pantelleria dates back to 1992 and has evolved through a range of wines that showcase Zibibbo in its different expressions. Alongside ISesi, a white wine made from Zibibbo grapes grown at an altitude of around 400 metres, the range includes Bianco di Venere, another expression of the island’s vocation for white wines, and NES, a Passito di Pantelleria DOC that embodies the most iconic tradition of Pantelleria’s viticulture.

Organised by CERVIM – the Centre for Research, Studies, Conservation, Coordination and Promotion of Mountain Viticulture – the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes is an international competition dedicated to wines produced in areas characterised by particularly challenging growing conditions, such as steep slopes, terraces and small islands. The 2026 edition featured 1,175 wines, 432 wineries and participants from 22 countries, confirming the competition’s international scope.

For Cantine Pellegrino, the 2026 CERVIM Special Award thus represents recognition of the quality of its wines and, at the same time, of its commitment to continuing to cultivate Pantelleria, supporting its ‘heroic’ viticulture and contributing to the preservation of a unique agricultural landscape, where the ‘alberello’ vine training system remains a living part of the island’s cultural heritage.

Marsala, 11 September 2026

Press contacts:
PELLEGRINO – Anna Ruini
anna.ruini@carlopellegrino.it
+39 329 0534212