Summa 2026: a wine fair that feels like home

There are wine fairs you attend, and then there are wine fairs you somehow slip into as if you were always meant to be there. And Summa belongs firmly to the second category.

Held on April 11–12, 2026 at the Alois Lageder estate in the quiet South Tyrolean village of Margreid, Summa is not just another industry gathering. For more than 25 years, it has brought together winemakers from across the world around a shared idea of quality, sustainability, and curiosity.
This year, around 115–116 producers from nine countries poured their wines, from iconic names to smaller, quietly brilliant estates.

I was happy to be invited there on Sunday, April 12. And from the first step into the winery I really felt the vibe of creativity, emotional connection of everyone around, and amazing hospitality: you are not at a fair, you are at someone’s home. Not a metaphorical one, and this was an actual one. The kind where people open bottles they care about and introduce you to friends you didn’t know you needed.

What i liked most is that there is no rush, no pushing, no sense of “working the room”. You move through courtyards, cellars, gardens, and rooms with old stone walls, stopping wherever something catches your attention. Someone pours you a wine, tells you a story, asks what you think, and actually listens. I heard before that Summa is often described as “stress-free”, which sounded like marketing, but it is simply accurate.

What I particularly liked was the balance between established names and producers who still feel slightly under the radar. The list is long and international, but a few stood out immediately:

Gravner, Frank Cornelissen, Arianna Occhipinti, Giulia Negri, Pian dell’Orino, Champagne Tarlant, Château Musar.
From the German-speaking world, estates like Wittmann, Bürklin-Wolf, and Nikolaihof Wachau added another layer of precision and classicism.

It is one of those rare line-ups where you can taste across styles, philosophies, and climates without it feeling chaotic. Everything is connected by a shared mindset rather than geography.

Personal highlights: the wines you remember on the way home

There were many strong bottles, but a few stayed with me in a very specific way.

From Alois Lageder, both the Chardonnay Löwengang and the Pinot Grigio Porer were exactly what I want from Alto Adige whites. Clean, structured, quietly confident. Not trying to impress, just doing their job extremely well.

From Franciacorta, the 1701 Franciacorta Satèn was one of those wines that resets your palate. Creamy but precise, soft bubbles, and a kind of calm elegance that makes you slow down without realizing it.

And then there was Gravner. Josko Gravner presented what is essentially his singular vision of orange wine, a wine that doesn’t ask for attention but holds it anyway. Amphora-aged, deeply textured, slightly oxidative, with layers that unfold slowly rather than immediately. Dried apricot, tea, a hint of spice, something earthy and almost meditative. You don’t “like” this wine in a simple way. You try to understand it. And at some point, it becomes very clear that it doesn’t need your approval.

Spending a day like this in Alto Adige inevitably makes you think about the region as a whole.

There is a precision to these wines, especially whites, that still feels undervalued internationally. The combination of altitude, climate, and cultural mix produces wines that are both clean and expressive, structured but never heavy.

And yet, they rarely get the same attention as Burgundy or even Northern Italy’s more obvious stars. They should.

If anything, Summa is a reminder to keep Alto Adige in mind, not as a “reliable” region, but as a genuinely exciting one.

I just cant omit the food, because food at wine events is often an afterthought. Here it was also special. There was grilled meat, properly grilled, with that slightly smoky edge that makes you reach for another glass without thinking. And then bread with butter. Which sounds almost too simple to mention, but it was genuinely excellent. Warm bread, good butter, nothing else needed.

What makes Summa special is not just the wines or the setting. It is the tone.

There is a clear philosophy behind it: quality, sustainability, openness, experimentation. But more importantly, there is a human scale. Even with over a hundred producers, it never feels overwhelming. You don’t leave exhausted. You leave slightly lighter.

I have been to many wine events, across different countries and formats. Summa is easily one of the best. Not because it is the biggest or the most prestigious, but because it gets the atmosphere exactly right. It feels personal and real.

Just imagine Alto Adige in April, vineyards just waking up, mountains still watching everything quietly in the background.