-Radical, Ambitious, Contemporary: Pasqua’s Winemaking Vision Earns Critical Acclaim
The winery’s growth strategy expands through new projects and international partnerships, as leading guides and competitions recognize the value of the Icons and Pasqua’s most innovative expressions
Verona, September 23, 2026 – New projects and international partnerships are reinforcing Pasqua’s evolution, as the winery has accelerated its growth over the past year through a strategy that combines the development of its Icons with new opportunities and collaborations. At the heart of this journey is House of the Unconventional, the ecosystem through which the winery expands its reach with distinctive projects that express the brand’s values through contemporary languages and engage new generations of consumers in an ever-changing wine world.
This external growth strategy now has two concrete expressions: Sangue d’Oro, the wine project developed by Carole Bouquet and dedicated to Passito di Pantelleria, in which Pasqua has been investing since 2025, and the partnership with American winemaker Charles Smith, officially launched last year, which opens up global distribution of House of Smith brands and the development of new winemaking projects.
Sangue d’Oro 2022 earns 92 points internationally from James Suckling and in Italy from DoctorWine, along with a gold medal at the WineHunter Awards at Merano WineFestival.
The collaboration with Charles Smith also yields the first joint project: Pasqua + Smith Pinot Nero, whose debut edition is a multi-vintage blend of the 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2025 vintages, weaving together the historical depth of Valpolicella with the free-spirited energy of Washington State. A project that embodies Pasqua’s international vision and its desire to engage with new territories, partners, and modes of expression, while staying true to its own identity.
Andrea Pasqua, Head of Business Development, comments: “For Pasqua, growth also means opening up to new opportunities through partnerships and projects that share our vision. Sangue d’Oro and the collaboration with Charles Smith are two concrete steps in that strategy, deeply different realities, but united by strong identity and a global outlook. This is how we want to continue building House of the Unconventional: expanding our horizons without losing ourselves.”
Since 2015, Pasqua’s Icons have represented an innovative voice, free from the conventions of the wine world. With Famiglia Pasqua, Mai Dire Mai, Hey French, and 11 Minutes, the winery continues to offer its own highly original reading of the Valpolicella and Veneto terroir, projects that reflect both ancestral craftsmanship and a forward-looking vision.
The Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia 2027 guide awards Tre Bicchieri to Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella 2022. The 2020 vintage earns 93 points from Wine Enthusiast and is included in the magazine’s “Cellar Selection.” International critics have also praised the project, with James Suckling awarding 92 points.
Mai Dire Mai Amarone — the winery’s first bold stylistic statement, presenting a more austere, vertical take on Amarone della Valpolicella — and Fear No Dark Cabernet Sauvignon — the most radical expression from the Monte Vegro vineyard — earn 95 points for the 2016 vintage and 94 points for the 2021 vintage from Wine Enthusiast, along with “Editor’s Choice” honors. A recognition from one of the world’s most authoritative wine publications that the winery’s work in presenting a different dimension of the appellation is both purposeful and rewarding.
In 2026, the fifth edition of Hey French, You Could Have Made This But You Didn’t — with which the winery is charting the Italian path to still wine blending, receives 93 points from Decanter. In Italy, DoctorWine awards 94 points, while WOW! The Italian Wine Competition, organized by Civiltà del Bere, presents a gold medal.
11 Minutes, the brand’s first rosé, earns 91 points from Wine Enthusiast for the 2024 vintage. Previous vintages also received strong scores: 91 points from Vinous for the 2023; the same from Falstaff for the 2022; and from James Suckling and Decanter for the 2021.
President Umberto Pasqua reflects: “The recognition we’ve received again this year confirms the validity of our intuitions and the work done so far. Projects born from the desire to explore new expressive possibilities without losing touch with the territory are now solid realities. It’s a particular satisfaction, because these awards don’t just celebrate individual wines, they celebrate a vision’s ability to endure, evolve, and become a benchmark.“
