On September 9 and 10, Akènta Cuvée and Akènta Sub will be showcased in Manhattan at the prestigious event dedicated to some of Italy’s finest wines selected by James Suckling and his team
From Sardinia to New York, bringing Vermentino di Sardegna, the Alghero terroir and the story of more than 300 winegrowers to the heart of Manhattan.
On September 9 and 10, Cantina Santa Maria La Palma will be in New York to take part in Great Wines Italy New York 2026, the major event organized by James Suckling, one of the world’s most influential wine critics and experts.
Held at the Altman Building in Manhattan, the event will bring together a selection of 180 producers from all 20 Italian regions and approximately 350 wines, offering wine professionals, buyers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, enthusiasts and collectors an extensive tasting dedicated to Italian wine.
Great Wines Italy is a highly selective event: only wines that have received a score of 90 points or higher from James Suckling and his international tasting team will be featured.
Among them will be two wines from our winery: Akènta Cuvée and Akènta Sub.
Vermentino di Sardegna arrives in the heart of Manhattan
Our participation is another opportunity to introduce an international audience to a contemporary side of Sardinian wine, combining territory, quality and innovation.
Akènta Cuvée offers a contemporary and elegant interpretation of Vermentino di Sardegna, while Akènta Sub will bring one of Cantina Santa Maria La Palma’s most distinctive projects to New York: a wine aged beneath the sea off the coast of Alghero in our Underwater Cellar.
Two different wines, both based on Vermentino and united by the ambition to express the character of north-western Sardinia in ways that can engage an international audience.
Great Wines Italy will also provide an important opportunity to connect directly with the American wine trade, including importers, distributors, retailers, sommeliers and hospitality professionals, alongside wine lovers attending the sessions open to the public.
Santa Maria La Palma and James Suckling
Our participation in the New York event marks another chapter in the relationship between Cantina Santa Maria La Palma and James Suckling.
His appreciation for our wines is not new. In 2024, James Suckling awarded 91 points to three Cantina Santa Maria La Palma wines: Akènta Vermentino di Sardegna DOC Spumante, Naramae Cannonau Riserva and Recònta Cagnulari Riserva.
Three very different wines representing different expressions of Sardinian viticulture: Vermentino, Cannonau and Cagnulari, the latter a grape variety with deep roots in north-western Sardinia.
Our presence at Great Wines Italy 2026 further strengthens this journey and provides another opportunity to introduce Sardinian wines to new markets and international audiences.
From Alghero to New York
For Cantina Santa Maria La Palma, Great Wines Italy also represents another step in the journey of bringing our wines to the United States and strengthening their presence on international markets.
“Taking part in a James Suckling event in New York is a source of great satisfaction for us, but above all it is an opportunity to tell the story of Sardinia through its wines. Behind every bottle we bring to the United States are the work of our winegrowers, the territory of Alghero and Sardinia as a whole.
With Akènta Cuvée and Akènta Sub, we want to showcase two different interpretations of Vermentino and, through them, tell the story of a contemporary Sardinia: deeply connected to its roots while at the same time able to engage with international markets.”
Renzo Peretto, President of Cantina Santa Maria La Palma
On September 9 and 10, at the Altman Building on 18th Street, the story of our cooperative and the more than 300 winegrowers behind it will meet one of the most exciting audiences in the American wine market.
From Alghero to Manhattan, through Vermentino and, in the case of Akènta Sub, even through the sea.
Another international toast to Sardinia.
