3-Glass Wines Gambero Rosso

The dark, seductive Cabernet Franc Poggio de' Colli takes its time in the glass and slowly awakens with a blend of redcurrants, peppery roses, exotic curries and a slight hint of musk that lends it gravitas. Velvety soft yet refined. Aristocratic and cool on the palate, with a powerful wave of tart raspberry fruit that feeds the palate with savoury spices and mineral notes. Leaves a layer of fine tannins and a hint of berry concentration on the final, which tapers off savoury, long and perfectly balanced. A radiant wine that will only reveal its full beauty in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

Born in the Contrada Arcurìa near Passopisciaro – around 650 metres high on the north-eastern flank of Mount Etna – this Nerello Mascalese carries the clarity of the volcanic slopes in every nuance. The 2020 vintage was the year of deep balance. Warm days were tempered by cooling night-time temperatures, allowing the grapes to achieve healthy ripeness with a lean fruit structure. The harvest took place late, carefully and in small batches. The wine is fermented traditionally and matured for around 24 months in large wooden barrels.

The Paesaggio Inatteso selection comes from Camigliano's 3.5-hectare "La Magia" vineyard, which has mineral and calcareous soils. Only just under 3,000 bottles are bottled. It offers a more robust style and a stronger aromatic intensity than the Annata. Bright red with an amber-coloured rim. On the nose, round notes of walnut shells, roasted hazelnuts and linseed, as well as red plums, pomegranate seeds and green olives. Traces of incense and cardamom in the background. Full-bodied, lively tannins on the palate, with hints of red berries and flowers leading to an intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep dark ruby red. Full, deep and explosive bouquet reminiscent of dark berries, tobacco and liquorice. Illuminati's single-vineyard classic Zanna, with its elegant, very complex taste and delicate oak spice, leaves nothing to be desired every year. SUPERIORE.DE

For two decades, the white indigenous cuvée Biancosesto has represented one of the most original and stylistically distinctive interpretations of the Friulian white wine tradition – a poetic blend of Friulano and Ribolla Gialla from old vineyards around the historic settlement of Sesto al Reghena. The calcareous marl soils (Ponca) and the cool microclimate of the Colli Orientali provide this classic white wine with complexity and finesse every year.

It was December 1998 when a customer knocked on Giuseppe Bisci's door and asked for "vino d'annata" – young wine, drinkable immediately. But Bisci only sold his Verdicchio after at least two years of ageing. Giuseppe sent the customer away, but the encounter stayed with him. The high-altitude limestone soils of Matelica, where the Apennines rise majestically into the sky, did not produce simple everyday wines – they were capable of much more! The continental climate with sun-drenched days and icy cold mountain nights gave the Verdicchio an intensity, minerality and acid backbone that allowed it to age for decades – something almost unheard of in Italian white wine. That same day, Giuseppe turned to his cellar master Aroldo Bellelli: "Let's make a wine for the next person who asks for young wine – so that we can tell him: We make Riserva, and it will only be released after seven years!"

Italy's most famous Müller-Thurgau from a single vineyard at over 1,000 metres above sea level: sublimely sparkling straw yellow, very precise, clean aroma, a potpourri of tropical fruits, a little chamomile and a hint of nutmeg. Amazingly full-bodied on the palate with lots of juicy fruit. An elegant, extra-dry Müller Thurgau from the highest Müller Thurgau vineyard in Europe with an impressive complexity and length for this grape variety. SUPERIORE.DE

With "Capo Martino", Silvio Jermann not only pays tribute to the vineyard of the same name in the municipality of Dolegna del Collio, but also to his father Angelo – and thus to the origins of the family winery. It is a white wine of great cultural depth, a cuvée of indigenous varieties such as Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and Friulano, complemented by smaller proportions of other traditional varieties. The 2022 vintage was characterised by stable weather conditions with plenty of sunshine, which gave the grapes ripeness and expression – but without losing the typical freshness of the hills around Capo Martino. After the harvest, the grapes are destemmed, gently pressed and fermented spontaneously. Maturation takes place for around a year in large wooden barrels on the fine lees, with each component maturing separately before finally being blended into a cuvée. The result is a wine of quiet complexity and timeless elegance.

La Court is the centrepiece of the Nizza area and one of the iconic sites of Barbera. On the gentle hills between Castelnuovo Calcea and Mombercelli lie two historic parcels with ideal south and south-west exposure on calcareous marl soil characterised by fine sand inclusions. The vines, some of which are over 50 years old, naturally produce low yields with remarkable concentration. 2021 offered ideal conditions: a warm summer with sufficient temperature differences between day and night, followed by a precise harvest in perfect physiological ripeness. After temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, the wine matures for at least 18 months in 700-litre Liters and large barrels before coming to rest in the bottle.

When Virginie Saverys and Max De Zarobe realised that Montepulciano could only regain its historical reputation by working together, they created the Alleanza Vinum. Six prestigious wineries – salcheto, Poliziano, La Braccesca, Dei, Boscarelli and Avignonesi – joined forces in 2017 on a mission: each creates its own 100 per cent Sangiovese cru every year, embodying the rediscovery of Vino Nobile. Avignonesi's contribution comes from the legendary Caprile vineyard, planted in 1978 at an altitude of 300 metres. The soil tells of millions of years: Marine sediments from the Pliocene, criss-crossed by deep veins of blue sodium clay, rich in silt and limestone – a terroir that gives the Sangiovese exceptional depth. After 28 days of controlled maceration with natural yeasts from the Pied-de-Cuve selection, the wine matures for 24 months in large oak barrels.

A wine that made history. When the first vintage of La Selvanella Riserva was presented in 1969, it was a revolution in Chianti Classico – the very first cru from a single vineyard in the entire region. Today, over 50 years later, this Sangiovese classic is still regarded as a benchmark for the elegance and purity of the Radda terroirs. The 50 hectares of the La Selvanella vineyard sit at an altitude of 350 to 550 metres above Radda in Chianti in one of the most privileged positions in the entire region. Wines of exceptional structure and lively acidity are produced here. The perfect south-west exposure and the temperate continental climate create ideal conditions for the capricious Sangiovese to develop its full aromatic complexity.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

In the gentle hills of Mezzane di Sotto, where the Monti Garbi rise majestically over the eastern Valpolicella, lies the centrepiece of the Tenuta Sant'Antonio: Campo dei Gigli – the field of lilies. The oldest vines of the brothers Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi are rooted here, on calcareous white soils with sandy-loamy inclusions at an altitude of 300 metres. A single vineyard that produces a unique wine. Since 1989, the Castagnedi family has embodied the revolution that changed Valpolicella forever: quality instead of quantity, while everyone else was still focussing on quantity. Forty-year-old vines, trained on the traditional Pergola Veronese with only 3,300 vines per hectare, bear the cuvée of 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 5% each of Croatina and the rare Oseleta. The appassimento – the mystical drying period of at least three months – transforms the hand-picked grapes into concentrated essence.

A manifesto of the new Merlot style from the classic growing region around Montefiascone: Montiano 2020 impresses with depth, finesse and a self-confident elegance. The vines grow on clay and limestone soils at higher altitudes – perfectly tempered by the mild breeze from Lake Bolsena. The 2020 vintage was characterised by ripe, healthy harvest, with warm days and cool nights that promote both aromatic diversity and structure. Deep ruby red in the glass with a garnet red hue. The nose reveals nuances of black cherry, dark plum, spicy tobacco, cedar and ripe violet elegance. Firmly constructed on the palate, with powerful but fine-grained tannins, lively acidity and intense fruit.

The Riecine vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti has a history dating back to the 11th century. Today's vineyards grow between 430 and 600 metres above sea level on stony, alluvial limestone soils over a subsoil of pure limestone - rock that was once washed here from the Monterossi hill by the ancient Massellone river (once called "Clante", the origin of the name "Chianti"). Since 2006, La Gioia has been a pure Sangiovese, a decision that perfectly reflects the philosophy of the estate: absolute concentration on the noblest of all Tuscan grape varieties.

Contrada Rampante grows on the highest vineyard of Passopisciaro. The soils have a higher sand content and the harvest takes place later here. On the nose, dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Rampante is an elegant, energetic and dynamic red with clear fruit and silky tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby garnet colour, fine violet and rose notes and many spices in the bouquet. Dense and compact with taut tannin and sweet fruit melt. Given time, this captivating red is at the beginning of a long, promising development. SUPERIORE.DE

As a result of extensive soil research, Francesco Ricasoli was able to identify three microlocations, which will be vinified separately from the 2015 vintage onwards. The range of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione now includes, in addition to the famous Castello di Brolio, three cru sites (Colledilà, Roncicone and Ceniprimo), all of which are 100% planted with Sangiovese. They differ in structure and taste in close correspondence with their terroir and impressively demonstrate the complexity of the Chanti Classico region.

Just 3,500 bottles from the oldest vines of the Salco vineyard are only sold in the best vintages. In the glass, we are delighted by an extremely elegant Sangiovese with a very harmonious texture and very classic, earthy and spicy notes. SUPERIORE.DE

For some years now, Riccardo Cotarella's Montiano has been characterised by great freshness and dark, concentrated fruit. In contrast to the vintages of the early 1990s, the wine has become much livelier and more dynamic. And the 2021 vintage brings a new nuance to this characterful Merlot: riper, denser and finer at the same time. The climatic conditions – an early summer temperature rise followed by cooler evening hours – allowed for slow, even ripening with perfect concentration levels. As always, the Montefiascone region delivers mineral-structured fruit and precise floral components.

"Historical is Umani Ronchi's highly ambitious project, created thanks to its profound knowledge of the region and the terroir, on a small, remote plot in the historic vineyards of Montecarotto in the Castelli di Jesi Classico area. The Historical Vecchie Vigne is an extreme selection that is refined for five years (including 18 months on the fine lees) before being released onto the market - with the claim of being one of the greatest white cru in Italy and the world." Michele und Massimo Bernetti

Brilliant ruby red colour with a slightly brightening rim. Impressive aroma of red berries, smoke, roasted almonds and dark spices. Taut, straightforward, expressive and beautifully long on the palate. With its classic understatement, Boscarelli's Nobile di Montepulciano is a wonderfully precise example of its growing region every year. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that seek their time. And there are wines to which time confides its secrets. Historical Vecchie Vigne is one of those rare gems that only reveal their true colours after more than five years of ageing – a tribute by the Bernetti family to Verdicchio and at the same time a radical statement: that even non-aromatic white grape varieties can be among the very best if they are given the time they deserve. In Montecarotto, where the hills of the Verdicchio Classico find their noblest expression, there is a small plot at 310 metres above sea level, isolated in the middle of the historic Vecchie Vigne. Vines over fifty years old are rooted here in brooding, fresh, loamy soils that provide Verdicchio with the minerality and substance that only old vines can give. Eastern exposure, perfect balance between growth and yield – these vines were planted in the early seventies and today produce grapes of a concentration and ripeness that are harvested by hand at the end of September, beginning of October, berry by berry intact.

This exceptional Sangiovese comes exclusively from the historic "Palmina" vineyard – the oldest vines that John Dunkley and Palmina Abbagnano found back in 1971 when they acquired the small estate from the neighbouring Badia a Coltibuono monastery. A hillside vineyard with a low yield, as the purchase contract noted at the time. Since 2010, the grapes from this unique hectare at an altitude of 480 metres have been vinified separately. Today, the 60-year-old Sangiovese vines with their extremely low density of just 3x1 metres yield barely more than one kilogram of grapes per vine, but they are of incomparable concentration and purity.