Wine

The vines are planted where the Piedmont slopes gently at Canelli and the Barbera grape can develop its depth. The name is reminiscent of Cesare Pavese, the great son of these hills – and his most famous work "La Luna e i Falò". Like the novel, this wine also carries a quiet melancholy, paired with expression, maturity and identity. Matured in barriques and large casks for around a year, this is a Barbera full of character and at the same time modern.

F for Falò – bonfire. The name alludes to the traditional bonfires that are lit in Salento at the winter solstice. Cantine San Marzano dedicates a single-varietal Negroamaro to this custom, emphasising the dark, intense side of this indigenous grape variety. The grapes grow on the calcareous, iron oxide-rich soils between San Marzano di San Giuseppe and Sava. After manual harvesting, the grapes undergo prolonged maceration, followed by twelve months of ageing in Caucasian oak barrels – an unusual choice of wood that gives the wine its own aromatic signature.

A Cannonau that harmonises origin and structure – that's how Costera feels in the glass. The grapes come from the old sand and limestone hills of the south-east facing vineyard of the same name, where the intense sun and cool sea breeze combine to ensure aromatic ripeness and multi-faceted minerality. After controlled fermentation, the wine matures for around five months in barriques and cement tanks. The colour in the glass is a deep ruby red with a fine garnet hue. The bouquet unfolds with intense but not overpowering aromas: ripe strawberry, black cherry, herbal spice, cedar wood and subtle spicy notes. In the mouth, Costera shows deep fruit, warm and yet without heaviness; juicy, clearly contoured, with elegant tannins and mineral freshness that brings clarity. The finish is harmoniously long, savoury, slightly salty and persistently seductive. SUPERIORE.DE

A Chianti Classico that is created when centuries-old tradition meets contemporary winemaking: organically farmed since the 1980s, the vineyards of Monti-in-Chianti and Vitignano (located slightly below) strive for expression and balance from clay-loam and limestone soils. The vines (90% Sangiovese supplemented by some Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo) are rooted at altitudes between 250 metres and 330 metres above sea level.

Intense ruby red, persistent, fruity bouquet with notes of wild berries, violets, cloves and cinnamon as well as sweet tobacco flavours. Rich and velvety on the palate, with an abundance of ripe red fruit and tactile mineral tones, complemented by a hint of sage. The lively acidity provides balance. On the finish, the spicy tones merge with a pleasant fruity flavour. An unbeatable wine every year at a very attractive price! SUPERIORE.DE

Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riparosso has a sweet scent of violets and lavender, followed by crushed blackberries and chalk dust. It washes over the palate with soft textures and ripe wild berries, contrasted towards the end by sour citrus fruits. It finishes perfumed and with admirable length, leaving a layer of dusty tannins that tug at the cheeks. Very Italian – very well made. SUPERIORE.DE

62 years after the cooperative was founded in 1962 – this explains the name of this Riserva, which surpasses the Sessantanni in terms of ageing time and quality. The grapes come from the oldest plots of the cooperative, bush vines in Alberello training on the characteristic red clay soils of Salento. The grapes are harvested by hand, followed by prolonged maceration to maximise extraction. Then aged for 18 months in small oak barrels – six months longer than the Sessantanni –followed by further ageing in the bottle before release.

Zenato has stood for reliable quality from the Veneto region since 1960 – no experiments, but solid craftsmanship over generations. The home of this Valpolicella Superiore is the gentle vineyards in the soft hills of Valpolicella Classica, in the heart of Sant'Ambrogio. Corvina Veronese forms the backbone with 85 per cent, supplemented by Rondinella and Corvinone from the 35 hectares of own vineyards. The grapes are harvested by hand in October, de-stemmed and macerated in stainless steel for ten days before the wine matures for twelve months in large oak barrels.

Silìneo – a neologism born from the fusion of "sinuoso" (supple) and "lineo" (linear). The name epitomises what this wine is all about: elegance, suppleness, balance and harmony. It is the most classic wine from Fattoria del Cerro and has been the most successful for years. Silìneo is made from 90 per cent Sangiovese (locally called Prugnolo Gentile) and ten per cent Merlot and Colorino, from vineyards in Acquaviva di Montepulciano on soils of marine Pliocene origin with clay and silt between 250 and 400 metres above sea level. After manual harvesting, fermentation takes place with maceration at 24 to 28°C with daily overflow and délestage. The wine then matures for seven months in tonneaux, followed by eleven months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

With the Brolettino, Ca' dei Frati shows the powerful, mature side of Lugana. The Turbiana grapes come from older vines, whose deep roots give the fruit particular concentration. After fermentation, the wine matures for several months in barriques, which gives it additional structure and depth. Brilliant straw yellow colour with golden reflections in the glass. Ripe yellow fruit, pineapple, apricot and candied lemon on the nose, with fine vanilla and almond notes. Creamy and full-bodied on the palate, with an elegant woody flavour, fine minerality and harmoniously integrated acidity. The finish is long, smooth and delicately enveloping. A Lugana with fullness and elegance, which presents itself excellently both young and after a few years of ageing in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Sessantanni – sixty years old. The age of the gnarled bush vines, which are rooted in traditional Alberello training on the iron oxide-rich terra rossa soils of San Marzano and Sava. This form of training, in which the vines grow low and without wire frames, is labour-intensive, but protects the grapes from the scorching Apulian sun and naturally limits yields – around 3,000 kilograms per hectare. With Sessantanni, Cantine San Marzano has created a label that has significantly shaped the international perception of Apulian wines. The fully ripe grapes are harvested by hand at the end of September. 80 per cent of the must is left to macerate for 18 days, the remaining 20 per cent for 25 days for maximum extraction. Vinification with indigenous yeasts, twelve months of ageing in French and American oak barrels.

Three letters, a whole story: BIP stands for "Benjamin Ingham Palermo". The Englishman came to Sicily in 1806 – not as a tourist, but as an entrepreneur with vision. He followed in the footsteps of John Woodhouse, but surpassed him by far: Ingham built up a trading empire that shipped Marsala all over the world and left a lasting mark on the city. Pellegrino still preserves his archive today – 110 volumes of Sicilian economic history. Pellegrino dedicates its elegant Oro Riserva to this man. Grillo, Catarratto and Inzolia, from sandy coastal soils between Marsala and Petrosino. The fermentation is stopped with an acquavite aged in oak for at least five years – a detail that stacks depth upon depth. Then: more than 48 months in large oak barrels, a further six months in barriques. The 2013 is a wine that has clearly benefited from time.

Nero di Troia was long the well-kept secret of northern Apulia – used in cuvées, rarely in its pure form. Torrevento changed this in 1993: the Vigna Pedale was the first single-varietal Nero di Troia in the world. Since then, it has been the flagship of the winery – and has left the Gambero Rosso with no choice but to award it the highest rating eight times in a row up to the current 2019 vintage.