Bibenda

The grapes come exclusively from the single vineyard San Pietro, and since the 2018 vintage, part of the wine has been aged in amphorae. Berries, liquorice and deep red fruit on the nose. Finely woven and very precise structure, a bright, open personality and class on the palate. Sheer elegance and Clerico enjoyment without waiting for further ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Verdeluce – green light – is the name of this wine that the Famiglia Cotarella dedicates to the hills around Orvieto, the area on the border between Lazio and Umbria that has always been synonymous with quality white wines. Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, two of Italy's most influential Oenologist, founded Falesco in 1979 with the aim of revitalising forgotten grape varieties. Today, cousins Dominga, Marta and Enrica continue the legacy – with a modern style and an international outlook, without losing their roots in the territory.

Balduccio is made up of around 9,000 organically cultivated olive trees, all located on the picturesque Montalbano hills between Florence and Montecatini Terme, and an oil mill that is so popular with local farmers that the most popular dates for pressing between 15 October and 15 November have been fully booked on the waiting list since the summer. This is because Balduccio not only presses its own olives, but also makes its modern technology available to other olive producers. Over the last 20 years, Balduccio has gained recognition and respect as an oil mill among local producers. It is not only the customers who are impressed by the quality. The ambition to produce top-quality oils is also increasingly inspiring other olive growers.

Bucine, Valdarno di Sopra – where the Arno meanders through gentle hills between Arezzo and Florence, Fattoria Petrolo lies between 250 and 500 metres above sea level. In 1988, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust wanted a wine that told the true identity of this terroir: the "Château" of Petrolo, a tribute to the centuries-old Tuscan tradition of combining French varieties with Sangiovese. As early as 1834, Giorgio Perrin, agronomist of Swiss origin and owner of Petrolo, reported in the "Giornale Agrario Toscano" that it was customary in Chianti to blend "uve francese" with Sangiovese, not to change the quality, but because the terroir won out over the grape varieties.

Schiopetto's Friulano is youthfully unobtrusive with a pretty bouquet that blends lemon peel with mint and hints of crushed rock. It washes over the palate with a tense mix of citrusy acids and salty minerals, while a core of tropical melon develops towards the end. Finishes on a more delicate note, but long and with pretty inner flowers that still linger. The beautiful balance and underlying power of this wine will guarantee good ageing in the bottle. The best is yet to come. SUPERIORE.DE

A Collio classic with a signature: Schiopetto's single-varietal Sauvignon Bianco comes from old vines around Capriva del Friuli - on marl and sandstone soils that are perfect for aromatic varieties. Hand-picking, a short maceration period and ageing in stainless steel tanks preserve freshness and precision. Pale yellow in colour with greenish reflections. The bouquet is intense but never loud: whitecurrant, salted lemon, elderflower, a hint of lemon balm and wet stone. Clear, straightforward and elegant on the palate, with lively acidity, salty minerality and a fine citrus flavour on the long finish. An exemplary Sauvignon from the Collio - full of tension, multi-layered and with noble restraint. A wine that emphasises its origins rather than superficial fruit. SUPERIORE.DE

Classic Etna Rosso from Nerello Mascalese with a small proportion of Nerello Cappuccio – grown at an altitude of over 700 metres in various contrade on the northern flank of the volcano, where ash, lava rock and the alpine microclimate form an unmistakable style. Medium ruby red in colour with a garnet-red rim. On the nose, fragrant sour cherry, redcurrant, humming berry, a metallic hint, floral notes and subtle spice. Precise on the palate, with cool fruit, lively acidity and fine-grained tannins. The ageing in used wooden barrels and cement tanks maintains the balance and expression of origin. An authentic, elegant Etna Rosso with good drinkability. SUPERIORE.DE

Mirum (the miracle) is a statement of limestone, altitude and time. It is no ordinary Verdicchio, but one of the most charismatic Riserva bottlings in central Italy. Vinified since 1990, it comes from a particularly barren, limestone-rich south-western slope above Matelica, where the vines grow at over 400 metres. The wine is matured exclusively in stainless steel, but with long lees ageing – a decision that combines clarity, texture and ageing potential.

Anyone who underestimates Pinot Bianco simply hasn't drunk a good one. The variety loves windy locations, poor marl soils and cool nights – all characteristics that the Collio Goriziano offers in abundance. Schiopetto cultivates it on the Ponca slopes of Capriva, where small, compact grapes ripen with golden-coloured berries that need no support in the cellar. A special feature of the vinification process: the wine is fermented with Pied de Cuve – a proprietary yeast from our own vineyards. This keeps the fermentation authentic and the flavour close to the origin. Steel, eight months on the fine lees, no intervention.

Pergolaia consists mainly of Sangiovese with smaller proportions of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine opens with a medium-bodied attack and a bright bouquet characterised by notes of cherry, wild plum, ploughed earth and pressed blue flowers. This very Mediterranean-style red with a strong personality envelops the palate with a delicate, silky intensity. SUPERIORE.DE

Schiopetto has been producing Pinot Grigio since 1968 – long before it became Italy's best-selling mass-produced white wine (unfortunately in many other regions) – and the Rotolo family has never forgotten what it can really do: Depth, juiciness, mineral tension. On the Ponca hills of Capriva del Friuli, in marly soils of Eocene origin, the variety finds a soil that does not allow it to be arbitrary. Gentle pressing, short sulphur-free decanting, fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature – eight months on the lees. No wood, no detours, everything focussed on the Ponca.

South Tyrol's Gewürztraminer has some top-class competition here: this unique white wine is made from one hundred per cent Albana grapes, 20% of which is only harvested as a late harvest after botrytis infestation in November. Only 2,800 bottles are sold.

Malvasia Istriana is not Malvasia. At least not what most people know by that name. While other varieties of this ancient Greek grape family are often lush and sweetly aromatic, the Istrian variety shows a completely different face: richer, more complex, more mineral and capable of true greatness in Collio Goriziano – and capable of its true greatness in the Collio Goriziano. Schiopetto has been vinifying it as a single variety since 1974: hand-picked at the beginning of September, fermented in steel at 16 degrees for ten to twelve days, matured on the fine lees for nine months. The result needs no explanation, just a large glass.

How could it be otherwise: Tenuta Meraviglia's Bolgheri Rosso is vinified from 100% (!) Cabernet Franc. Bright, deep ruby red colour with violet reflections. Intense and pronounced aroma of blackcurrant, wild blackberry, cherry and raspberry, enriched by notes of tobacco, liquorice, undergrowth and roasted aromas. Warm and persistent on the palate, with a fine texture and sweet, spicy tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Cecubo is a historical wine heritage: a cuvée of 45% Abbuoto, 35% Primitivo and 20% Piedirosso, grown on the volcanic soils of Roccamonfina – a wine that was once prized by the Romans and is now considered a cult wine of the region. The 2015 vintage presents itself with dense intensity: a deep dark ruby colour with a garnet-red rim in the glass. The nose reveals a complex aroma of ripe wild berries, dried figs, vanilla and a hint of incense. Spicy notes such as black pepper and tobacco leaves are also present. On the palate, the wine impresses with round volume, pithy tannins and powerful fruit, integrated into a fascinating minerality. The ageing in barriques gives it depth, structure and a balanced, full-bodied expression. Cecubo is a red wine with expressiveness – full of history, with Campanian temperament, but also full of subtle minerality and a terrificfinish. A monument to the region that masterfully combines elegance and originality. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: Badilante honours those workers who, with their spades – the "badili" – for generations to drain and reclaim the marshland of the Maremma. Simone Castelli, son of the legendary OenologistMaurizio, vinifies this single-varietal Sangiovese on the organically farmed Podere 414 vineyard near Scansano. The grapes grow at an altitude of 230 metres in clayey, loamy soils with a high proportion of skeleton. Spontaneous fermentation in cement, 15–18 days maceration with délestage and remontage, followed by maturation partly in cement and partly in wood.

Macrina shines in the glass in a clear straw yellow colour with a subtle green hue. The bouquet exudes enchanting notes of fresh white flowers and green apple, carried by an elegant, persistent freshness. On the palate, the wine displays lively acidity, a juicy fruit structure and a distinctive mineral note that stylishly accompanies the floral and fruity accents. The transparent, clear ageing in stainless steel emphasises the pure varietal and origin presence. A juicy Verdicchio with elegant finesse and a drinkable balance. SUPERIORE.DE

Here is one of the most serious and at the same time most exciting sparkling wines that can be made from the Sorbara variety! Pale to dusky pink in colour with a fine foam and accentuated, persistent perlage. The bouquet is almost magical and yet very distinguished, with hints of raspberry and wild strawberry, which is what makes a top-class Lambrusco, but still seems to be an unattainable goal for many local winegrowers. A fine acidity on the palate, with delicate, dry bitter notes and an exciting brightening of fruity tones of wild strawberry and pomegranate. The overall impression is bone-dry and the bottled dream of a Lambrusco produced using the champagne method, which is unrivalled in the wine landscape. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1886, Carlo Campagnola founded his winery in the Marano Valley, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. In 1907, he won the first gold medal for the best Recioto at the Verona Wine Fair – since then, the family, now in its fifth generation, has continued what began as a small farm. The vineyards for this Amarone are located on calcareous slopes between 200 and 350 metres above sea level, where Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella are harvested by hand at the end of September. The traditional appassimento drying process takes around 100 days until the grapes have lost 35–40% of their weight. Gentle pressing in December, 30 days of maceration, then ageing: 60% matures for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, 40% for 18 months in new Allier oak barriques.

Named after the "Seggio" stream, the largest watercourse in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, this elegant Bordeaux blend epitomises the accessibility and finesse of Bolgheri DOC. The historic watercourse rises in the Etruscan Colline Metallifere near Sassetta and flows through the entire Bolgheri area, its alluvial deposits enriching the characteristic clay soils with valuable pebbles. This harmonious cuvée comes from the privileged vineyards of Le Sondraie and Via Bolgherese. The vines, which are around 19 years old, thrive on well-drained, skeleton-rich soils with a clay layer and a high magnesium and iron content – ideal conditions for the international grape variety assemblage.