cult wines

It was the wine journalist Francesco Arrigoni who wrested a promise from Franz Haas. He had seen the beauty of these high-altitude vineyards, surrounded by meadows and woods in the municipality of Aldein, where only wild game roams, and recognised the quality that grew from this one plot: the Pònkler. Arrigoni's request was that it should be bottled separately. A promise the estate kept – even though, at first, it was impossible to know how the wine from the grapes of such a young vineyard would develop.

Four grape varieties, one principle: uncompromising. While other winegrowers compose their cuvées according to formulas, Enzo Pontoni decides anew each year what proportions the vintage requires. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and the autochthonous Refosco (Tazzelenghe) – are combined in varying proportions, but always with the same signature. The vinification follows the rhythm of the decades. Merlot provides the dark fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon the structure, Cabernet Franc the vegetal finesse – and Refosco the indomitable acidity that gives the wine its backbone. The components rest for twenty-four months in French barriques before Enzo marries them to create a cuvée that is more than the sum of its parts.

Pònkler is the house's top wine and at the same time the essence of Franz Haas' decades of experience with the undemanding Pinot Nero grape. The vines, planted in 2007, grow on soils of weathered porphyry in a single vineyard at an altitude of 750 metres. The selection of French clones, which have proven to be particularly suitable for high altitudes, the high density of vines and the low yields guarantee a very high quality of grapes.

Sangiovese in purezza. Wonderfully spicy aroma, dark forest berries and cherries, some graphite and cedar wood. Silky elegance on the palate, juicy, dark berries, paired with an animating interplay of fruit and acidity that really lets the wine dance across the tongue. Percarlo has depth and length as well as potential for many years in the cellar. One of the great single-varietal Sangiovese wines of central Tuscany. SUPERIORE.DE

Luigi Veronelli would have turned one hundred years old on 2 February 2026. This is no ordinary anniversary for Castellare di Castellina, because without Veronelli, this wine would not exist. It was 1976 when he was walking through the vineyards of Castellare with Paolo Panerai and stopped at the descent to the estate's most beautiful parcel. "Paolo, call it I Sodi di S. Niccolò," he said. And then, even before Panerai could explain the choice of grape variety, he haunting: "Forget the French varieties. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera – they are better." It was exactly what Panerai himself thought. The first harvest followed in 1977.

There are wines that embody a vision. And then there is this Riserva – named after the man who, in 1977, stood on a hill overlooking Lake Iseo and decided to give Italy a sparkling wine to rival the Grands Crus of Champagne. Vittorio Moretti, a pioneer with an irrepressible spirit, created more than just a winery with Bellavista. He created a philosophy of perfection. The Riserva that bears his name is produced exclusively in exceptional years. It is the quintessence of what Franciacorta has to offer: the best soils, the most beautiful exposures, the oldest vines. Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, blended in almost equal parts, from historic plots more than 30 years old. Vinification takes place in small white oak barrels, followed by a long journey: seven years on the lees, during which the bottles are sealed with cork stoppers – a tribute to the traditional method.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

Terre Brune: A monument to the art of Sardinian viticulture, borne by the year 2020, which wonderfully captured the essence of the island in its balance between heat and night-time equalisation. For Terre Brune, this meant a late harvest accompanied by cool nights. The result: maturity in harmony with freshness, expressive and enriching. Incidentally, the 2020 vintage was a gift of ripeness everywhere in southern Sardinia. Warm spells were balanced out by Atlantic breezes and the grapes remained healthy and aromatic. The late harvest ensured a rich, but never overripe concentration – ideal conditions for a wine with lively acidity and body in harmony.

Classic Super Tuscan made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot matured in French oak. In its very dense violet-red colour, clear fruity notes and a highly enticing hint of candied lemons inspire. The flavour is very harmonious, rich and powerful, the tannins perfectly integrated, the spicy final beautifully persistent. SUPERIORE.DE

Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi shake hands in 1993. Two worlds, one idea: to create a wine that combines the best of Montalcino – the structure and elegance of Sangiovese – with the rounded depth of Merlot. A combination that had never before been seen in this region. Luce became the first Super Tuscan made from a Sangiovese-Merlot blend from Montalcino. Thirty years later, the 2022 vintage is released as 30° Vendemmia – the thirtieth harvest of a wine that pioneered a new era. The estate is situated in the south-west of Montalcino, in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The estate covers 249 hectares, 88 of which are planted, at altitudes ranging from 280 to 418 metres, with a south to south-west aspect. The soil follows its own logic: slate and sandstone at higher altitudes, perfect for Sangiovese; clay layers deeper down, which give Merlot the power and suppleness it needs.

There are wines that are more than just wines – they are statements of intent. When Luigi Moio created his Grande Cuvée after twenty years of tireless work in the vineyards of Irpinia, he produced not only his flagship white wine, but a testament to his philosophy. This exceptional blend of 40% Greco di Tufo, 40% Fiano di Avellino and 20% Falanghina brings together Campania's three great indigenous grape varieties in a composition of rare harmony and complexity. The Greco comes from the finest plot of the Giallo d'Arles vineyard in Tufo, where marl-sand soils with a high clay content and valuable limestone deposits at an altitude of 400 metres create ideal conditions. The Fiano is selected from the finest plots of the Exultet vineyard in Lapio – here, at an altitude of 600 metres, porous layers of lapilli permeate the clay-rich subsoil, ensuring a constant water supply to the vines. Finally, the Falanghina thrives on the loose, clay-rich soils of the mid-slopes of Mirabella Eclano, where the west-facing aspect ensures optimal ripening conditions.

One may wonder whether Luigi Moio is a professor wearing a winemaker's hat or a winemaker wearing a professor's hat. His vintage presentations are academic in tone, his tasting room is run with the rigour of a lecture theatre, and his vineyards are planted according to criteria that only a mathematician or scholar could fully understand. Quintodecimo's winemaking philosophy, on the other hand, is relatively simple. The best vineyard sites are selected for each individual wine. Soils, sites and microclimates are researched with great care. Nothing is taken for granted.

Rich, concentrated Bordeaux-style red with the unmistakable signature of top oenological consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. Multi-layered black fruit on the nose, plus rock, liquorice, camphor and graphite. Impressively supple on the palate, the fruit is always juicy and centred, wonderful and almost perfect in structure, polish, elegance and length. SUPERIORE.DE

At the turn of the millennium, Josko Gravner travelled to Georgia, the cradle of viticulture. What he saw there – clay amphorae buried in the ground, filled with grape must left to rest on the skins for months – turned everything he had previously known about wine on its head. Back in Oslavia, on the Slovenian border, he abandoned modern winemaking techniques and started from scratch. Since then, he has not referred to his wines as "orange wine" – a term he considers too trendy. He calls them "amber wines".

Deep, shiny red colour. A beguiling blend of dark cherries, plums, mocha, liquorice, leather and cloves on the nose. Very compact and powerful fruit on the palate, characterised by deep intensity, dense layers and a velvety texture. Very focussed, balanced and certainly needs a few more years to develop fully. Outstanding elegance and length. In short: an absolute beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

There are wines that define a region. Saffredi is one of them. When Elisabetta Geppetti, in 1987 – in her mid-twenties and driven by a vision to bring the sleepy Maremma to world fame – created this wine together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis, nobody could have imagined that a Super Tuscan was being born here, one that would rival Sassicaia and Tignanello. The name is a loving tribute to Fredi, Elisabetta's father-in-law Alfredo Gentili, who sparked her passion for wine and, in the 1980s, planted the five-hectare vineyard from which the grapes for Saffredi are still sourced today. The Saffredi single-vineyard plot near Pereta lies at an altitude of 250 metres, facing south-west for the old vines and south-east for the newer plantings. The soil is the result of millions of years of geological processes: of sandstone origin, rich in calcareous marl and iron minerals, low in organic matter, with clay layers only appearing from a depth of 30 centimetres. On clear days, the view from here sweeps across the hills to the Mediterranean, 25 kilometres away – a proximity to the coast that lends the wine its distinctive freshness and vibrancy.

There are places in this world that seem destined by a higher power to produce the extraordinary. The Oratorio di San Lorenzo is one such place – a small valley nestled in the rolling hills of the Colli Berici, where monks have lived in silent contemplation for centuries and where Stefano Inama has now completed his life's work. Here, in the shadow of a small 16th century chapel dedicated to St Laurence, only the very best vintages produce a wine that is more than any other: Oratorio di San Lorenzo – inama's red masterpiece and perhaps the purest expression of Carménère outside Chile. The story of this wine is one of vision and passion. When Stefano Inama decided to add red wines to his white empire in the late 1990s, chance led him to a sip from a nameless glass – that legendary moment of "love at first taste" that changed his life. The wine came from Carménère grapes, the almost forgotten Bordeaux variety that had been brought to the iron-rich red soils of the Colli Berici by French emigrants in the mid-19th century. Stefano immediately recognised the potential of this grape variety on this special terroir and acquired the twelve-hectare valley around the Oratorio in two tranches – an investment in the future that proved to be brilliant.

Three generations bear this name: The grandfather, who always encouraged Giampaolo Motta in his wine dreams. The son who carries on the torch. And in between, this wine, the highest expression of a man who left the leather goods business of his Neapolitan family to create his Bordeaux in the Conca d'Oro of Panzano. The "Golden Basin" – cultivated since 1490, planted with Merlot and Cabernet for almost 400 years – became Motta's stage in 1992. He experimented with Chianti Classico for ten years, then the break: he left the Consorzio because the rules stood in the way of his vision. "I wasn't really happy with the result after ten years of work," he explained laconically. What followed was pure consistency – and, since 2008, a partnership with Stéphane Derenoncourt, perhaps the most influential consultant on the right bank of Bordeaux.

Romano Dal Forno started out in 1983 with a proposition that he has proven every vintage since: a Valpolicella can compete with the greatest wines in the world. He learnt this from Giuseppe Quintarelli. He internalised it in the Val d'Illasi, where his vines grow on alluvial gravel and clay, at up to 450 metres, with a planting density that makes every yield a rarity. Valpolicella Superiore does not begin fermentation – it begins with six weeks of appassimento. Corvina, Corvinone, Croatina, Oseleta and Rondinella dry slowly in the air of the lodoletta, losing water and gaining soul. Then: controlled fermentation in steel tanks, 36 months in new French and American oak barriques, years of ageing in the bottle.