Decanter World Wine Awards 2026

The Vigna Loreto covers one and a half hectares. Steep, stony and east-facing – , the slope faces the morning sun, not the midday sun. The soil is rich in tuff and pebbles, poor in nutrients, and unforgiving. The vines are the result of a mass selection from eight estate-grown Sangiovese clones that Mastrojanni has selected over decades: the estate’s genetic memory is embodied in every vine. It was Gabriele Mastrojanni himself who recognised Vigna Loreto as a distinct plot – the ability to display finesse where Castelnuovo dell’Abate would otherwise impress with its power. Today, every vintage confirms what the founder saw: Loreto speaks more softly than the great Brunello, but with greater precision. The east-facing aspect gives the wine freshness; the tuff lends it mineral tension; the lean soils force concentration without overripeness. 36 months’ ageing in Allier barrels ranging from 16 to 33 hectolitres – the small barrels, the intimacy that the wood lends the wine without dominating it.

The ruins of a castle tower above the entrance to the village of Terlan. First mentioned in a document in 1206. Much has changed since then – — the languages, the borders, the owners. What has remained are the porphyry rock, the northern foehn wind and the determination to produce wine here that does justice to the village. Nova Domus – new House. Founded in 1893 by 24 winegrowers, with the simple aim of being better together than alone.

A long, snowy winter. An unusually cool spring. When the 2021 growing season finally began, it was two weeks behind the average. A year that demanded patience, sensitivity and foresight – qualities that Hans Terzer has honed to perfection over more than 45 years as cellar master. The result of this challenging vintage is an Appius of rare verticality: a wine of the mountains, of light, of the alpine air. The twelfth edition of the cult wine collection shifts the balance: 73% Chardonnay dominates more strongly than ever before, flanked by Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and a reduced proportion of Sauvignon. The vines – are between 25 and 40 years old; on the limestone gravel and moraine soils of Eppan’s finest vineyards – yielded grapes of crystalline precision. Each variety was fermented separately in barriques and tonneaux, followed by twelve months’ ageing in wood, and finally a further three years on the fine lees in steel tanks.

A long, snowy winter. An unusually cool spring. When the 2021 growing season finally began, it was two weeks behind the average. A year that demanded patience, sensitivity and foresight – qualities that Hans Terzer has honed to perfection over more than 45 years as cellar master. The result of this challenging vintage is an Appius of rare verticality: a wine of the mountains, of light, of alpine air. The twelfth edition of the cult wine collection shifts the balance: 73% Chardonnay dominates more strongly than ever before, flanked by Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and a reduced proportion of Sauvignon. The vines – are between 25 and 40 years old; on the limestone gravel and moraine soils of Eppan’s finest vineyards – yielded grapes of crystalline precision. Each variety was fermented separately in barriques and tonneaux, followed by twelve months’ ageing in wood, and finally a further three years on the fine lees in steel tanks.

Beneath the village of Terlan, on the slopes of the Adige Valley, lies a geological mystery: a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition and character differ from anything else known in the world of wine. The porphyry forms the foundation – volcanic, millions of years old, interspersed with fine quartz inclusions. The soils that result are sandy-loamy, slightly acidic, free of lime and low in nutrients. Highly permeable, they naturally limit yields. A soil that puts the vines under stress – and thereby forces them to reach deeper, to become more concentrated and more mineral. Since 1893, 143 members of the Cantina Terlan have been cultivating these slopes. What they produce here is unique in the world of wine: white wines that stand the test of decades, whose longevity is reminiscent of the Grands Crus of the Côte d’Or. Cellar master Rudi Kofler named the ‘Quarz’ after the rock to which he owes everything. ‘As delicate as the fine quartz inclusions in Terlan porphyry – that is our Sauvignon.” Delicate texture. Depth. A salty finish.

There is one date worth remembering: 1967. In that year, former cellar master Sebastian Stocker placed the first white wines in pressure tanks that were actually intended for sparkling wine. There was no market for South Tyrolean sparkling wine, but there was an idea: what would happen if a white wine were left to age not for months, but for years – decades – on its fine lees? Stocker wanted to find out. His successors have refined the answer. Rudi Kofler, cellar master since 2002, has elevated it to a philosophy. The Rarity is the result of this patience. Outstanding vintages are first aged for twelve to fifteen months in large wooden barrels – then they are transferred to small 2,Liters, where they rest undisturbed on their fine lees: ten years, fifteen years, sometimes longer. Until Kofler decides that the time is right.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that brings together the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlaner I Grande Cuvée – which, since 1893, has been the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – —an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathering soils: stress-induced minerality as the principle, salinity as the result.

The Vigna Loreto covers one and a half hectares. Steep, stony and facing east – , the slope faces the morning sun, not the midday sun. The soil is rich in tuff and pebbles, poor in nutrients, and unforgiving. The vines are the result of a mass selection from eight estate-grown Sangiovese clones that Mastrojanni has selected over decades: the estate’s genetic memory is embodied in every vine. It was Gabriele Mastrojanni himself who recognised Vigna Loreto as a distinct plot – the ability to display finesse where Castelnuovo dell’Abate otherwise impresses with its power. Today, every vintage confirms what the founder saw: Loreto speaks more softly than the great Brunello, but with greater precision. The east-facing aspect gives the wine freshness; the tuff lends it mineral tension; the lean soils force concentration without overripeness. 36 months’ ageing in Allier barrels ranging from 16 to 33 hectolitres – the small barrels, the intimacy that the wood lends the wine without dominating it.

"In 2012, I bought the small vineyard Le Gonnare and began to cultivate it. It represents the excellence of the Bolgheri terroir. The soil is clayey and rich in skeleton, which allows for very gradual ripening, a particularly important aspect for Merlot. The character of the wine is therefore Mediterranean, but balanced." Fabio Motta

The ruins of a castle tower above the entrance to the village of Terlan. First mentioned in records in 1206. Much has changed since then – — the languages, the borders, the owners. What has remained are the porphyry rock, the northern foehn wind and the determination to produce wine here that does justice to the village. Nova Domus – new House. Founded in 1893 by 24 winegrowers, with the simple aim of achieving more together than they could alone.

A long, snowy winter. An unusually cool spring. When the 2021 growing season finally began, it was two weeks behind the average. A year that demanded patience, sensitivity and foresight – qualities that Hans Terzer has honed to perfection over more than 45 years as cellar master. The result of this challenging vintage is an Appius of rare verticality: a wine of the mountains, of light, of the alpine air. The twelfth edition of the cult wine collection shifts the balance: 73% Chardonnay dominates more strongly than ever before, flanked by Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and a reduced proportion of Sauvignon. The vines – are between 25 and 40 years old; on the limestone gravel and moraine soils of Eppan’s finest vineyards – yielded grapes of crystalline precision. Each variety was fermented separately in barriques and tonneaux, followed by twelve months’ ageing in wood, and finally a further three years on the fine lees in steel tanks.

Beneath the village of Terlan, on the slopes of the Adige Valley, lies a geological mystery: a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition and character differ from anything else known in the world of wine. The porphyry forms the foundation – volcanic, millions of years old, interspersed with fine quartz inclusions. The soils that result are sandy-loam, slightly acidic, free of lime and low in nutrients. Highly permeable, they naturally limit yields. A soil that puts the vines under stress – and thereby forces them to reach deeper, to become more concentrated and more mineral. Since 1893, 143 members of the Cantina Terlan have been cultivating these slopes. What they produce here is unique in the world of wine: white wines that stand the test of decades, whose longevity is reminiscent of the Grands Crus of the Côte d’Or. Cellar master Rudi Kofler named the ‘Quarz’ after the rock to which he owes everything. ‘As delicate as the fine quartz inclusions in Terlan porphyry – that is our Sauvignon.” Delicate texture. Depth. A salty finish.

The Vigna Loreto covers one and a half hectares. Steep, stony and east-facing – , the slope faces the morning sun, not the midday sun. The soil is rich in tuff and pebbles, poor in nutrients, and unforgiving. The vines are the result of a mass selection from eight estate-grown Sangiovese clones that Mastrojanni has selected over decades: the estate’s genetic memory is embodied in every vine. It was Gabriele Mastrojanni himself who recognised Vigna Loreto as a distinct plot – the ability to display finesse where Castelnuovo dell’Abate otherwise impresses with power. Today, every vintage confirms what the founder saw: Loreto speaks more softly than the great Brunello, but with greater precision. The east-facing aspect gives the wine freshness; the tuff lends it mineral tension; the lean soils force concentration without overripeness. 36 months’ ageing in Allier barrels ranging from 16 to 33 hectolitres – the small barrels, the intimacy that the wood lends the wine without dominating it.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that brings together the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlaner I Grande Cuvée – which, since 1893, has been the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a sub-volcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – —an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathering soils: stress-induced minerality as the principle, salinity as the result.

There is one date worth remembering: 1967. In that year, former cellar master Sebastian Stocker placed the first white wines in pressure tanks that were actually intended for sparkling wine. There was no market for South Tyrolean sparkling wine, but there was an idea: what would happen if a white wine were left to age not for months, but for years – decades – on its fine lees? Stocker wanted to find out. His successors have refined the answer. Rudi Kofler, cellar master since 2002, has elevated it to a philosophy. The Rarity is the result of this patience. Outstanding vintages are first aged for twelve to fifteen months in large wooden barrels – then they are transferred to small 2,Liters, where they rest undisturbed on their fine lees: ten years, fifteen years, sometimes longer. Until Kofler decides that the time is right.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that brings together the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlaner I Grande Cuvée – which, since 1893, has been the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – —an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathering soils: stress-induced minerality as the principle, salinity as the result.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that brings together the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlaner I Grande Cuvée – which, since 1893, has been the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a sub-volcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – — an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathering soils: stress-induced minerality as the principle, salinity as the result.