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While the Chianti Classico Ruspoli Annata shows the accessible, fresh side of Lilliano, the Riserva reveals the depth and maturity that lie dormant in the estate's best parcels. Selected only in outstanding years and from the Tenuta's best vineyards, it represents the potential of the Sangiovese grape on the chalky Alberese soils of Castellina in Chianti. The 2020 vintage is considered exceptional in Tuscany: balanced temperatures, moderate rainfall and a long, warm autumn allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly. The cuvée of 95 per cent Sangiovese and five per cent Merlot is fermented in small stainless steel and cement tanks after selective hand-picking before the wine matures for 14 to 15 months in large French oak barrels – a conscious decision in favour of traditional ageing, which gives the Sangiovese structure without dominating it. A further six months of bottle ageing round off the development.

Maximum was one of the first labels created by Giulio Ferrari at the beginning of the 20th century. A Blanc de Blancs with an unmistakable style that still stands for freshness and elegance today. This Trento DOC epitomises the perfect symbiosis between Chardonnay and the mountains of Trentino like no other Casa Ferrari sparkling wine. The grapes come exclusively from carefully selected Chardonnay vineyards on the slopes of the Trentino mountains between 300 and 700 metres above sea level. Facing south-east and south-west, the vines benefit from optimal sunshine and cool nights - ideal conditions for a Chardonnay with structure and finesse. The grapes are harvested by hand in the first half of September, when they have reached perfect aromatic ripeness. Gentle pressing is followed by Metodo Classico vinification with traditional bottle fermentation. The maximum matures on the fine lees for 24 months.

Pinot Blanc has been part of the Sanct Valentin line since 2001 – born out of the realisation that this long underestimated variety is capable of achieving extraordinary things at the high altitudes of Eppan-Berg. Between 450 and 600 metres, where limestone gravel and clay form the foundation, ten to thirty-two year old vines grow facing south-southeast. Extremely low yields from meticulously selected plots. Hand-picked at the end of September, then two different methods: one half fermented with malolactic fermentation and yeast storage in barriques and tonneaux, the other in large oak barrels. After just under a year, the wine is blended when it is clear what belongs together – then a further eight months of maturation in steel tanks to finalise the balance.

A rosé full of finesse and freshness, in which the signs of tradition and modern harmony come together perfectly. A delicate peach-pink colour with a light mousse in the glass. The bouquet seduces with notes of ripe strawberry, raspberry, exotic flowers and light brioche spice. Juicy, dry and finely structured on the palate: the subtle acidity carries ripe fruit, the yeasty character lends creaminess, while the finish is clear and persistent – with fine minerality and inner tension. A rosé with personality that can be both an aperitif and an accompaniment to food – charming, vertical and stylish in expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Syrah in Sicily - this is no longer a surprise. But Achilles, Zisola's top single-varietal wine, gives the grape variety on the chalky hills near Noto a new expressiveness: powerful, deep and at the same time controlled, with that polished precision that does not seek to imitate, but to shape independently. The grapes come from small plots with a high proportion of limestone in the soil, close to the coast. The warm climate is tempered by constant air circulation - ideal conditions for even ripening. After selective manual harvesting, spontaneous fermentation takes place in conical tanks, followed by ageing for around 16 months in French barriques.

At some point in the history of Nals Margreid, the Gambero Rosso even declared Sirmian to be the best white wine in Italy. We are not surprised. Above Nals, in the Sirmian district, the slopes lie between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. South-east facing, alpine climate: mild summers, cool autumns, a long growing season that ends in mid-October with the harvest. The soil is a geological archive: Permeable glacial moraine of limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble, deposited millions of years ago by glaciers in the Western Alps, resting on porphyry, the volcanic bedrock of the bedrock.

Since 1986, Gewürztraminer has been one of the founding wines of the legendary Sanct Valentin line – the top collection with which cellar master Hans Terzer once raised the bar for South Tyrolean premium wines. The winery selects only the best grapes for this wine from carefully chosen vineyards in the municipality of Eppan, where the grape variety finds ideal conditions on calcareous gravel between 450 and 600 metres above sea level. What characterises it, apart from its aromatic intensity, is its remarkable longevity – a characteristic that sets it apart from many other Gewürztraminer wines and promises a great drinking experience even after years of ageing in the bottle. The grapes are harvested by hand with rigorous selection. A short maceration is followed by gentle pressing before temperature-controlled fermentation begins. The wine is matured in stainless steel tanks – a deliberate decision to preserve the varietal aromas in all their splendour.

The 2022 marks a significant transition: it is the last vintage that Paolo de Marchi characterised before Emanuele Reolon took over as technical director. But the signature remains unmistakable. Since the 1980s, de Marchi was one of the first in Chianti Classico to plant high-density vineyards with low-yielding Sangiovese clones on poor Galestro soils at an altitude of 400 metres – a revolution in quality. The cuvée of 90% Sangiovese, supplemented by 10% Canaiolo, ferments for twelve days in stainless steel using the characteristic délestage method, which de Marchi has been refining since 1996. Seven months of ageing in barriques of different sizes give the wine complexity without dominance.

Collepiano (gentle hills) is what Marco Caprai calls the vineyards where his vision took shape at the end of the 1980s: to restore the Sagrantino, this ancient Umbrian vine with the highest tannin content in the wine world, to its lost greatness. Not as a sweet passito behind monastery walls, but as a dry red wine of international calibre. What followed was a revolution: collaboration with the University of Milan, clone selection, high-density plantings – and, in 1996, the legendary "25 Anni", the Sagrantino that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones chose for their wedding. Collepiano comes from pure Sagrantino from the Val di Maggio vineyards. After the harvest, the must underwent temperature-controlled fermentation, followed by gentle extraction over ten to fourteen days. The cuvée matured for twenty-two months in French barriques and a further six months in the bottle – time that gave this tannin-rich wine structure and soul.

Sauvignon Sanct Valentin is probably the best-known white wine from the St. Michael-Eppan winery. It has been vinified from carefully selected single vineyards at the foot of the Mendelstock since 1989. Yellow-green in colour, dense bouquet of yellow fruit, gooseberry, elderflower and ripe redcurrant, smooth on the palate with elegant, floral fullness and crisp acidity. A great and very savoury top wine and probably the most award-winning white from the internationally highly respected winegrowers' cooperative. SUPERIORE.DE

There is one decision in the cellar that says it all: no dosage. Zero grams of sugar after dégorgement – no equalisation, no softening, no correction. What goes into the bottle must stand on its own. Christian Bellei makes this decision at La Prima Volta consciously and anew every time: Dosaggio Zero is an attitude. 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara from the alluvial soils of Secchia. Only the Mosto Fiore – the first, purest part of the gentle pressing – is fermented in steel at a controlled temperature. Bottle fermentation takes place in the spring after the harvest according to the metodo classico, followed by at least 36 months on the lees at a constant 12°C. Rémuage, dégorgement – and instead of the liqueur d'expédition, the same wine is returned to the bottle. Nothing else.

Pure Syrah from the volcano? This is not a matter of course, but a courageous commitment to the international grape variety, embedded in the alpine character of the northern slope of Etna. Sole di Sesta refers to the midday sun that hits the vines with full force in the terraced vineyards around Castiglione di Sicilia – flanked by cold downdraughts from Mount Etna, which balance out the day at night. The vines are rooted at 750 metres above sea level in sandy volcanic soil with a high stone content. The result is a Syrah that brings together the special origin and the international variety in an exciting balance.

In the dizzying heights of Lamole, one of the highest appellations in Chianti Classico, the Sangiovese grapes for this exceptional Riserva grow at 470 to 655 metres. The historic terraces of local Macigno del Chianti – the characteristic sandstone that stores the sun's heat during the day and releases it again at night – create a unique microclimate for this organically certified wine. Lareale combines grapes from two of Lamole's best vineyards: "Il Prato" and "Le Masse". 95 per cent Sangiovese, supplemented by five per cent Canaiolo Nero, produce a Chianti Classico of remarkable elegance and oysteriness after optical berry selection and two weeks of maceration. Maturation in oak barrels for over two years gives the wine additional complexity and structure.

The distilled legacy of a legendary wine. The marc of Capo di Stato – cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec from the Ferreto soils of Montello – are distilled using the traditional discontinuous method in a water bath. The gentle bagnomaria process in small copper stills preserves the soul of the Bordeaux blend that Charles de Gaulle once considered a great Frenchman.

Antonio Bragato, born in Germany but with an absolute Friulian identity, joined forces 20 years ago with Gianni Maccari, who was cellar master at Livio Felluga for many years and founded his own winery Ronco della Rocca at the beginning of the millennium. Maccari, who has a degree in agronomy and Oenologist, is considered one of the best-trained viticultural experts in Friuli. The profound knowledge of his own 12 hectares of vineyards as well as the leased plots and the radical precision in the execution of every operation characterise the clear style and the reliable quality of the wines that Antonio Bragato creates there together with him.

Poggio Lombrone is a selection of Sangiovese vines that are over fifty years old. The 2018 vintage is stunningly beautiful and absolutely classic with a bouquet that opens with crushed black cherries, cooling sweet herbal notes and dusty cedar. After some time in the glass, flavours of plums, cranberries and undergrowth unfold. Velvety and rich on the palate, harmonious, with ripe wild berries pouring over a core of savoury acids balanced by a hint of sour citrus. All framed by fine tannins that slowly rise towards the end. In the delightful final, rosy flowers, ferruginous mineral notes and savoury spices, great! SUPERIORE.DE

Fumin epitomises the soul of alpine wine with a peppery palette of sage, rosemary and mint giving way to rose petals and a hint of camphor. It is refined yet full of life, with red berries reminiscent of citrus and a core of minerals and vibrant acidity. Finishes remarkably clean yet perfumed, with a lingering tension of sour berries. SUPERIORE.DE

The vineyards for the 100% Pinot Noir Riserva are located in the Überetsch region between 350 and 450 metres above sea level and face south-west. The soil is a compact, dense moraine soil made up of sediments from the Ice Age, calcareous, loamy and rich in minerals. Bright ruby red in colour, with a bouquet of redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries and hints of sage. Taut and very polished on the palate, its spicy tannins flank its beautiful depth and very appealing length. SUPERIORE.DE

The Andreola family winery in Col San Martino was founded in 1984 by Nazzareno Pola in the heart of the Valdobbiadene wine-growing region. In his honour, a wonderful Prosecco Superiore is produced here every year in small batches, which once again received the highest award in the Gambero Rosso for the 2024 vintage. For Stefano Pola, the Etichetta del Fondatore represents the highest expression of finesse and olfactory elegance that the Glera grape can give in the core zone of Prosecco Superiore – combined with the verticality and juiciness that the soils give it, without ever losing its lightness and drinkability.

Brilliant, rich yellow with silver-green reflections. The bouquet has pronounced smoky, mineral notes, full flavours of mango, citrus fruit, sage and asparagus. It shows its true class on the palate: wonderfully complex structure, lots of naturally sweet flavour, refreshing acidity and a juiciness, strength and length that can only be achieved through long contact with the lees and simultaneous agitation. Very convincing, downright captivating! SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that reinvent a region. Nero is one such wine – born from a vision of the Zecca brothers in the early 1980s, when they began experimenting with Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta Cantalupi near Salice Salentino. What initially seemed like a gamble turned out to be the most successful wine story in Apulia: the first Nero vintage in 1998 hit like a bomb and won the Tre Bicchieri of the Gambero Rosso for six consecutive years – an achievement that no other Apulian wine has ever equalled. The history of Conti Zecca dates back to 1580, when Francesco Antonio Zecca came from Naples to the fertile lands of Leverano, in the heart of Salento. For centuries, the Zeccas cultivated their vineyards with Negroamaro, Primitivo and Aglianico and became key figures in the European wine trade – relations between the Bourbon kingdom and France, England, Sweden and Denmark passed through their estate. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII awarded the family the title of Count in recognition of their services to the development of the territory. In 1935, Count Alcibiade Zecca founded the modern winery in Leverano and began to vinify his own wines. However, it was his heirs who took the decisive step of combining the indigenous Negroamaro with the international Cabernet Sauvignon.

The first vines were planted in 1952 on the ridge that today gives the wine its name. Poggio Lombrone – the hill overlooking the Ombrone Valley. Seventy years later, some of these vines are still standing. Their yield is low, their concentration exceptional. Whoever says cru means exactly that. The vineyard lies at 300 metres, the soils are tufaceous clays and calcareous marl slate – maremma terroir in its wildest and most concentrated form. Long fermentation in open wooden conical fermenters with manual punching down, complete malolactic fermentation, then 18 months in 30-hectolitre oak barrels, followed by at least 24 months in the bottle.

The south-eastern tip of Montalcino – near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, at an altitude of 350 to 380 metres, surrounded by oak forests and olive groves – is known for Brunello of extraordinary elegance. On this marl-limestone soil with layers of clay, where sea breezes and the cool nights of Monte Amiata speak the same language, the Spina family has spent four decades quietly building up a vineyard that produces more from a few hectares than some do from twenty. The Rosso di Montalcino is Sesta di Sopra's finger pointing: what is possible when Brunello is still waiting. Fermentation in temperature-controlled steel tanks, maturation in French barriques – more accessible and fresher than its big brother, but with the same roots, the same limestone, the same signature. The difference lies in the timing, not the ambition.

Deep, bright ruby red colour. Stunning aromas of floral dark berries, flint and attractive aromatic spices. Then fresh and juicy, but with a creeping concentration of blue and black fruit flavours, lifted by a zesty minerality and lively, harmonious acidity. The spicy, long finish is reminiscent of cloves, black pepper and coriander. A great wine, and we know now at the latest: The Catania family has a real knack for Cerasuolo di Vittoria. SUPERIORE.DE