0.5 liter

A rarity with a fine sweetness and great depth: Verduzzo Friulano is considered a traditional speciality of Friuli and is a true expression of Paolo Meroi's philosophy - the smallest quantities, uncompromising selection and an ageing process that places balance above opulence. The vines grow on the typical Ponca soils of marl and sandstone, which provide freshness and structure. After selective harvest, the grapes are gently pressed and the must fermented in small oak barrels, followed by long ageing on the fine lees. In the glass, the wine is a rich amber colour with golden reflections.

Giovanni Allegrini had a way of assessing the skills of Oenologist: he had them make Recioto. No other wine from Valpolicella demands so much patience, sensitivity and intuition – and no other reveals so relentlessly whether someone truly understands what this landscape is capable of. Since 1990, his children have dedicated this very wine to their father, the man who shaped Valpolicella like no other. Recioto is one of the oldest wines in the world, known since Roman times. It shares the appassimento technique with Amarone – but differs in one crucial decision: fermentation is naturally halted before all the sugar has been converted into alcohol. Sweetness remains. What was stopped too late in Recioto became Amarone – bitter, dry, great. Recioto is the father. The best grapes from the highest slopes, hand-harvested, then dried for five months on wooden racks in the Fruttaio. After gentle pressing, fermentation in steel, then 14 months’ ageing in new barriques, a further two months in large casks, and approximately two years’ bottle ageing.

When the morning mist rises from the hills near Orvieto in late October and covers the vineyards of Castello della Sala like a silken veil, one of the most mysterious transformations in the world of wine begins. The grapes – sauvignon Blanc, Grechetto, Traminer, Sémillon and Riesling – are attacked by Botrytis Cinerea, the noble rot that has produced the world's greatest sweet wines for centuries. The fungus penetrates the grape skin with invisible precision, extracts the water from the pulp and concentrates sugars and flavours into an essence that would not be accessible to any cellar technology. In several patient passes, the harvesters pick only those berries that have reached the ideal degree of botrytisation – a process that requires connoisseurship and timing, as the right moment is fleeting. After gentle pressing, the must ferments for 18 days at a controlled cool 17 degrees before the still sweet wine is transferred to French barriques. Here it matures for months, absorbing delicate wood nuances while the aromas and structure harmonise, before ageing in stainless steel completes the work.

Giovanni Allegrini was a modest man who woke Valpolicella from its slumber in the 1960s and became the architect of its rebirth. His benchmark for the art of winemaking? The Recioto. According to Giovanni, those who mastered Recioto mastered everything. He died in 1983 without experiencing the full bloom of his life's work. Seven years later, in 1990, his children Franco, Walter and Marilisa dedicated this wine to him – the oldest in Valpolicella, whose origins date back to Roman times. Cassiodorus described the Appassimento as early as the 5th century.

Turriga is the great red of Sardinia – developed in 1988 by Antonio Argiolas and Giacomo Tachis, from Cannonau, Bovale, Carignano and Malvasia Nera, named after a 5,000-year-old marble statuette of the Mother Goddess found on the estate and now in the Archaeological Museum of Cagliari. The Grappe di Turriga is its echo: created from the same grape marc, from the same terraces at 230 metres near Selegas – calcareous, stony soils, Mediterranean heat, the salt of the nearby sea in every breath of wind. Immediately after the Turriga is vinified, the pomace is taken to the distillery and distilled using the slow Bagnomaria method – a gentle method that preserves the flavours without burning them. No wood maturation, no intervention.

Oro – golden name, golden essence. This passito is a real masterpiece, with its bright amber colour and copper reflections, visually announcing its precious concentration and depth. The grapes (100% Moscato Bianco) undergo a deliberate drying process: Harvested late and stored dry until December before undergoing fermentation – including malolactic fermentation and maturation for 24 months in new barriques. A complex process during which the wine matures to a balsamic, honey-saturated elegance.

Pirus – the Latin name of the pear. And when Nonino gives a fruit brandy this name, it says it all: it's about the essence of the fruit, not its disguise. Williams pears from South Tyrol and the Vinschgau Valley, harvested when perfectly ripe, form the basis. After being de-stemmed and cleaned, they are cut, mashed and fermented in stainless steel for around four weeks in the absence of air. Distillation takes place slowly in Benito's copper steam stills, with careful separation of the first and last run. Six to twelve months of resting in stainless steel rounds off the distillate without overpowering the fruit character.

One of Friuli's finest rarities: Paolo Meroi vinifies his Picolit only in tiny quantities and with uncompromising care. The grape variety is known for its natural trickling, which results in extremely low yields - one reason why Picolit has been highly prized at princely courts for centuries. The grapes come from the Ponca soils of the Colli Orientali, are selectively harvested by hand and carefully dried before fermenting in small oak barrels and maturing for a long time on the fine lees.

Oro di Caiarossa is a 100% Petit Manseng, the grapes are harvested by hand at the end of October. Dark golden yellow, almost amber-coloured in the glass. Flavours of passion fruit, mango and honey are softened by citrus fruits and floral elements. Subtly sweet on the palate with graceful flavours of candied citrus and tropical fruit. A fine hint of tannin and a reasonable length on the finish. This already fascinating dessert wine has both warmth and freshness and will gain in concentration as it matures. SUPERIORE.DE