0.75 liter

Only 1.5 kilometres separate the vineyards of Capitel Croce and Foscarino – but geologically they are worlds apart. While Foscarino is rooted in volcanic rock, Croce is enthroned on the pure limestone of the Zoppega hill. "Croce like Calcareo", Roberto likes to say as a mnemonic. Here, in the highest areas of his estate, perhaps his most uncompromising wine has been growing since 1982: 100 per cent Garganega, matured for eight months in old Allier barriques. What makes this wine so exceptional is not just its origin, but Roberto's radical approach: only 45 hectolitres per hectare, late selective harvest with up to twelve passes until only the most perfect berries remain. Fermentation takes place directly in barriques, allowing fruit and wood to merge right from the start.

Montessu is wild, sun-drenched and surprisingly polished. The result of a collaboration between big names in the Italian wine world, including legends such as Sebastiano Rosa and Giacomo Tachis, this red wine combines the best of Mediterranean vigour and French grape variety expertise. Carignano sets the tone, flanked by Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – all grown on the dry, mineral soils of the Sulcis, in the hot south-west of the island. The grapes are harvested by parcel, fermented separately and matured in small French barriques. The result is a dense but finely structured red wine with Sardinian character and international finesse.

Tolaini is reorganising its Chianti Classico line with the 2024 vintage: The previous Vallenuova Annata will be promoted to Riserva, to be replaced by this entry into the house – named after the winery itself. The grapes come from the vineyards around the estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost corner of Chianti Classico, where silty-clayey soils with limestone and stones characterise the Sangiovese.

The first alcoholic fermentation of the must takes place in steel vats on the fine lees at a controlled temperature and after a waiting period of at least six months, the wine is bottled. The bottles remain at a constant temperature of 12°C so that the wine can undergo its second fermentation and mature on its own yeasts, which remain at the bottom of the bottle as a light sediment (note: it is not filtered!).

Antonio Bragato, born in Germany but with an absolutely Friulian identity, joined forces 20 years ago with Gianni Maccari, who was Livio Felluga's cellar master for many years and founded his own winery Ronco della Rocca at the beginning of the millennium. An agronomist and Oenologist by training, he is considered one of Friuli's best-trained winegrowing experts. 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 work step characterise the clear style and the reliable quality of the wines that Antonio Bragato creates there together with him.

Mussels in the vineyard? Not uncommon in Valdarno di Sopra. Where today Chardonnay vines take root at the foot of the Pratomagno, millions of years ago there was a lake – the metamorphic soils are criss-crossed with fossilised evidence of that era. The name "Lamelle" honours these grooves in the fossilised shells, which give the wine its unmistakable minerality. After being harvested by hand, the grapes are left to rest overnight at 5°C before being gently pressed. Pure stainless steel vinification at 16°C, two months on the fine lees – that's all it takes to capture the freshness of this terroir.

Pinot Grigio is sometimes mass-produced in northern Italy. Millions of bottles, pale style, interchangeable. And then there is the Cantina Terlan, alongside a few other serious winegrowers. At 270 to 350 metres, on the gently sloping porphyry slopes around Terlan, the Ruländer – as its old, more appropriate name – tells a different story. Hand-picked, gentle pressing, slow fermentation in steel, 5–7 months on the fine lees: a vinification that gives the grape variety room to show itself.

Flaminia Maremmana. The name tells of paths that are older than Rome itself. Along an ancient branch of the Via Flaminia, the consular road that connected Rome with the Adriatic Sea from 220 BC, shepherds travelled with their flocks century after century: From the green Umbrian hills down to the Maremma, to the Transumanza, the seasonal transhumance that characterised the life of this landscape until the 20th century. Here, where sheep and shepherds once rested, where history is inscribed in the earth, the vines for this special Montefalco Rosso grow today. First vinified in 2007, it carries the soul of this historic terroir. The cuvée of seventy per cent Sangiovese, fifteen per cent Sagrantino and fifteen per cent Canaiolo thrives on south-east-facing limestone-clay soils.

Erse Etna Rosso has a lively and spicy bouquet of sour cherries, dried roses, cloves and a hint of fresh mint. Round and juicy on the palate, yet pure, with mineral red berries that saturate, while the lively acidity retains a fantastic freshness. A subtle coating of fine tannins and a saline note define the final as it tapers gently and grippingly under a hint of red flowers. Wonderful value. SUPERIORE.DE

An Aglianico from the south of Apulia – unusual in its origin, convincing in its expression. Dark wild berries, black cherry, a little dark chocolate and a hint of tar on the nose, accompanied by spicy nuances and Mediterranean herbs. Structured and powerful on the palate, with firm tannins, well-integrated acidity and a fine mineral vein. The ageing in barriques rounds off the texture without smoothing out the originality. Terra shows how much character Aglianico can also develop outside of its classic homeland: an independent, exciting wine with depth and regional character. SUPERIORE.DE

Pian di Nova embodies a sophisticated blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Sangiovese, which combines the international vigour of the Syrah grape with the lively fruitiness of Tuscan Sangiovese. It represents a new generation of Tuscan red wines that harmoniously balance tradition and innovation. The hand-picked grapes come from organically cultivated vineyards at the foot of Monte Pratomagno, where loamy-sandy soils at an altitude of 200 metres offer optimal drainage. After cooling to 5°C at night, the grape varieties are vinified separately: two days of cold maceration, ten days of controlled fermentation at 25-28°C, followed by a further 20 days of skin maceration. Six months of ageing in Allier oak barriques, one month in steel tanks and a further six months of bottle ageing complete this elegant blend.

Named after the Moar farm of the same name, which can look back on over 600 years of winegrowing tradition, this Classico embodies the soul of the St. Magdalener region. The vines grow on the south-facing slopes above Bolzano between 200 and 300 metres above sea level, where gravelly porphyry soils give the wine its unmistakable character. The classic cuvée of 85% Vernatsch and 15% Lagrein combines the best of two indigenous worlds: the floral lightness of Vernatsch with the structure-giving depth of Lagrein. After traditional fermentation, the wine matures in large oak barrels.

A Zinfandel with an Italian soul: Terra Nera Primitivo comes from organically farmed plots around Manduria, where old vines are rooted in red soil with limestone veins – a terroir that allows Primitivo (internationally: Zinfandel) to develop to its full potential. Rich purple in the glass with a garnet-red centre. The bouquet is dark, dense and multi-layered: blackcurrant, dried figs, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, clove and a hint of graphite. Full-bodied on the palate, but not overloaded, with ripe fruit, balanced acidity and finely polished tannins. The use of wood remains discreet, the structure firm and the finish remarkably clear. An expressive, organically produced Primitivo from 60 to 70-year-old vines that skilfully combines power and precision! SUPERIORE.DE

Next to the Villa della Torre in Fumane, this elegant testimony to the Italian Renaissance, lies a vineyard that awoke from its slumber in 1960. Giovanni Allegrini recognised the potential of the neglected terrain and began to recultivate it. In 1978, it became a wine in its own right and the name became the programme: Palazzo della Torre, a cru that brought Allegrini international fame. Six times in the Wine Spectator Top 100, the secret? In 1990, Franco Allegrini introduced an innovation that changed Valpolicella: double fermentation. Some of the grapes, Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese, undergo a short appassimento. The freshly fermented wine is then added to this dried marc, where a second fermentation begins. More elegant than Ripasso, more complex than classic Valpolicella.

A circular forest sits enthroned on the highest point of the vineyard, and inside it rests an Etruscan tomb – over 2,500 years old. Al Passo, "at the passage", is what they call this place, from where the view extends as far as the Torre del Mangia in Siena. Here, where past and present meet, the estate's most popular cuvée is created: equal parts Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the silty-clayey limestone soils of Castelnuovo Berardenga. Double selection, 20 days on the skins, then 14 months in French oak – six of which on the fine lees, which gives the wine its silky texture.

A photo from 1955 adorns the bottle: Elliott Erwitt's "California Kiss", two lovers in the mirror of a car. When Trudie Styler tasted the first sip of this Vermentino, she spontaneously found the name – "like a kiss on the lips". The fact that the wine was released in March 2021, when the world was hungry for closeness, lends it additional poetry. Incidentally, it is the first white wine that Riccardo Cotarella vinified for Il Palagio – a tribute to Trudie's love of elegant Bianchi. The hand-picked Vermentino grapes ferment at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, and a short maturation period preserves the vibrant freshness.

While the Magred thrives in the Mediterranean south of South Tyrol, the Gennen lies at the opposite end of the winery – in Nals, north of Bolzano, at 330 to 400 metres above sea level. A different world, a different character. No Ora wind, no Mediterranean flair. Instead: a continental climate, warm days, cool nights and a soil that has been washed. Literally. The subsoil is a 150 metre deep cone of debris from the Sirmian and Nals streams – 80% limestone gravel, 20% porphyry gravel, orientated east-southeast. This soil gives the Sauvignon Blanc its tension: striking minerality, salty flavour, aromatic precision. Cellar master Harald Schraffl ferments the clarified must for around three weeks in cool steel tanks and then matures the young wine for seven months on the fine lees – pure, without the influence of wood, focussing on freshness and structure.

The Barbera vines for Sentieri are over 30 years old and grow at an altitude of around 300 metres on predominantly calcareous soils in the natural amphitheatre of Monleale. It is the complete opposite of an opulent, dense style. Sentieri has a wonderful Italian freshness and is 100% focussed on the primary fruit of the Barbera grape. It presents plenty of race and a personality that is elegantly restrained and very balanced. For us, this is Barbera in its purest form and here Walter Massa impressively proves that he is not only capable of top performance with the white Timorasso. And once again we are more than impressed by the excellent value of his wines. SUPERIORE.DE

The Barbera vines for this wine are rooted in plots around Novello, partly in the renowned Ravera zone, on calcareous and clayey marl soils with good water retention. Deep ruby red in colour with a violet rim. The bouquet opens with ripe cherry, plum and blackcurrant, underpinned by violets, delicate herbal spice and a hint of liquorice. Full-bodied and harmonious on the palate, carried by juicy fruit and lively acidity that counteracts the warmth of the vintage with freshness. The tannins are soft but present and give the wine contour. Ageing for 12 months in large, used wooden barrels and a short period of maturation in the bottle round off the profile: a beautiful Barbera with a balance between fruitiness and elegance that is a true reflection of its origins. Outstanding value. SUPERIORE.DE

Michele Satta came to Castagneto Carducci in 1974 – by chance, as he says himself. He stayed forever. Since the first Vendemmia in 1983, his story has grown in parallel with the history of Bolgheri, vintage after vintage, vineyard after vineyard. Miché is his most personal chapter: named after himself, made from grapes that were once simply thinned out. Satta has kept them – and distilled them into a wine that is unrivalled in Tuscany. 100% Sangiovese, Metodo Ancestrale. No second fermentation according to the recipe, no filtration, no dosage – the yeast remains, the perlage develops naturally in the bottle. Pet-Nat in Tuscan, if you like ...

A Sangiovese cru that demonstrates the philosophy of single-vineyard viticulture to perfection. Sergio Zingarelli and his team recognised early on the extraordinary potential of the clay-dominated soils of Sant'Alfonso – plots with minimal skeleton content, which create the ideal conditions for concentrated, aromatically complex wines. Sangiovese clones were specifically cultivated here, which harmonise with the clay-rich structures and develop the highest phenol concentrations.

The Rivetti family, who have long since achieved fame with La Spinetta in Piedmont, found their Tuscan terroir for Vermentino in Terricciola. Sandy soils of marine origin, interspersed with oceanic sediments, characterise this white wine with its unmistakable minerality and salty freshness. The vines grow at an altitude of 250 metres on a south-easterly exposure and are cultivated organically. After manual harvesting, the must ferments spontaneously with natural yeasts, after which the wine rests for three to four months on the fine lees in stainless steel.

Ten days before the main harvest for Redigaffi and Giusto di Notri, the pre-harvest begins at Tua Rita – a selection in the younger vineyards, whose grapes should not achieve the extreme concentration of the great crus, but rather freshness and accessibility. This conscious decision gives rise to the Rosso dei Notri, the house's calling card since 2000. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon form the foundation in equal parts, while Syrah and Cabernet Franc add spice and structure. The vineyards are located on the metalliferous hills near Suvereto, where loamy soils with a high proportion of skeleton give the wines the mineral precision that characterises Tua Rita. Vinification in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature, ageing in cement – no wood flavour should mask the clear fruit.