0.75 liter

Santo Stefano Belbo and Calosso, 400 metres above sea level, on the marly soils of the Langhe: here grows the Moscato Bianco from which I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano – the joint project of the Ceretto family and local winegrowers since 1976 – to produce this Asti Spumante. 41 hectares, harvested by hand. A wine that comes from one of the most precise Moscato terroirs in Piedmont. The second fermentation in pressurised tanks gives the wine its lively, finely sparkling mousseux and raises the alcohol content to 7%. Five atmospheres of pressure during bottling: this is complete sparkling wine character that brings the Moscato flavours to the fore.

Delicate on the nose, full-bodied on the palate. La Casa in Collina is Vite Coltes' charming take on Barbaresco. Crafted from traditional grape variety blends sourced from historic terroirs with a gentle southerly aspect, this wine combines nuance with character: Around 20 days of slow fermentation and a year in large oak casks create a balance that allows for depth without sacrificing elegance. In the glass, a rich ruby red that deepens to a delicate garnet at the rim. The nose opens with a refined profile: ripe plum, red wild berries and violets, underpinned by ground coffee, tobacco leaf and a hint of delicate woody spices – subtly intense, yet never overpowering. On the palate, it is lively and carefully structured, with well-integrated tannins, fresh acidity and dense fruit. The significant oak influence is noticeable, yet nuanced. The finish is long, spicy and pleasantly rounded, with a hint of subtle vanilla and juicy cherry.

Demesse Vecchie is named after the village where Olivini has its family seat. The historic part of the vineyard was home to a nunnery in the late 17th century. The addition "vecchie" promises that the grapes for this very complex Lugana come from the estate's oldest vines, some of which are over 50 years old. They are also harvested late and carefully selected, after which they are matured on the fine lees for several months.

Swiss precision meets Tuscan passion: since 1990, Monika and Thomas Baer-Bettschart have been realising their dream at the Antico Podere Gagliole in Castellina in Chianti. Rubiolo is the certified organic tribute to over three decades of winegrowing in one of Tuscany's most beautiful terroirs. Made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes sourced from both the historic terraces around Castellina and the famous Conca d'Oro in Panzano, this wine embodies the synthesis of two exceptional vineyards.

Kirchegg – the corner by the church. Field names like this are as old in South Tyrol as the vineyards themselves: precise descriptions of the land before there were maps, before there were appellations, before anyone had the idea of marketing vineyards. This patch of earth near Tramin – in the heart of the South Tyrolean Wine Route – is one of the warmest sites in the Adige Valley: naturally good for grape varieties that need warmth, structure and ripeness. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon on heavy clay soils: Merlot brings the warm, dark fruit and the fullness, Cabernet the structure, the tannic persistence and the slightly vegetal tone that gives the wine its unmistakable character. After the harvest, a short maceration followed by 10 days of fermentation with the skins permanently submerged, with a deliberate increase in temperature towards the end for maximum extraction of colour and aromas. International in the origin of the grape varieties – pure South Tyrol in the result.

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.

Here the name becomes the programme: Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg gave this wine its title because it tastes like Manincor itself. The essence of the hills that surround the estate, the view over Lake Kaltern, the strength and warmth of the warmest vineyards in South Tyrol – all come together in this glass. Grapes from Manincor and Panholzerhof, both at 250 metres, south-eastern slopes with sandy clay soils full of limestone gravel and glacial deposits.

Blangè comes from carefully cultivated Arneis parcels in the Langhe, which benefit from calcareous soils and optimal altitude. Since its introduction in the 1980s, it has been regarded as a modern classic, bringing new fame to the once almost forgotten Arneis grape variety. A characterful, aromatically clear white wine with a Piedmontese identity and contemporary style. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. On the nose, a fine, clear aroma of pear, white peach, citrus and a hint of exotic fruit, underpinned by floral notes and a delicate almond flavour. Fresh and balanced on the palate, with juicy fruit, fine acidity and a hint of salty minerality. SUPERIORE.DE

With the Brolettino, Ca’ dei Frati showcases the powerful, mature side of Lugana. The Turbiana grapes come from older vines, whose deep-reaching roots lend the fruit exceptional concentration. After fermentation, the wine matures for several months in barriques, which lends it additional structure and depth. In the glass, it is a bright straw yellow with golden highlights. On the nose, ripe yellow fruits, pineapple, apricot and candied lemon, accompanied by subtle notes of vanilla and almond. On the palate, it is creamy and full-bodied, with elegant oaky notes, subtle minerality and harmoniously integrated acidity. The finish is long, smooth and characterised by a delicate creaminess. A very distinguished Lugana, combining richness and elegance, which is superb both when young and after a few years’ bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

"Fruits that bear abundantly" … that is the meaning of the name. Sciala conjures up images of golden grapes in the warm light of the Gallura autumn. Here, millennia-old tradition and modern precision come together to create a Vermentino that is regarded as the defining wine (not only) of Surrau. The grapes come from the estate's finest plots: historic soils with a granite subsoil, perfect drainage, a constant breeze, and the grapes are rigorously selected to capture the full potential of all their components. After only a brief period of skin contact, gentle fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by around six months' ageing on the fine lees, resulting in a balanced and distinct style.

62 years after the cooperative was founded in 1962 – this explains the name of this Riserva, which surpasses the Sessantanni in both ageing time and quality. The grapes come from the cooperative's oldest plots, bush vines trained in the Alberello style on the characteristic red clay soils of Salento. Hand-harvesting is followed by extended maceration to ensure maximum extraction. This is followed by 18 months' ageing in small oak barrels – six months longer than for the Sessantanni – followed by further bottle ageing before release.

Since 1141, the Ricasoli family has shaped the history of Chianti Classico – longer than any other winery in Italy. In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli defined the legendary Chianti formula, which remains in force to this day. Rocca Guicciarda was once one of Barone most important feudal estates and today embodies the classic interpretation of this tradition-steeped appellation. The grapes for this Riserva come from vineyards situated on the five most representative soil types of Brolios, at altitudes ranging from 280 to 480 metres: Macigno del Chianti (sandstone), Scaglia Toscana (galestro), Monte Morello (alberese), as well as marine and fluvial deposits, create a complex mosaic of terroirs. 90% Sangiovese forms the backbone, complemented by 5% each of Merlot and Canaiolo. Following controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks with 14 to 16 days' contact with the skins, the wine matures for 21 months in tonneaux and large casks. The result is a Chianti Classico of an intense ruby red colour with subtle garnet hues, whose bouquet combines ripe red fruits, raspberry, pomegranate and delicate spicy notes. On the palate, it displays its traditional character: juicy, with notes of red berries, fresh acidity and silky tannins – a versatile wine to accompany food, offering well-balanced drinkability. SUPERIORE.DE

"Zero Infinito" stands for zero chemical intervention and infinity. Years of research and experimentation have led to this extraordinary project, in which grapes from the fungus-resistant Solaris variety are transformed into wine without any additives: no treatment in the vineyard, no use of sulphur dioxide, no commercial yeasts, no fining agents, no filtration and no antioxidants. The grapes for this sparkling wine made using the Méthode Ancestrale (Pet Nat) with lees come from the south-west facing Maso Rella vineyard, situated at an altitude of 800 to 900 metres.

Giovanni Neri founded the winery in Montalcino in 1971. What he built and his sons continue to run is one of the most precise houses in the appellation – known for its Brunelli, but also for the high standards that run through all its wines, regardless of the denominazione on the label. The IrRosso is Casanova di Neri's most accessible wine – a Toscana IGT that applies the house's craft to younger vines. Sangiovese from the Fiesole vineyard, right next to the estate, complemented by a small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from the southern Montalcino parcels. Hand-picked, hand-selected and optically sorted, spontaneous fermentation in open conical steel tanks, 13 days of maceration with regular pumping over.

In Montepulciano, they have called it that for centuries – the "noble plum". Prugnolo Gentile, an old Sangiovese biotype that does not develop this finesse anywhere else. When the Rivetti family came to Tuscany from Piedmont, they recognised immediately that this grape variety deserves to be called a pure variety. Thirty-year-old vines are rooted at an altitude of 250 metres in sandy soils whose marine sediments tell of the former ocean. What ends up in the glass surprises even connoisseurs: the tannin structure is reminiscent of Nebbiolo – a bridge between the two worlds of the Rivettis. 24 months in French oak give the wine time to explore this relationship. Plum and violets on the nose, then that silky delicacy on the palate that explains the name. Not a loud wine, but one that whispers – and therefore makes itself heard. Only 6,000 bottles, each one a document of Tuscan vineyard history. SUPERIORE.DE

Some wines have a history. This one has a founding history. The Terlaner Cuvée (formerly Classico) was already there in 1893, when 24 winegrowers founded a cooperative in the small village of Terlan – with the conviction that more is possible together than alone. Over 130 years later, this idea remains unchanged, as does the wine. 60 per cent Pinot Bianco, 30 per cent Chardonnay, 10 per cent Sauvignon Blanc – the three great white Terlans in an assemblage that cellar master Rudi Kofler describes as compositional logic: Pinot Bianco provides freshness and acid structure, Chardonnay the ripe warmth and fullness, Sauvignon Blanc the fine aromatic play. Not a product of chance, but a wine with architecture. The grapes grow at 280 to 700 metres above sea level, on the characteristic quartz porphyry of Terlan – volcanic primary rock, which gives the wines their salty minerality and exceptional longevity.

Cortona is only thirty kilometres from Montepulciano – and yet it is a different world. Here, on the high plateau with its dense Pliocene clays and iron oxide soils, around 300 metres above sea level, Merlot grows as if it had never been at home anywhere else. Federico Carletti recognised the potential early on – and In Violas was created in 2006. This was catalysed by his friendship with the Aliotti Tommasi family, owners of the same land. A Merlot that Carletti himself calls "con un'anima toscana". With a Tuscan soul. 100% Merlot, certified organic, 5,600 vines per hectare. Hand-picked, careful selection in the vineyard and in the cellar, fermentation and maceration in conical vats for 18 to 22 days, ageing in large oak barrels.

Gewürztraminer does not bear its name for nothing – it is one of the autochthonous South Tyrolean grape varieties and finds ideal conditions at the Ebnerhof on calcareous, loamy sandy soils. The vines thrive on the eastern slopes at an altitude of 500 to 550 metres, where Mediterranean influences from the Bolzano basin meet Alpine freshness. After gentle pressing, the Unterthiner family gives the wine six months to mature on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks.

Nizza is a small municipality in Monferrato that has given Barbera its highest level. Only elevated to an independent DOCG in 2019, Nizza epitomises what Barbera can achieve when the terroir and craftsmanship are right: Depth, structure, length. Soils with fine veins of lime and sand, which inscribe the flavour and freshness of the variety into the fruit. Prunotto vinifies the Bansella with six days of maceration at 28°C, completing the malolactic before winter – followed by twelve months in second and third passage barriques. Wood as a silent reserve, not as a commentary.

This classic red wine is grown on marl and clay-rich soils on the high, steep hills near Taurasi, not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The soils are rich in minerals and salts, lending the Aglianico grape a wonderful depth and minerality.

Cladrecis is an elegant interpretation of Chardonnay from the far north-east of Italy – full of character, harmonious and impressively balanced. The grapes come from a small plot in the hamlet of the same name in the municipality of Prepotto, whose limestone-rich soils and cool microclimate provide ideal conditions for the finesse typical of this grape variety. Ageing in wooden barrels and on the fine lees lends the wine a subtle creaminess, delicate toasted notes and a hint of vanilla, without masking its freshness.

Sessantanni – sixty years. The age of the gnarled bush vines that take root in the iron-rich terra rossa soils of San Marzano and Sava, trained using the traditional Alberello method. This training method, in which the vines grow low to the ground without wire trellises, is labour-intensive, but protects the grapes from the scorching Apulian sun and naturally limits yields – to around 3,000 kilograms per hectare. With the Sessantanni, Cantine San Marzano has created a label that has significantly shaped the international perception of Apulian wines. The fully ripe grapes are harvested by hand at the end of September. 80% of the must is macerated for 18 days, whilst the remaining 20% is macerated for 25 days to ensure maximum extraction. Vinification takes place using indigenous yeasts, followed by twelve months' ageing in French and American oak barrels.

A volcanic masterpiece from Sicily’s latest wine revolution: since 2023, Etna winemakers have been permitted for the first time to indicate their specific Contrada on the label – a historic innovation that pays tribute to the region’s centuries-old understanding of terroir. Planeta’s flagship wine from the Contrada Feudo di Mezzo embodies this new era with impressive clarity. The Planeta family, Sicilian wine pioneers since 1694, reached the northern slopes of Etna in 2008 and immediately recognised the extraordinary potential of the volcanic soils. In Feudo di Mezzo, situated at an altitude of 610 metres, wines of unique expressiveness are produced on black lava sands and mineral-rich sediments. The winery was built in 2012 on a lava flow dating from 1566. A symbol of the connection between modern winemaking and geological history.