0.75 liter

Steep cliffs, gentle slopes of calcareous clay soil, the rough blue of the Adriatic Sea just above the vines ... welcome to the Conero, one of the most renowned terroirs in the Marche region! From the heart of this landscape comes Cùmaro, a passionately cultivated, richly structured Montepulciano that Umani Ronchi has been vinifying as a Riserva since the mid-1980s. In the glass, it presents a dark ruby colour with a purple hue. The bouquet is intense and multi-layered: ripe plum, blackcurrant and cassis intertwine with notes of black pepper, vanilla and fine tobacco – all in a powerful, spicy frame. The palate is characterised by dense concentration while remaining warm and enveloping. Smooth, integrated tannins carry the broodingfruit flavour, which glides into a long, elegant finish – with hints of chocolate and spicy dryness.

Delicate, elegant Nerello Mascalese with fine aromas of red fruits and raspberries, enveloped in a pleasant citrus freshness. As the wine progresses, it develops a smoky note associated with the strong lava rock component that characterises the volcanic soil of Etna. Lively, harmonious and full of flavour on the palate – a resolutely versatile wine that goes perfectly with a variety of fish dishes, shellfish and white meat. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, rich ruby colour. Impressive nose of ripe berries, ripe cherries and delicate graphite nuances. Aromatic and extremely flavoursome on the palate, with a spicy, animating arc. Fine tannins. Well-balanced with a gentle structure that frames the palate until the lively finish. A true Tuscan insider tip with a great value. SUPERIORE.DE

Riesling needs altitude. Not always, but in South Tyrol it does – and the Pitzon gets it: 500 to 750 metres above Nals, on the right bank of the Adige, where the temperatures drop noticeably at night and the vine is allowed to retain its acidity. This is also where the decisive tension of this wine lies: Mediterranean warmth during the day, Alpine freshness at night. The Riesling captures both. The soils of porphyry and limestone – volcanic primary rock meets marine limestone – give the wine its mineral undertone. East-south-east orientation, hand-picked, three weeks of fermentation at cool temperatures in steel tanks, seven months of maturation on the fine lees. Cellar master Schraffl keeps a low profile – the wine itself says what it has to say.

Prosecco del Fondatore Graziano Merotto is the winery's flagship wine – certainly one of the best of its denomination – and a very dry and complex brut from the special slopes of the Rive di Col San Martino. Bright silver-grey with a persistent perlage. Light fruit and flowers on the nose, a fine citrus note on the palate introduces the finesse-rich, exciting mineral flavour with an impressive finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The label of the Vinnae, made from 100% Ribolla Gialla, features the two-headed eagle that already adorned Anton's great-grandfather's bottles: a symbol of Austro-Hungarian origin and a greeting from the winery. Bright, clear straw yellow colour. Elderflower, sliced apples, white apricots and waxed lemons on the nose. Fascinating wine with a fine, dense bouquet. Structured, brooding and with an engaging minerality on the long, dry final. SUPERIORE.DE

While the Dolcetto is the uncomplicated everyday companion, the Barbera d'Alba from Elio Altare shows a different facet: fuller-bodied, warmer and with more structure. The 10 to 30-year-old vines are rooted in calcareous sandy soils in La Morra, mainly in eastern and north-eastern locations. The grapes macerate for three to four days in rotary fermenters at a controlled temperature, followed by a five-month maturation period in used French barriques – subtle enough not to overpower the fruit, present enough for complexity.

Michele Satta's Bolgheri Rosso is far more than just his bestseller – it is the authentic calling card of a non-conformist who was one of the first in Bolgheri to have the courage to marry international grape varieties with Tuscan Sangiovese. Satta took this revolutionary step back in 1982, two years before the Bolgheri DOC was founded, creating an archetype of the modern Bolgheri style. The speciality of this wine lies in its unconventional blend: 30% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon form the backbone, complemented by 20% Merlot and 10% each of Syrah and Pinot Noir – here lies Satta's stroke of genius – teroldego. This rare grape variety from Trentino gives the blend a unique freshness and mineral tension that clearly sets it apart from other Bolgheri wines.

Alongside Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt is the second Austrian rarity at Ebnerhof – and is as rare as it is prized in South Tyrol. The cross between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, bred in Austria in 1922, feels amazingly at home in the very sheltered south-east-facing vineyards near Atzwang. On sandy-loamy, calcareous and porphyry soil at an altitude of 500 metres – with a remarkable 55 per cent slope – the Unterthiner family works with consistent yield regulation in Guyot training in order to obtain concentrated grape material. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and then matures in small oak barrels, which gives it structure and depth.

Over 150 years ago, Conte Vistarino was the first Italian winemaker to produce sparkling wines using the classic Champagne method (bottle fermentation on the lees). Cépage is an elegant Metodo Classico made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - a wine that reflects the Vistarino family's French heritage in terms of grape variety, architecture and style. The grapes are harvested by hand, cooled and gently pressed (only 45% yield). The base wine ferments in stainless steel and matures on the fine lees until spring before being bottled for fermentation.

Riserva does not simply mean more time in Gracciano. It means different soil. The Maramai and Podere Rovisci crus provide the grape material for this wine – and Rovisci is the core of the whole: heavy clay content, brooding, water-retaining, with a ripening dynamic that elicits the densest, most concentrated side of the Prugnolo Gentile. Vines, some of which have been planted since 1970. 300 to 350 metres, south to south-east exposure, 30 hectolitres per hectare – consistently limited yields. Only in the best vintages does the della Seta Ferrari Corbelli Greco family decide to bottle a Riserva. 2021 was such a year. Prugnolo Gentile 90%, Merlot 10%. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 20 to 25 days of maceration in steel. Then aged for 24 months: the first twelve in French tonneaux of 3.5 and 5 hectolitres, the second twelve in large Slavonian oak barrels. Subsequent maturation in the bottle for at least six months.

Palazzotto is the name of the two hectares of vineyard where only Cabernet Sauvignon is grown. Fausto Maculan vinifies a fine wine from these grapes. A spicy start in the glass: cedar wood and ground ginger give way to dusty roses and redcurrants. It's elegant yet refined, with creamy textures lifted by vibrant acidity, while a wave of mineral-tinged wild berries lightly wash over the palate. Leaves a tart note of citrus and raspberry and subtle, grippy tannins that frame the wine without slowing its momentum. Although already showing very well now, this beautifully balanced version of Palazzotto should improve even more with medium-term cellaring. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the historic centrepiece of the Planeta estate in Ulmo near Sambuca di Sicilia – a vineyard that was planted back in the mid-1980s. The vines are rooted at an altitude of around 250 metres in loamy-sandy soils with a high lime content, not far from Lake Arancio. Deep ruby red in the glass with a purple rim. The nose opens powerfully and invitingly: black cherry, plum, cassis and blueberry, accompanied by cocoa, tobacco, fresh leather and a subtle herbal spice. On the palate, Sito dell'Ulmo is both full-bodied and elegant: dense, with polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, silky finish. The integration of the wood is finely balanced and the fruit always remains in the foreground. A Sicilian Merlot with format, origin and depth. SUPERIORE.DE

This red classic from Montepulciano already bears its claim in its name: nobile. No other wine in Italy has this adjective written into its specifications – and hardly any other producer has honoured it as consistently in recent decades as Federico Carletti and his Poliziano winery. Founded in 1961 by father Dino, today under Federico's leadership and long since anchored in the next generation – with Francesco and Maria Stella, who have been helping to shape the future since 2019 and 2021. Poliziano has been certified organic since the 2021 harvest – not a marketing decision, but the logical conclusion of decades of work without chemical weedkillers and insecticides. Prugnolo Gentile, the local variety of Sangiovese, grows on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, careful selection in the vineyard and in the cellar, fermentation with indigenous yeasts in conical concrete vats – minimum intervention, maximum expression. Maturation in large barrels and tonneaux: the wood frames, it does not dominate.

Tasting the Riserva from Fattoria del Cerro takes you stylistically to those higher vineyard sites where fossil-rich soils full of pebbles and ancient shell remains lend the Prugnolo Gentile a special mineral depth. The crowning glory of the Montepulciano hierarchy is created from these favoured plots – a wine that requires time and patience to reveal its multi-layered nature. After careful selection, the wine undergoes 18 months of refinement, combining tradition and innovation: Eight months in French barriques and tonneaux, followed by a further twelve to sixteen months in large wooden barrels. This combination creates a character of remarkable elegance and the wood integrates seamlessly without overshadowing the varietal fruit. A final twelve months of maturation in the bottle completes the harmonious development.

The rare Titolo Rosato is not only a feast for the eyes, but also makes a first-class impression with its fresh and spicy bouquet of mandarins, cherries, sage and sweet smoke. On the palate, this freshness is again combined with a taut yet silky texture, followed by tart, lemony notes and a lovely saltiness that provide plenty of excitement and drinking flow. This rosato is anything but banal and ends in an exciting finish with green apple and exotic spices. Put it away for a year, because it is an Aglianico. Very well done! SUPERIORE.DE

Le Redini Rosso consists mainly of Merlot and a small proportion of Alicante. The wine opens with dark intensity and a velvety texture with lots of fresh blackberry, plum, earth and wild rose. Pure red fruit on the palate, very supple, the delicate wood note well integrated. The refined notes of a Merlot from the Conca d'Oro come across wonderfully. SUPERIORE.DE

Enzo Barbi produces just 3,500 bottles of this flavoursome Sauvignon Bianco every year. It rises from the glass with a lovely freshness, while a delicate wave of lemongrass, chalk dust and sweet custard fills the senses. On the palate, it flows with silky texture and ripe, citrus-kissed orchard fruits accompanied by lively acidity. A hint of mint leaves and green peas lingers on the classically dry finish, while L'Inquisitore ends remarkably tangy and with a slight mineral bite. This extremely pretty Sauvignon Bianco from Umbria makes a rather light-footed first impression, but leaves a big impression. SUPERIORE.DE

Maroccoli, around four hundred metres above sea level near Sambuca di Sicilia – where limestone with sandy layers forms the foundation and cool night air from the sea provides finesse, while the days are flooded with Sicilian sunshine. Diego Planeta recognised early on that Syrah on this island could be more than just an international variety: a hymn to the Mediterranean light, dry heat and barren soil that forces the vine to fight. The microfauna here is extremely active, the vines have to conquer their water – and produce grapes of exceptional ripeness and concentration.

A Pinot Grigio with character that can only come from the Collio and neighbouring areas of Friuli. Jermann's 2024 comes from high-altitude plots with poor marl and sandstone soil, which reduces the yield and intensifies the flavour. The vintage was balanced overall, with a mild spring and cool nights in midsummer – ideal conditions for freshness, finesse and varietal typicity.

Dolcetto – is often dismissed as an uncomplicated everyday wine. Not so with Elena and Luca. For them, Dolcetto is the perfect introductory tool for young wine drinkers, their first encounter with the Langhe, so to speak. That's why they vinify it with the same dedication as their Nebbioli: the grapes come from three small vineyards in San Sebastiano (Monforte d'Alba), vines that are on average 40 years old in an area of exceptional biodiversity. Ten days of simple wild yeast fermentation with minimal pumping over, followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation in the spring. Short barrel ageing, bottling in summer – the result is a Dolcetto that combines tradition and modernity.

Il Bacialé – in dialect "matchmaker" – brings together grape varieties that normally rarely meet: Barbera, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The grapes come from selected plots in the heart of Monferrato, whose gentle hills give the vines warmth and depth. After fermentation, the wine matures in wood, which gives it structure, finesse and good ageing potential. A successful liaison that marries tradition and international class in a pleasing way.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the best vineyards around Menfi, selectively harvested and matured for 14 months in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) – burdese has been a Sicilian statement in the style of great Bordeaux wines for many decades. Deep, dark ruby red colour with an almost impenetrable core. Dense aromas of ripe black cherry, blackberry and cassis on the nose, accompanied by cedar wood, mocha, dried herbs and a hint of graphite. Powerful, concentrated and yet surprisingly fresh on the palate: ripe tannins, vitalising acidity and a balanced body carry the dark fruit into a long, spicy final with an elegant hint of wood.