Formats

In 1981, Gianni Masciarelli founded his winery in San Martino sulla Marrucina. Today, his daughter Miriam Lee Masciarelli continues the vinification and ageing of the flagship wine with passion and expertise – a continuity that lends this wine its special dignity. The estate itself describes this Montepulciano as majestic: an original, never predictable interpretation of Abruzzo's great indigenous grape variety, born of continuous research and a spirit of experimentation, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and from a long study of Abruzzo's viticultural techniques and terroir. This wine has played a key role in rightfully establishing Montepulciano on the world map of viticulture.

The Valmaggiore site, gently sloping and rich in light-coloured, sandy soil, was already noted in old 19th century maps as being particularly suitable for Nebbiolo. Its exposure allows for optimal ripening without losing the fine, almost dance-like style that makes this wine so unmistakable. A Valmaggiore that is already inspiring today with its animating style and at the same time will richly reward patience and bottle ageing.

Terlan is a small village south of Bolzano – and one of Italy's most exceptional white wine-growing regions. The combination of porphyry rock, calcareous subsoil, marked temperature fluctuations between day and night, and the Alps, which shield the valley from cold Atlantic winds, results in a terroir that gives white wines a longevity unrivalled anywhere else in the world. Founded in 1893, the Cantina Terlan has brought this potential to life like no other in the region.

Elena Fucci is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the winery in 2025 with this rare special edition Titolo from the 2021 vintage. 2021 was the last harvest that her grandfather was able to experience before his death. The grapes come from a vineyard plot that is over 80 years old. Unlike the famous Titolo Classico, it was refined for 24 months in a conical oak barrel and then matured for a further 12 months in the bottle.

Sciaranuova lies at an altitude of just under 850 metres on the northern slope of Mount Etna, one of the coolest and at the same time most fascinating vineyards in the region. The site is characterised by young, porous lava flows that force the roots deep down and at the same time ensure extreme drainage. In the coolness of this altitude, the Nerello Mascalese ripens more slowly, with fine phenolic maturity and a distinctive acid structure. Vinification follows the familiar principle: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration, ageing in large used barrels.

Grotte Alte is more than just a wine, it is a very serene and precise tribute to its homeland. Arianna Occhipinti names it after the white limestone caves above Vittoria, where her oldest vineyards are situated: broodingred soils over limestone, permeated by Mediterranean herbs and the wind. It is here that the grapes from which she crafts her most personal wine are grown – a Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico that impressively expresses the identity of this landscape. The cuvée, made from Frappato di Vittoria and Nero d'Avola, is vinified separately. Following spontaneous fermentation with long maceration periods, both batches mature for around 48 months in large oak casks before being blended and bottled. No fining, no filtration – just time, patience and respect for the terroir.

In Bolgheri, less than four kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, lies that "El Dorado" of Italian viticulture which the legendary Oenologist André Tchelistcheff once visionarily recognised. Here, on the volcanic soils between an ancient cypress-lined avenue and the Tuscan coast, Le Volte emerges as the approachable calling card of a winery whose name is synonymous worldwide with uncompromising quality. The cuvée, comprising 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, is vinified separately by grape variety in small stainless-steel tanks to preserve the individual characteristics of each. Following malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for ten months, partly in used Ornellaia barriques and partly in concrete tanks – a deliberate balance between structure and fruit expression.

700 bottles. That is the entire production of this Vin Santo – from the Vigneto delle Valli at 420 metres, 5,000 vines per hectare, 1.5 kilograms of grapes per vine. Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca, half each, harvested by hand in the first days of September 2018 and then transferred to the appassimento. The grapes were left to dry for four months in the ventilated appassitoio – four months in which the water drained away, the sugar concentrated and the flavour intensified. Then manual pressing with a mechanical hand press. What remains finds its way into 100-litre chestnut Liters– sealed with the winery's mother yeast, which is passed on from vintage to vintage. There the must rests, ferments slowly and matures for five years. Five years in which wood, yeast and time do their part.

"Sciara nuova" – new lava. The name reveals the special nature of this contrada at an altitude of 850 metres: the vines are rooted in a geologically young lava flow from the 17th century, which has turned into coarse, dense gravel. This tiny site in the village of Randazzo, known for its excellent vineyards and pistachio groves, covers just one hectare. Around 2,000 bottles are produced here every year, and the result is one of the most complex and fascinating wines in the Passopisciaro portfolio. Fermented in steel tanks, matured for 18 months in large neutral oak barrels – the minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak unadulterated.

A wine that breathes history and yet floats lightly through the modern style: Sito Moresco bears his name in memory of the former family that owned the legendary cru near Barbaresco. For Angelo Gaja, this wine – first vinified in 1991 – marked the entry into a new class: an everyday Langhe, elegantly balanced between regionality and internationality. Since the 2020 edition, the cuvée has consisted exclusively of Nebbiolo and Barbera from selected parcels in Barbaresco and Barolo. Here, the delicate structure and mineral depth of Nebbiolo are combined with the rounder fruit and accessibility of Barbera – without ever appearing too harmonious, but rather complementary and sharpened. Sito Moresco is a modern classic, clear in character, elegant in style, and a Gaja reference in which authenticity and readability merge wonderfully.

Just outside Lamole, at an altitude of 650 metres, lies an old terraced vineyard. Cool breezes keep the vines cool, significant temperature fluctuations throughout the day help maintain the acidity, and the grapes are harvested late to allow the Sangiovese to reach full ripeness. The wine bears its winemaker's nickname, which reveals a sense of humour: Sean O'Callaghan calls the estate a "one-eyed rascal". Like its namesake, it goes its own way and is said to stand out from the more classic Chianti styles with its fruity character. The berries are gently crushed by foot, with 30% remaining as whole bunches; everything ferments spontaneously in concrete tanks. Skin contact lasts for at least four months, after which the wine rests for a full year in concrete, with as little sulphur as possible.

Guardiola is the heart of the estate – this is where the winery is located and Franchetti's own plot of land. An old domain between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level, on the edge of the lava flow from the devastating 1947 eruption. The Nerello vines, which are over 100 years old, are deeply rooted in this mineral-rich soil, which was characterised by the most recent major eruption. Guardiola has only been vinified separately since 2011 – a careful selection of the oldest vines, which produce a deep, complex wine with a rich red fruit flavour. Fermented in steel tanks, 18 months in large neutral oak barrels: The minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak for itself.

Pomegranates and vines both originate from the same Mediterranean region and often grow side by side, so the name is fitting for a Teroldego of exceptional depth. Its home is the Campo Rotaliano, a 400-hectare triangle where the Noce flows into the Adige, surrounded by rock faces that reflect the sun's heat. The soil is flat and barren, allowing water to drain away quickly. In 1984, Elisabetta Foradori ventured to produce her first vintage; the estate had been in the family since 1939, and today her children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha work alongside her. The estate has been using biodynamic preparations since 2002 and has been Demeter-certified since 2009. Granato is grown on four hectares, spread across three plots with old pergola vines growing on gravel and stones. It ferments in large open vats and matures for 15 months in tonneaux. At the estate, the 2023 harvest runs from 26 August to 2 October.

There are wines that seek their time. And there are wines to which time confides its secrets. Historical Vecchie Vigne is one of those rare gems that only reveal their true colours after more than five years of ageing – a tribute by the Bernetti family to Verdicchio and at the same time a radical statement: that even non-aromatic white grape varieties can be among the very best if they are given the time they deserve. In Montecarotto, where the hills of the Verdicchio Classico find their noblest expression, there is a small plot at 310 metres above sea level, isolated in the middle of the historic Vecchie Vigne. Vines over fifty years old are rooted here in brooding, fresh, loamy soils that provide Verdicchio with the minerality and substance that only old vines can give. Eastern exposure, perfect balance between growth and yield – these vines were planted in the early seventies and today produce grapes of a concentration and ripeness that are harvested by hand at the end of September, beginning of October, berry by berry intact.

Neris Edel-Rosso was born with the purchase of a very special vineyard. True to the winery's philosophy of only producing wines from the best terroirs around Montalcino, the small 7-hectare plot with over 45-year-old vines was acquired in 2018. This was preceded by over 40 years of friendship with the previous owners, with whom Giovanni Neri planted the vines and nurtured and cared for them over the past decades. Incidentally, the best grapes from this vineyard have been used for a small quantity of the eponymous Brunello di Montalcino since the 2018 vintage.

At the absolute limit of viticulture on Mount Etna, where the air becomes thin and the vines reach their biological limits, lies Rampante – the highest contrada of Passopisciaro at exactly 1,000 metres above sea level. This is no ordinary vineyard. This is a place where only the hardiest, oldest Nerello Mascalese vines can survive. Vines that now number over a century and claim the longest ripening period of all Etna vineyards every autumn. Andrea Franchetti realised as soon as he arrived in 2000 that Rampante had something special: Here, where the ancient lava has crumbled into fine sand, the most aromatic, airiest of all Passopisciaro wines is produced. The name means "climbing, ascending" - and that is exactly what this wine does: it rises up from volcanic dust, carried by the coolness of the altitude, animated by the clarity of the mountain air.

In 1971, Giovanni Neri bought Podere Casanova, east of Montalcino. He was 48 years old, a grain merchant from Montevarchi, and had just one dream: to produce a great Italian red wine. At that time, the Brunello DOC comprised barely thirty producers; the area was rugged and undeveloped. Giovanni Neri saw what others had not yet seen. He lived long enough to introduce his son Giacomo to the business – but not long enough to see what became of that first Podere. Giacomo and his sons, Gianlorenzo and Giovanni, have seen it. To mark the estate's fiftieth anniversary, they dedicated a wine bearing the founder's name to him.