Formats

I Pianali Rosato is like a pink linen cloth blowing in the wind over the Mediterranean coast. Made from 90% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Pianali vineyards, where the breeze of the Tyrrhenian Sea sweeps over the mineral-rich soils of the former silver mines. Gentle pressing, fermentation at low temperatures in thermo-controlled steel tanks for 15 days, followed by two months of maturation on the fine lees.

The little cherry. The name reveals its personality: this autochthonous Maremma variety openly bears its flavour in its name, and it means business. Ciliegiolo was at home in Maremma for a long time, but then fell out of fashion because Cabernet and Sangiovese virtually monopolised the region's attention. Now it is returning – and Belguardo is one of the first houses to take it seriously again. The vineyards are situated at 100 metres, west-facing, on sandy Arenaria soils with a fine pebble content. The western exposure gives the wine a freshness and lightness that cannot be taken for granted in the Maremma. Francesco Mazzei describes it as "exceptionally lively and fresh – and surprisingly deep at the same time."

Gioia del Colle is not the Primitivo that the world thinks it knows. The Apulian Murgia plateau lies at an altitude of 380 to 400 metres – higher, cooler and windier than Salento, with stony, loamy soils, marked temperature fluctuations and a finesse in the Primitivo that would never emerge from the heat of the south. The DOC is regarded as one of Apulia’s most exciting premium regions and has attracted the attention of the international wine world in recent years. Amidst dry stone walls, cherry trees and limestone cliffs, Leone de Castris works here under the name ‘Masseria Donna Coletta’ – a project that is reinventing the centuries-old family without forgetting its roots.

The name says it all: Meczan is the local dialect form of Mazzon – the high plateau to the east of the Adige Valley, at an altitude of 350 to 460 metres, with north-facing slopes and soils of limestone gravel and clay. What Paolo Foradori began to prove in the 1960s and Martin Foradori Hofstätter continues to develop today is now undisputed: Mazzon is Italy's most important location for Pinot Nero. The Meczan is the entry into this world. Some of the grapes are fermented without destemming to give the Pinot more structure and aromatic depth. Ten days on the skins, vinified exclusively in stainless steel.

This great Barbera d'Alba was actually created to harmonise everyday life and expression – and it is also a tribute to Giovanni's great-grand aunt – nuanced, clear and warm-hearted. In the glass, it shines in an intense ruby red colour. The nose is caressed by ripe sour cherry, raspberry and a delicate scent of violets, complemented by a hint of orange peel, roasted hazelnut and sweet spice notes – a scented motorway into the seductive world of the Barbera grape. A juicy, lively fruit structure unfolds on the palate, supported by fresh, harmonious acidity and softly integrated tannins. The ageing in stainless steel emphasises freshness and varietal purity. The finish is clear, with a fine citrus note and floral elegance. A high-quality everyday wine with character and finesse from a great house. SUPERIORE.DE

Strong yellow colour, elegant and fragrant bouquet of exotic fruits, peach, lemon peel, hazelnut and chalk. Medium to full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and bright, penetrating acidity. Polished, long and delicate finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Filippo, Elisa and Elena Fanti live and work in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, the village below the Romanesque abbey of Sant'Antimo, in southern Montalcino, where the family has been rooted for generations. Their Brunello is one of the most reliable addresses in the appellation. Their Rosso is what a Rosso di Montalcino should be: the same care, the same terroir, more accessible in its timing. 15 hectares of Sangiovese, registered for the Rosso, vines between 15 and 20 years old. Hand-picked in September and October, depending on location and exposure. Three sorting tables – grapes and individual berries are selected separately. Temperature-controlled fermentation and mash contact in stainless steel tanks with regular pumping over, malolactic fermentation before ageing in wood. Around 12 months partly in French barriques, partly in medium-sized barrels.

Of the 43 classified Rive sites in the Valdobbiadene area, San Pietro di Barbozza is considered one of the most demanding. The hills of morainic origin, steep, difficult to access, with calcareous soils of loam and clay – they lie in the direct neighbourhood of Cartizze, the appellation's most famous Grand Cru. Not a bad neighbour. The demanding manual harvest is carried out exclusively from the highest, sunniest plots – deliberately selected for concentration and flavour. Only the best grapes from each vintage qualify for the limited Rive bottling. Gentle whole-cluster pressing, fermentation at a controlled temperature, second fermentation using the Charmat method – with a residual sugar content of less than 6 g/l = extra brut.

Some wines are historical records. The "26° Primo" is both – — both a wine and a historical record. The name commemorates the 26th year since the founding of Azienda Agricola Andreola: 2009, when Nazzareno Pola handed the estate over to his son Stefano and, at the same time, the appellation achieved DOCG status. A wine that serves as a baton – between generations, between an ancient winemaking tradition and its modern aspirations. The grapes come from the estate’s oldest core holding: around four hectares of steep slopes in Col San Martino, the village in the southernmost part of the hills between Vidor and Vittorio Veneto, where Andreola has been rooted since its foundation. The vineyards lie at altitudes of 300 to 500 metres – partly on limestone conglomerate soils and partly on limestone-rich marl, interspersed with centuries-old Glera vines and small proportions of indigenous varieties such as Bianchetta, Perera and Verdiso. The slopes are so steep that all work must be carried out by hand. Viticoltura eroica – heroic viticulture – is not just a marketing term here, but a daily reality.

Bertani's Ripasso is a true classic. The grapes come from the hills around Valpantena and from the direct Valpolicella Classico area. The original Ripasso wine would have been an overloaded Valpolicella rather than a mini Amarone, and this example is true to this type and emphasises the fresh and light style of Valpantena, a long, steeply sloping valley with a particularly cool microclimate. Bertani uses the traditional method of production: The young, already fermented Valpolicella wine is blended with the skins that have dried naturally in the meantime, giving it a richer and more concentrated flavour. It then undergoes a second so-called "ripasso" fermentation, which is triggered by the yeasts still present in the skins.

Rosso di Montalcino exists because a count wanted it. When the Marone Cinzano family took over the estate in 1973, almost exclusively Brunello was bottled in Montalcino – the rest went into bulk. Count Alberto saw this "second wine" as more than a by-product and campaigned for the creation of an independent DOC. Rosso di Montalcino has had his name since 1983 – and Col d'Orcia played a decisive role in this. It comes from the south-facing vineyards of the estate at 250 metres, overlooking the Orcia River, which gave the estate its name. Biodynamically cultivated, calcareous soils, Sangiovese Grosso: the classic Montalcino foundation. In the cellar: temperature-controlled fermentation in shallow steel tanks for gentle extraction, then 10 to 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels and cement tanks.

Inspired by Provence, born in Tuscany. When the Rivetti family decided to create a rosé, they chose their Casanova vineyard in Terricciola as the origin – and Sangiovese with Prugnolo Gentile as grape varieties. The latter is a local Sangiovese clone which, in combination with its "big brother", produces a rosato with a surprising character. The grapes come from twenty-year-old vines on sandy soils of marine origin, organically farmed. Destemming is followed by a short maceration of just one hour before the must is gently pressed. Fermentation lasts ten days, after which the wine rests for three months on the fine lees in stainless steel.

Groppello gentile is a grape with tightly packed berries, small seeds and a very thin and fragile skin. It is certainly the best-known red wine grape on the Riviera del Garda and was already cultivated by the Romans in the Valtènesi. Brilliant, deep ruby red colour. Pungent and very clear bouquet of fine spicy notes, with an interesting potpourri of violets, sage, plum, pepper and olive wood. Precise and fine texture on the palate with well-defined, beautifully knitted tannins. The palate remains primarily fruity, balanced and elegant through to the delicate and persistent final. A feminine and well-proportioned red wine with a beautiful terroir character. SUPERIORE.DE

A vintage South Tyrolean sparkling wine of elegant lightness. The Chardonnay grapes grow at an altitude of 450 metres around Buchholz in the South Tyrolean lowlands, where ideal sunshine and perfect aeration guarantee an excellent acid-sugar ratio. After pressing and destemming, fermentation takes place with pure yeasts at a controlled temperature of 19°C in stainless steel tanks. The second fermentation takes place according to the Metodo Charmat in pressurised tanks, where the wine matures on the lees for six to nine months at 14°C, developing aroma and body. After separation from the yeast and cooling, the wine is left to mature in the bottle for a further three months.

A white wine with its own signature: Valcanzjria combines Carricante – the noble grape variety of Etna – with the Mediterranean charm of Chardonnay and Albanello. The grapes grow in Val Canzeria near Chiaramonte Gulfi on calcareous soils at an altitude of around 400 metres. The interplay of altitude, cool nights and loamy substrates ensures freshness, tension and aromatic depth. Pale straw yellow in the glass with a greenish tinge. The aroma is delicate and complex: white flowers, yellow apple, lime zest, a hint of almonds and fine herbs. On the palate, Valcanzjria is straightforward, dry and precise – with lively acidity, salty minerality and a subtle creaminess that comes from ageing on fine lees in stainless steel. A balanced, modern white wine with a regional profile and invigorating freshness. SUPERIORE.DE

Irpinia is not Campania in the tourist sense – no sea, no Vesuvius, no Amalfi Coast. It is the inland area behind Avellino, a world of Apennine hills, chestnut forests and tranquillity, where viticulture has been deeply rooted since ancient times. Columella and Pliny already mentioned Fiano – as "Vitis Apicia" because of its ability to attract swarms of bees to the vineyards. Feudi di San Gregorio has been committed to this tradition in Sorbo Serpico since 1986. Pietracalda is their most precise expression of Fiano: a single vineyard of ten hectares, nestled between chestnut woods and old fruit trees at an altitude of 400 to 600 metres – a terroir that provides Fiano with freshness. Hand-picked, fermented in temperature-controlled steel, then aged sur lie for twelve months – longer than the normal Fiano, and it is precisely this difference that characterises the Riserva: more texture, more depth, more substance.

In 1850, Count Augusto Giorgi di Vistarino travelled through Burgundy. He recognised what he saw: those chalky, clayey soils, those temperature fluctuations, that stillness between the hills – the same promise, just three hundred kilometres further east, south of Pavia. He brought the first Pinot Nero grape seedlings directly from France and planted them in Rocca de' Giorgi. An act of conviction that changed Oltrepò Pavese forever. Today, the Vistarino family is the fifth generation to carry on this legacy – ottavia Giorgi di Vistarino replanted with Burgundian clones, selecting for low yields and aromatic depth. The Costa del Nero is Pinot Nero from a single, dedicated ridge. Hand-picked into 20-kilogram boxes, cold storage overnight, 48 hours of cold maceration at 10°C – all designed for freshness and flavour. Fermentation in steel, partial ageing in wood: subtle, structural.

One of southern Italy’s most distinctive white wines comes from the high-altitude vineyards around Tufo – in the Cutizzi Riserva version, the Greco di Tufo reveals itself as particularly elegant and brooding. The mineral-rich volcanic soils, the cool nights at an altitude of 500 to 600 metres above sea level and the selective harvest shape the distinctive profile of this exceptional white wine. In the glass, it is a pale golden-yellow with silvery highlights. The bouquet reveals a dense yet focused array of aromas: ripe yellow citrus, nectarine, green fennel and a hint of wet chalk. On the palate, it is crisp and well-structured, with a salty freshness and a creamy texture imparted by ageing on the fine lees. The finish features a subtle almond note and a delicate, almost austere mineral edge.

The Cotarellas dedicate a second Verdeluce to the "green heart of Italy": pure Vermentino from the hills around Montecchio near Orvieto. While the Bianco blend emphasises complexity and depth, the Vermentino plays the card of freshness and immediacy. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. The nose is clean and delicate: camomile, kumquat, yellow peach, a hint of Mediterranean herbs. Slender and light-footed on the palate, with lively acidity and that salty undertone that characterises good Vermentino. Uncomplicated in the best sense of the word – a wine for an aperitif, for seafood, for summer evenings. SUPERIORE.DE

Grandiose Cannonau with a clear will: Sincaru ("serious") has a beautiful dialectic in its name and the sunny elegance of the Gallura terraces in the glass. 100% Cannonau from sun-drenched vineyards near Arzachena, on calcareous-sandy granite soil, clear mineral depth. The sea breeze with its cool nights ensures lively freshness and varietal typicity.

Clean and refined white wine (Riesling & Durella) from volcanic soils with aromas of ripe yellow grapefruit, melon and a hint of wet straw. Medium-bodied with a silky texture that becomes slightly phenolic towards the end. A note of bitter lemon on the finish is exciting. Lots of crisp flavour, good freshness and length. SUPERIORE.DE