Formats

In the wide plain around Bolgheri – between the hills of the Alta Maremma and the nearby Tyrrhenian coast – the Vermentino thrives on ideal terrain. The vines benefit from the interplay of sea breeze and warmth, sandy, well-drained soils and careful harvest at optimum ripeness. Guado al Tasso vinifies a precise, clearly contoured white wine with a Mediterranean soul and remarkable tension.

100% Carricante from one of the youngest and most promising cru sites on the northern Etna slope: Contrada Taccione is located around 700 metres above sea level in Castiglione di Sicilia, characterised by volcanic sand, basalt rock and millennia-old ash. It is a landscape in motion, shaped by lava, wind and time. It is precisely this tension between barrenness and energy that Planeta translates here into a wine that seems to be made for quiet tones.

Three vineyards, one wine – the name says it all. From the Ginestra and Bricco San Pietro crus in Monforte d'Alba, Clerico composes its Barbera as an orchestra: Ginestra provides freshness, Mosconi the silky fullness, San Pietro structure and depth. After 10 to 14 days of maceration, the wine matures for 16 months in equal parts barrique and large barrels – a balance that Domenico Clerico himself had initiated before he passed away in 2017. Today, Oscar Arrivabene continues to run the cellar in his spirit.

The Ponca stretches from the north-east of Udine to the south of Istria in Croatia. The part closest to the winery, which formed in the northernmost bays of the lagoon, lies on the current border between Italy and Slovenia. More precisely, it is divided between two countries, three provincial governments and four protected designations of origin from the Collio, the Colli Orientali del Friuli, the Brda and the Vipava. Initially, with the help of a few Slovenian friends and colleagues, they only experimented with Merlot grapes, but now the grapes are vinified in their own cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

Syrah and Petit Verdot form the basis for an exciting cuvée with which the Chia family once again demonstrates its great talent for Tuscan wines. Deep dark garnet red colour. An unexpected cornucopia of dark, smoky fruit on the nose, with spicy herbs, complex and deep. Impressive texture and elegance on the palate, with spicy notes of raspberry, a salty vein and invigorating acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

Tripudium is a single-varietal Nero d'Avola from classic vineyards around Trapani, from broodinglimestone and clay soils with a light sea breeze – a terroir that gives this wine balance, tension and minerality. The name, inspired by an intoxicating celebration, is a reference to the untamed vitality of Nero d'Avola, which presents itself here as a powerful yet highly charming greatness. The summer of 2020 in Sicily was an interesting balancing act between summer heat and evening freshness, with the grapes ripening with clear depth and lively structure.

La Contessa is a South Tyrolean white wine with soul and origin, produced from biodynamically farmed vineyards near Kaltern. Grown on loamy-sandy soils at an altitude of 300-400 metres, the cuvée of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc combines alpine freshness with southern charm. The 2024 vintage was characterised by a cool spring and a balanced ripening phase, which allowed for aromatic clarity and fine structure.

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

The vines for Pinot Grigio Punggl thrive on soils with a high clay content south of Margreid. Bright straw yellow in colour with a brilliant core. Spicy, fruity aromas with notes of nuts, honey and fresh flowers lend it elegance and charm. Full-bodied and mineral flavour with a juicy structure and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

A Nero d'Avola with juice and vigour: Nerojbleo comes from the high altitudes of the Iblei mountains around Chiaramonte Gulfi. The vines are rooted there in calcareous clay soils at an altitude of around 450 metres. The temperate microclimate and careful organic cultivation characterise a wine with structure, freshness and a distinct identity. The wine is matured for around 12 months in used barriques and tonneaux. Dark ruby colour with a purple core in the glass. Black cherry, ripe plum, liquorice and a hint of Mediterranean scrub on the nose. On the palate, the Nerojbleo is juicy and harmonious, with well-integrated acidity, fine-grained tannins and supple fruit. The subtle hint of wood adds depth without masking the varietal character. A multi-layered and complex Nero d'Avola with both power and elegance – ideal with grilled meat, savoury pasta dishes or mature cheese. SUPERIORE.DE

The Counts Bracci left their name and coat of arms to this estate: an armoured arm raising a sword. La Braccesca – the word alludes to braccia, the arm. When the Marchesi Antinori took over the estate in 1990, they brought it into the present without alienating it from its history. The first Vino Nobile from this estate was released in the same year – since then, La Braccesca has been one of the reliable addresses in the appellation. The Nobile di Montepulciano is made from Prugnolo Gentile – the local Sangiovese clone of Montepulciano – complemented by a small proportion of Merlot, which rounds off the wine without dominating it.

Bright garnet red colour. Delicate, dark bouquet of raspberry and violet, with fine notes of rose petals and damp forest soil after further aeration. Full and rich on the palate, good harmony of power and elegance, paired with fresh acidity and length. Good ageing potential. Goes wonderfully with savoury sausage and meat dishes – you simply have to love it! SUPERIORE.DE

Watch out, or even better - don't be afraid of the wolf: Attenti al Lupo is the exciting result of a new project by Podere le Ripi, which is specifically exploring new possibilities in the vineyard and cellar to find solutions to climate change, which is now putting all farmers and winegrowers to the test.

Monte Carbonare comes from red volcanic iron soils with plenty of black basalt in the centre. Six hectares of 60-70 year old vines in cooler sites, which continue to rise to the crème de la crème of the top sites as the climate warms. A richer wine than the younger Classico, but without the same cheeky vitality. While the Classico is an unbeatable everyday wine, the Monte Carbonare is a complex wine that demands food and a little more contemplation. Mirabelle plum, apricot pit, a hint of dried mango and plenty of smoky, sharp mineral grip, with dutiful freshness that brings wonderful length. SUPERIORE.DE

Buchholz – in the Austrian land register of 1858, the name already referred to the valley slopes above Salurn, where terraced vineyards lie on dolomite sedimentary rock between 400 and 800 metres above sea level. Peter Zemmer, whose family has been making wine in Kurtinig an der Weinstraße since 1928, has chosen this heterogeneous location for his Chardonnay: A mosaic of microclimates and soils that combines alpine freshness with southern ripeness. In the morning, the breeze from the north cools, in the afternoon the "Ora" from the south warms: a daily breathing space that gives the grapes time. The vinification remains deliberately restrained: short cold maceration to preserve the fruit, fermentation at 19°C in large wooden barrels.

The grapes come from the family's own plots in the Barolo and Barbaresco zone (including La Morra and Serralunga). Il Nebbio is deliberately vinified as a young, elegant interpretation of Langhe: predominantly Nebbiolo with a small proportion of Pinot Nero (authorised as part of the Langhe DOC). Cool, parcel-by-parcel harvest, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with short maceration, followed by malolactic fermentation and ageing in steel tanks until early bottling – for maximum freshness and finely polished tannins.

Abruzzo is the greenest region in Italy. 36 per cent of the area is protected – three national parks, one regional park and over thirty nature reserves. Valle Reale is located exactly where the Gran Sasso in the north, the Majella in the south and the Sirente-Velino in the north-west meet. Cerasuolo comes from the same vineyards near Popoli and Capestrano that produce the estate's great red wines – demeter-certified, on stony soils with strong drainage, exposed to the cool winds of the mountain passes and pronounced day-night temperature differences. The grapes for the Rosato are harvested earlier than those for the Montepulciano rosso – deliberately to preserve the freshness of the acidity. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar, activated using the pied-de-cuve method: no intervention that is not mandatory.

Owner Leonardo Pinzolo cultivates 52 hectares of biodynamically certified vineyards on his family farms in Popoli and Capestrano. The soils here differ from those in the rest of Abruzzo. Combined with the higher altitude of the vineyards and the proximity to the Gran Sasso mountains, these wines have a decidedly cooler expression than is usually found in Abruzzo. In the winery, fermentations are spontaneous and without temperature control. With the exception of a few single-vineyard wines, most of the wines are matured in stainless steel.

Distilled from the pomace of the legendary Venegazzù della Casa – the Bordeaux blend that has been making history here on the Montello since the 1950s. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec provide the aromatic basis for this classic Grappa Bianca. Distillation is carried out using the traditional discontinuous method in a water bath (bagnomaria), in which small copper stills gently extract the fine flavours of the grape skins – a process that takes time but guarantees elegance.

Fine Sauvignon Blanc from grapes grown on limestone gravel soils in Kurtatsch and loamy sandy soils in Völser Aicha. Rich flavours of elderflower, gooseberry, green pepper, sage and mint. An elegant wine, pleasantly mineral, fresh and juicy with well-balanced acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

Deeply rooted in the Molise terroir since time immemorial, the Tintilia grape variety was long threatened with disappearance – until dedicated winegrowers revived it as an autochthonous treasure. This red wine in Riserva quality today represents the prestige of this once almost forgotten grape variety: 100% Tintilia, finely selected and with very low yields at high altitudes, where calcareous clay soils and fresh mountain air characterise its distinctive profile.