Formats

Although Merlot is an international grape variety in South Tyrol, it finds its own distinctive character here on weathered porphyry. The vines are situated at altitudes of 250 to 300 metres, on weathered porphyry and sandy loess-clay soils, facing south to south-west. The yield is deliberately limited to 40 hectolitres per hectare – production amounts to just 8,000 bottles. Fermentation takes place in open stainless-steel tanks, with the must being punched down daily. The young wine is then transferred to barriques for malolactic fermentation, where it matures for eighteen months until bottling. This is followed by a further year of bottle ageing.

With around two grams of residual sugar, this high-quality spumante from the Alta Langa, which was produced using the champagne method, is a particularly dry representative of its kind. The Chardonnay grapes come from clay and limestone terroir around 450 metres above sea level in the small municipality of Neviglie. Fresh and floral on the nose with beautiful citrus and subtle yeast notes. Fine perlage, harmonious on the palate with a fine creaminess and a multi-layered finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Cultus is Latin for "cultivation, care and veneration". The name says it all: this wine honours tradition by reinterpreting it. Where the house's classic Riserva relies on tried and tested structures, Cultus dares to take a longer breath. Forty days of maceration instead of the usual three weeks, Sangiovese supplemented by the historical companions Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo – all from massalselection of the estate's oldest vines. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 250 to 330 metres, on clayey loam over limestone, organically farmed since 1995 and certified since 2003. The 2019 vintage brought ideal conditions: early budding in the warm spring, balancing rainfall into the summer, then perfect ripeness.

In 1898, Christian Schrott, parish priest of Termeno and a member of the Austrian Parliament, founded a cooperative intended to bring together the winegrowers of his village. What began back then as a community based on farmers’ solidarity is now one of South Tyrol’s most renowned wine-growers’ cooperatives: 160 member families, 250 hectares of vineyards, and a commitment to quality that is unrivalled in the region. The name ‘Stoan’ is the brainchild of cellar master Willi Stürz – and is self-explanatory: ‘Stoan’ is the dialect word for ‘stone’, and the stony, limestone-rich subsoil at altitudes of up to 600 metres is what gives this wine its identity.

Maso Michei is located high up in a secluded mountain world in southern Trentino. There, the vines thrive at an altitude of 790 to 850 metres on a sun-drenched south-facing slope in unspoilt nature. In this remarkable location for viticulture, the vines grow slowly and the grapes ripen late. With the acquisition of the 13-hectare Maso Michei vineyard in the Valle dei Ronchi above Ala, Martin Foradori Hofstätter has returned to the roots of his ancestors in Trentino.

Since 2001, Pinot Blanc has been part of the Sanct Valentin range – born out of the realisation that this long-underestimated variety is capable of producing exceptional results in the higher elevations of Eppan-Berg. At altitudes of between 450 and 600 metres, where limestone gravel and loam form the subsoil, vines aged between ten and thirty-two years grow facing south-southeast. Extremely low yields from meticulously selected plots. Hand-harvested at the end of September, the grapes then follow two different paths: one half undergoes malolactic fermentation and yeast ageing in barriques and tonneaux, the other in large oak casks. Blending takes place after just under a year, once it becomes clear which components complement each other – followed by a further eight months' maturation in stainless-steel tanks to perfect the balance.

Monleale is a rich, intoxicating wine. Medium ruby-garnet in colour, the bouquet has a subtle sweetness, dried cherry, balsamic notes and clove. On the palate, spicy and earthy undertones support its precise core of dense red cherry and plum fruit, while it briskly presents a powerful and pleasantly savoury style that is ideal for the dining table. Monleale has plenty of personality and character, and its persistence and longevity make it one of the most profound and intense Barbera wines to be found in this price range. SUPERIORE.DE

Arneis means "little rascal" in Piedmontese – the little pain in the arse. Difficult to grow, prone to over-ripening, almost forgotten for decades. Bruno Giacosa was one of two producers who saved the grape variety from extinction in the late 1960s by bottling and marketing it as a single variety – at a time when hardly anyone understood why. Today, it is impossible to imagine the Roero without Arneis. And the Giacosa specimen remains the reference. The grapes come from selected vineyards in Vezza d'Alba, Monteu Roero, Santo Stefano Roero, Canale and Montà d'Alba – long-standing suppliers that Bruno Giacosa has personally selected. Foreign vineyards, own signature. 23 to 34-year-old vines on the sandy soils of the Roero, the ancient seabed north of the Tanaro, which gives the Arneis a natural lightness and aromatic strength that clay terroirs never achieve. Vinification purist: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, 25 to 30 days, without malolactic fermentation – the freshness and acidity remain intact. Four months sur lie, one month bottle ageing. Bottled in February 2025, no wood, no intervention that is not necessary.

1976 was Paolo De Marchis's first year at Isole e Olena. He was 25; at that time, Chianti Classico was a wine that hardly anyone thought had a future, and the two medieval hamlets – Isole and Olena – were what his father Francesco had bought in 1956: two dilapidated farmsteads in the hills west of Castellina. Paolo stayed. For almost fifty years. What he made of this estate changed the history of Chianti Classico. He was one of the first to vinify Sangiovese separately, one of the first to bring the hillside terraces back into cultivation, and one of the first to take Sangiovese seriously as a single-varietal wine. His Cepparello – first bottled in 1980 – became one of Italy's benchmark wines. Emanuele Reolon, the new technical director at Isole e Olena, sums it up as follows: "Paolo brought the Piedmontese style to Tuscany. He treated Sangiovese like Nebbiolo." At the time, that was revolutionary. Today, it is dogma.

The grapes for the Carluccio "Carlo" Negri – named after the winery's key pioneer – come from vineyards in the Valtellina DOC and DOCG areas, situated on the slopes of the Rhaetian Alps along the right bank of the River Adda. Sfursat, for which the region is world-renowned, is produced through the natural drying of the grapes, aided by the cool, dry winds from the mountains. During this process, in the "fruttaio" (the drying shed), they lose almost 30% of their weight. The result is therefore a unique Nebbiolo: rich and intense, with the typical mineral and fresh character of Alpine wines.

The Moscato Giallo is dry and matured for 5 months on the fine lees and has a golden yellow colour. It is an aromatic wine, with notes of citrus fruits, white peaches, lemon balm and elderberry, combined with a hint of nutmeg and sweet spices. The lively acidity and discreet mineral structure give this wine an excellent freshness and pleasant style. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this high-calibre Valpolicella Classico Superiore come from the rather barren, calcareous and terraced vineyards of Tenuta Novare above the Ognisanti church. Wines of greater complexity, perfect structure and higher concentration are produced here than in most other vineyards in Valpolicella. Sparkling ruby-garnet colour. Fragrant nose with wonderful overtones of sour cherry, dried flowers and white pepper. Perfectly balanced on the palate with firm tannins and wonderful spice and depth of fruit thanks to the ageing in wood. A superior, winning wine from the heart of the Valpolicella region. SUPERIORE.DE

Federico Giuntini-Antinori runs the area's most traditional estate, whose family tree can be traced back to the 15th century. Rufina is the northernmost district in Chianti, where the vineyards grow around the Villa di Selvapiana and in the vineyards of San Martino a Quona, Pian de' Marroni and Cerbognole. Mainly Sangiovese with small additions of Canaiolo, Colorino and Malvasia Nera are harvested between the end of September and the beginning of October, partly by hand. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in steel tanks at 28-30°C with a 25-day maceration period. Maturation lasts 12 months in 25-litre French oak barrels and concrete vats.

A wine like a manifesto: Della Bastonaca is the quintessence of the COS philosophy, grown on the historic estate in Bastonaca near Vittoria – where up to 75-year-old Alberello vines of Nero d'Avola and Frappato stand on calcareous red clay, criss-crossed by quartz veins and the constant presence of Mediterranean air. Biodynamics is not a statement here, but a lived practice – for decades, each vintage has been vinified in harmony with nature at the right rhythm. The 2020 vintage brought the best conditions: A spring with sufficient moisture, a warm but not overheated summer and cool nights during the ripening period created the ideal balance of vigour, freshness and aromatic precision. Selective hand-picking, spontaneous fermentation on the skins and careful ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months – these are conscious decisions that together result in a wine of quiet greatness.

As early as 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III included Valdarno di Sopra in his edict, alongside Chianti Classico, Carmignano and Pomino; the appellation itself was not established until 2011. Il Borro lies on the right bank of the Arno between Florence and Arezzo, and it is here that the Sangiovese matures in an ancient form of ageing: clay amphorae. The vines are organically cultivated on the estate, and the grapes are harvested by hand into 10-kilo crates. Fermentation takes place in the amphorae, where the cap of pomace is stirred by hand five to six times a day; the wine remains on the skins for eleven months. It is then aged for twelve months in the bottle. In the 2021 vintage, rain at the end of August ensured full ripeness, following a mild winter, a cool spring and an average summer.