Formats

A Burgundian soul in the Tuscan terroir: Giovanni Manetti vinifies this single-varietal Pinot Nero from the west-facing Case Via vineyard in the heart of the Conca d'Oro. The hand-picked grapes from 4,000 to 6,000 vines per hectare undergo a two-week spontaneous fermentation in cone-shaped Allier wooden vats with indigenous yeasts and manual racking. Twelve months of ageing in French Troncais barriques give the organically certified Pinot Noir its characteristic elegance.

In the Barolo world, Serralunga d'Alba stands for strength, depth and remarkable longevity. The Nebbiolo grapes come from selected plots in the municipality, characterised by barren, iron-rich clay-marl soils with veins of sand from the Helvetic formation. These soils give the wines their characteristic tannic structure, while the altitude of 320 to 400 metres ensures cool nights and slow, even ripening. The 2021 vintage provided ideal conditions. Sunny, clear days and fresh nights harmonised fruit precision and aromatic depth. Each parcel was harvested separately, gently fermented and then matured for around 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels to preserve the typicality of the terroir while developing supple, multi-layered tannins.

2022 was a vintage of concentration: dry winter, hot summer – small yields, but outstanding quality. The Tiefenbrunner family demonstrates this intensity in the Linticlarus cuvée in an impressive way. The classic Bordeaux assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in equal parts grows on the south-southeast-facing slopes of Entiklar, at an altitude of 260 to 300 metres. The broodingmoraine soil – loamy sand with a high lime content – stores the heat of the day and slowly releases it at night. The result: perfect phenolic ripeness with preserved freshness. Mash fermentation in concrete is followed by 12 months in barriques, 6 months in large wooden barrels and a further year of bottle ageing.

The same contrada, a completely different wine: while the Bianco from Cavaliere impresses with its freshness and saltiness, the Rosso reveals the other side of this extraordinary terroir: Burgundian elegance, volcanic depth and a tannin structure of silky precision. At an altitude of 900 metres on the south-western slope of Etna – higher than most Etna vineyards – 50-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines grow in the Guyot system. The skeleton-rich volcanic sands with a sub-acid profile and excellent drainage force the roots deep into the soil. Little rainfall, abundant light and dramatic day-night fluctuations characterise a microclimate that gives the grapes unusual aromatic complexity. Hand-picked in mid-October, destemmed, then fermented on the skins for 21 days at a controlled temperature with our own Etna yeasts – the result of years of research. The wine matures for twelve months in French tonneaux, then in stainless steel, followed by ten months in the bottle.

Satèn – the name alone promises what this Franciacorta delivers: silky-soft texture, reduced perlage intensity, pure elegance. Bellavista vinifies this exclusive category exclusively in outstanding years from pure Chardonnay from the higher vineyards that catch the first morning light. The 2020 vintage shows what Vittorio Moretti's vision of perfection means: hand-picked grapes, vinified in small oak barrels, then matured on the lees for at least four years in the bottle – time that you can taste.

"In 2012, I bought the small vineyard Le Gonnare and began to cultivate it. It represents the excellence of the Bolgheri terroir. The soil is clayey and rich in skeleton, which allows for very gradual ripening, a particularly important aspect for Merlot. The character of the wine is therefore Mediterranean, but balanced." Fabio Motta

Pietra nera – black stone. This is the name of the introduction to the world of Piaggia, the small winery in Carmignano founded by Mauro Vannucci in the 1970s and now run by his daughter Silvia. Carmignano, the forgotten DOCG at the gates of Florence, where Cabernet has been permitted in blends since the Medici era – centuries before the Super Tuscans were invented. Pietranera shows this tradition in small format: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Franc. Fermented with natural yeasts, eighteen to twenty days on the skins, then only three months in used barriques – just enough to smooth the edges, not enough to let the wood taste.

Every year, Istine's Chianti Classico is one of the most racy and authentic representatives of its genre. Its weightlessness and at the same time precision make up a large part of its appeal. A finely knit bouquet of red berries, flowers, chalk and white pepper. Medium-bodied on the palate, its fine fruit, creamy tannins and plenty of personality come to light with further aeration. A red wine that takes hearts by storm with its lively, dancing and extremely fine nerve! SUPERIORE.DE

Tasca became involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single-vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and brooding, and despite their strength, acidity and firm tannins, they are very elegant, full of finesse and light on the palate. Each of the four parcels brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil conditions and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all its water reserves, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the variety of flavours in the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.

Le Baròncole Riserva impresses with its juicy fruit and stone fruit flavours on the nose and continues this beautiful impression on the palate. Cherry, sour cherries, blackberry, very juicy and powerful in appearance, completely fills the palate, but always remains lively and elegant. Silky, fine-grained tannins and a long, balsamic finish whet the appetite for the next glass. Good substance. Good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

The vineyards of the Reyna site in the hills of Neive and Barbaresco benefit from an ideal south-east to south-west exposure and reddish limestone marl, which is loosened up by sandy inclusions. The grapes are deliberately harvested late in order to achieve optimum physiological ripeness. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine matures for around 18 months in large Allier and Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a resting period in the bottle. The 2021 vintage was characterised by a warm, stable summer and cool nights during the ageing phase, which ensured impressive aromatic precision and a taut structure.

When the morning mist rises from the hills near Orvieto in late October and covers the vineyards of Castello della Sala like a silken veil, one of the most mysterious transformations in the world of wine begins. The grapes – sauvignon Blanc, Grechetto, Traminer, Sémillon and Riesling – are attacked by Botrytis Cinerea, the noble rot that has produced the world's greatest sweet wines for centuries. The fungus penetrates the grape skin with invisible precision, extracts the water from the pulp and concentrates sugars and flavours into an essence that would not be accessible to any cellar technology. In several patient passes, the harvesters pick only those berries that have reached the ideal degree of botrytisation – a process that requires connoisseurship and timing, as the right moment is fleeting. After gentle pressing, the must ferments for 18 days at a controlled cool 17 degrees before the still sweet wine is transferred to French barriques. Here it matures for months, absorbing delicate wood nuances while the aromas and structure harmonise, before ageing in stainless steel completes the work.

The strong ruby-red Pinot Nero Schweizer, which is only produced in the best vintages, is a masterpiece. Its bouquet is large, complex and reminiscent of very ripe small wild berries. These special flavours are also found in the mouth, in combination with ripe, candied dark cherry and delicate floral and red berry notes. Juicy, wide-ranging palate, mouth-filling and with delicate, sveltenuances and an inviting and slightly tannic body which, together with the well-proportioned acidity, gives the wine a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

Of the four Gulfi-Cru, this is the vineyard closest to the sea, less than 700 metres away and only 10-15 metres above sea level. With vines that grow on sandy soils. A beautiful, multi-layered wine that shows the elegant side of Nero d'Avola that few producers are ever able to present. Precise aromas of ripe red cherries, flint, orange peel, lavender and violets. Silky and juicy on the palate, with a refined but very concentrated extract that almost crushes the taste buds, yet remains lively and not at all heavy, giving the flavours of red cherries, raspberries, flowers and minerals beautiful definition and lift. The finish is very deep and long, with very soft tannins, a beguiling aroma and extreme finesse; very Barolo-like. SUPERIORE.DE

The South Tyrolean Pinot Noir Riserva Anrar is fresh and light on the palate with wild berries and cassis, followed by dried mint and lavender flavours. This red wine fermented in steel and matured in barriques is silky and smooth, almost without rough edges. Cantina Andriano Kellerei Andrian works with a skilful hand when it comes to Pinot Noir, preserving the nuanced elegance of the grape variety's aromas. SUPERIORE.DE

This is where it all began. In Viagrande, on the south-eastern slope of Mount Etna, where Giuseppe Benanti's grandfather planted the first vines at the end of the 19th century, lies the heart of the winery. The Contrada Monte Serra is no ordinary vineyard – it rises on an extinct volcanic cone that once erupted independently of the main crater and whose pyroclastic deposits created a unique soil: light, rich in skeletons, with exceptional drainage. At an altitude of just 450 metres, closer to the Ionian Sea than the other contrade, the grapes ripen earlier here and develop a softer, more accessible elegance. The vines – some over 100 years old – grow in the traditional Alberello on small terraces with lava stone dry stone walls, with an extreme density of 9,000 vines per hectare. The sandy volcanic soils are rich in ripiddu, the characteristic small pumice skeleton of Etna.

Anrar is the answer to a simple question: what happens when South Tyrol's second most important red grape variety is given time in wood? While the classic Pinot Nero retains its freshness in stainless steel, Anrar takes a different approach. Approx. 12 months in French barriques for malolactic fermentation and further ageing. No wood show, but elegant integration. That makes the difference. But not alone: the best Pinot Nero vineyards around Andriano provide the grapes. Altitudes between 350 and 450 metres, where the calcareous clay soils are interspersed with dolomite rock. The cooler microclimate ensures slow ripening, more acidity and finer tannins. Perfect for a Pinot Nero with Burgundian ambitions.

In the heart of Chianti Classico, where the hills of Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti meet, lies the historic Castello di Fonterutoli estate. Owned by the Marchesi Mazzei family since 1435, this Chianti Classico represents the epitome of a centuries-old winemaking tradition. The grapes come from 114 individually cultivated plots between 220 and 570 metres above sea level, each with its own microclimate and terroir. Composed mainly of Sangiovese, supplemented by small proportions of Malvasia Nera and Colorino, each parcel is vinified and matured separately in order to preserve the extraordinary diversity of flavours and complexity.

Masari's flagship presents itself in a deep, dense garnet red colour. Ripe blackberry and cassis on the nose, underpinned by bitter cocoa and ripe cherries, light leather spice and liquorice. Full and balanced on the palate, slowly but complexly spreads over the tongue, then convinces with beautiful and lasting pressure, long, salty and simply wonderful. SUPERIORE.DE

It was 1991 when Michele Satta planted his first Syrah vine in Bolgheri – an act of rebellion in a still young appellation that was just beginning to find its identity. The visionary winemaker from Varese followed a clear conviction: The Syrah should maximise the aromatic complexity of the Mediterranean terroir and at the same time express his personal identification with the great wines of the Rhône. Thirty years later, this exotic wine has matured into one of Bolgheri's most fascinating single-vineyard wines.