Gambero-Rosso

Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riparosso has a sweet scent of violets and lavender, followed by crushed blackberries and chalk dust. It washes over the palate with soft textures and ripe wild berries, contrasted towards the end by sour citrus fruits. It finishes perfumed and with admirable length, leaving a layer of dusty tannins that tug at the cheeks. Very Italian - very well made. SUPERIORE.DE

Lively ruby red. Opens with notes of violets and roses, laurel, myrtle, thyme and small pickled cherries. The taste is juicy, fresh and spicy with long fruity notes and dense, well-integrated tannins. From vines over 20 years old. SUPERIORE.DE

Purple ruby red colour. Pure Lambrusco - made predominantly from Lambrusco Salamino - with a creamy, fresh, tangy flavour, a fine elderberry note and beautiful acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

"Dark purple; stale-berry, not intense, appealing; juicy acidity, stale-fruity, good tartness." Merum

Ripe fruit-scented Primitivo di Manduria, whose fruit is perfectly matched to the amount of wood and whose dense flavour ends with pleasant cocoa notes. SUPERIORE.DE

"A fresh and simple primitivo with red-plum and raspberry aromas and flavors. Medium body with light but tight tannins adding a touch of firmness to the finish." James Suckling

The Lucchine is rich and firm with beautiful cherry fruit and sweet spices on the palate. A juicy and inexpensive wine from a good vineyard that gives us great pleasure every year. SUPERIORE.DE

"The only Valpolicella without oak. This wine resembles a more mature Bardolino or, to put it this way, a Venetian Beaujolais, as it is so lively and vibrant. Light and juicy, with a thread of crisp acidity that carries sour red fruits, plums and dried herbs long and easy. Delicious! One of the best young Valpolicella I've tasted in a while." James Suckling

"On the nose, this wine shines with aromas of fresh rose and violet, with hints of strawberries and cranberries in the background. On the palate, the tart red berries shine with a hint of pepper and fresh earth." Wine Enthusiast

Delightful drinking pleasure from organically certified cultivation at a sensational price! The dark and incredibly dense Rosso Piceno smells slightly sweet of berries with hints of plum. Its powerful consistency is supported by juicy, very soft tannins. A wine full of character and its own. SUPERIORE.DE

Brigaldara's Valpolicella is mainly made from Corvina and Corvinone grapes. The timing of the harvest is very important for this wine, so that its flavours are very delicate and its sensory balance is influenced by the precisely measured acidity. It expresses the characteristic flavours of the valley: from cherries to spicy notes, which are more or less pronounced depending on the vintage. Its beautiful and radiant balance is achieved by a short maturation in steel, which perfectly enhances its sensory characteristics. SUPERIORE.DE

"This wine is a classic example of Valpolicella with aromas of fresh raspberries and dried cranberries mixed with thyme, sage and forest floor leading to a lively palate. Driven by sour cherries, the palate is indulgent and generous, and the more it opens up, the more spicy and floral notes add complexity." Wine Enthusiast

"The 2022 Valpolicella is wonderfully fresh, with a gorgeous blend of violets and roses giving way to muddled blackberries and an air of crushed chalk. Incredibly pure, this flows across the palate with a juicy wave of ripe wild berry fruits. It finishes crisp, with a tart cranberry concentration and inner florals that linger on." Vinous

La Villa is a casual feminine Barbera d'Asti that smells of ripe red fruits, flowers and spices. Round and focused on the palate with a silky texture and good length. This is what price-performance looks like in an ideal case! SUPERIORE.DE

"Ripe dark cherries and blueberries with notes of dried flowers, cocoa and sandalwood. Medium-bodied with a smooth, red-fruited palate. Lively acidity and a flavourful, structured finish." James Suckling

Ruby with violet reflections. Round bouquet of elderberries, blueberry muffins and dried spices. Well structured on the palate with a well-proportioned body, beautiful ripe tannins and a hint of delicate almond tones in the round final. SUPERIORE.DE

"Notes of ripe dark and blue berries with chocolate, dark licorice and a touch of mushroom. Medium-bodied with dusty tannins and succulent dark fruit in the middle. Juicy finish." James Suckling

Intense Carignano from a master hand at a small price. Rich ruby red in the glass, the nose is surrounded by small black-red fruits with a wild primal expression that we only find in the rough, untouched landscape of Sardinia. Beautiful spice with a soft, yet clearly recognisable interpretation of Sardinian red wines, just the way we love them. Wonderful drinking flow. SUPERIORE.DE

"Tar and licorice aromas with some earth and black berry character. Lead pencil. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lovely fruit and a juicy finish. Real carignan character." James Suckling

The grapes come from the Ginestra, Mosconi and San Pietro cru sites, with around 10 rows planted outside the appellation boundaries (this is why the wine is a Langhe Dolcetto and not a Dolcetto d'Alba). Beautiful, detailed aroma of rose gardens and lavender fields. The finish is slender, soft and silky with aromatic richness and plenty of fruit. A wonderfully complex Dolcetto in the impeccable style of the Clerico house. SUPERIORE.DE

"This is a wine that is fun to drink and reveals sweet, explosive fruit. It is charming through and through. The Domenico Clerico 2022 Langhe Dolcetto Visadì shows fresh sour cherry and summery blueberry. The fruit is sweet and fresh, and there are also subtle floral aromas." Wine Advocate

Carmelo Morgante's spicy and dark Nero d'Avola opens with a burst of blood orange, crushed blackberries, balsamic herbs and violet blossom. It is silky smooth yet cool in flavour. Crisp wild berries and tangy citrus fruits form the contrast. A youthful tension unfolds on the palate, while tart cherries and cranberries mingle with sweet tannins. It reveals much more depth, concentration and balance than you would expect for this price.

"The 2021 Nero d'Avola is spicy in the glass, displaying a woodland-inspired blend of mentholated herbs, shaved pine, mandarin and crushed wild berries. This is pleasantly sweet upon entry, with cocoa-tinged red berry fruits complicated by hints of sage and an air of lavender. Staining and potent, the 2021 tapers off with dramatic length, leaving firming tannins and notes of licorice to linger on." Vinous

Pregio del Conte, a symbiosis of Montepulciano and various local grape varieties, which has a strong, firm flavour with hints of chocolate, spices and red fruit and a long, clean finish. Ideal with meat dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the Vigna Pedale come from vines that are over 30 years old. The vines are planted in a sapling system, which allows only a few grapes per vine. The harvest does not begin until mid-October, which is very unusual for this location so far south. Purple dark red colour. Spicy aroma of cherries, thyme, wild mushrooms and earth, the typical, unadulterated flavour is strong and concentrated with a subtle sweetness. This wine is already a great pleasure today, but still has potential for the coming years. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright ruby red with a drop of violet. On the nose with nuances of Amarena cherries, beetroot, also with great spice, like mustard seed, after a little time then on noble wood nuances, appears stony. Clear juiciness on the palate, with plenty of fruit at the core, cool finish, balanced and with race, firm pressure on the final." Falstaff

"On the nose, smoky spice notes to the ripe raspberries with hints of roasted chestnuts and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with fine, slightly dry tannins and a bright bead of plum skin and raspberry fruit that combine for a tight, fruity finish. Lasting. Flavourful and entertaining." James Suckling

Fine Rosso di Montepulciano with a typical fruity-spicy aroma and solid body. It has just the right balance, is multi-layered, reveals an aromatic fruit and also has a final decent persistence for the price class. SUPERIORE.DE

"Youthful, brambly nose with lots of cherries, strawberries, dried herbs and potpourri. Crunchy and laid-back on the palate with a pristine, firm finish. Fresh and more reductively made than most looking to emulate the “Bojo” style. From organically grown grapes. Drink now." James Suckling

The Riserva from the great traditional line of de Castris captivates with intense cherry fruit, fine wood notes and subtle spice. Powerful and juicy on the palate, round and harmonious, with a wonderfully long finish. Every year a fantastic price-pleasure ratio! SUPERIORE.DE

"A fantastic value, the 2019 Salice Riserva 50esima Vendemmia opens with black cherry and plum depths complemented by sweet herbs and tobacco. This is silky-smooth and rich with masses of ripe dark fruits and exotic spices. It leaves a staining of primary concentration while tapering off lightly structured yet energetic." Vinous

"A harmonious medium-bodied red offering a well-balanced palette of black plums, dried raspberries, fresh loamy earth and hints of dark chocolate and sage, all underpinned by fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity." Wine Spectator

"This powerful yet balanced red offers compact aromas of ploughed soil, violets, blood orange and crushed peppercorns over a dense blackberry core. The palate is juicy yet broad and densely packed, framed by powerful acidity and velvety tannins." Wine Enthusiast

"Warm stones, blackberries, sweet plums and cocoa beans on the nose follow through to a medium to full body with fine, silky tannins rounding out the bittersweet fruit. Spicy and quite long with a fine, spicy chocolate powder finish. An excellent Negroamaro." James Suckling

This white Re Manfredi, made from Müller-Thurgau and Gewürztraminer, is exceptional and outstanding. Iridescent straw yellow in colour with a beguiling apricot and rose aroma. The well-structured, fresh flavour is full of fruit, aromatic and spicy. SUPERIORE.DE

"This is a fragrant white, exuding lychee, peach, melon and orange-blossom aromas. Exotic and tasty, with medium to full body and an oily texture." James Suckling

"Il Preliminare" - "The Preliminary Remark". Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti's wines recall his father's notarial world with their names.

One of the most exciting white wines of southern Italy, vinified from predominantly white Aglianico grapes. Fragrant in the glass of white flowers, orange peel, peach and bitter almond. Fine texture, bright and dancing on the remarkable finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"A fruity white with peach pits, pears, grapefruit and lemon curd on the nose. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and waxy." James Suckling