James Suckling

The name alone conjures up images: La Luna e i Falò – "The moon and the fires". An allusion to Cesare Pavese's novel of the same name, a reflection of a deep-rooted love of one's homeland, melancholic and powerful at the same time. And so is this Barbera from the heart of the Nizza region – deep in the Monferrato – is not just a pleasant wine, but an expression of inner density and grown identity. The grapes come from old vineyards around Agliano Terme, with poor, calcareous soils and optimal south to south-west exposure. After a long maceration period, the wine is aged for 18 months in French barriques, followed by further maturation in the bottle. A Riserva with format, precision and the necessary breath.

In the Val di Noto, where the lime-white bagli of Tenuta Zisola are enthroned between almond trees and olive groves, one of the most extraordinary tributes to the history of the Mazzei family is being created. Effe Emme – two letters sewn into a customised wine like precious initials, bear the name of one of the most fascinating pioneers of modern times: Filippo Mazzei. On the limestone-rich soils of Noto, at an altitude of 130 metres in a south-easterly exposure, the unique characteristics of the terroir meet a rare grape variety: Petit Verdot in absolute purity. This French variety, which has found a new home here in the south of Sicily, is hand-picked at the end of September and fermented at 28-30°C, followed by a 14-day maceration. The Effe Emme is matured for around 16 months in 225 Liters French oak barrels.

The grapes for Franz Haas' Petit Manseng remain on the vines for an extra week to ripen. After fermentation, the wine is matured for 10 months in used barriques. Strong straw yellow colour. Highly aromatic, intense bouquet of dried fruit, traces of honey and a subtle minerality. Complex on the palate, very well structured, with a creamy texture and wonderfully mild acidity and subtle freshness. Very long finish and good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Behind Noà is Cusumano's vision of a Sicilian red wine of international calibre, rooted in the barren highlands of Presti e Pegni near Monreale. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola thrive on calcareous, stony soils at an altitude of around 300 metres – a place where the heat of the day and the coolness of the night allow a precise interplay of ripeness and freshness. In the glass, Noà is a dark ruby colour with violet hues. The bouquet reveals a complex composition of ripe blackcurrants, sour cherries, blackberries and dried plums, underpinned by notes of espresso, cedar wood, tobacco and dark cocoa. Powerful and structured on the palate with velvety tannins, a supple texture and the characteristic depth that comes from the volcanic terroir and the barrique-aged composition. The final is long, with hints of liquorice, herbs and mineral spice.

Pelago is a tribute to the harmonious combination of classic Marche flavours with international influences. The cuvée of Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot brings together the best of the region in a finely structured red wine. The grapes are harvested by hand and placed in stainless steel tanks for controlled fermentation before the wine matures for 14 months in Liters barriques and then develops for a further twelve months in the bottle.

La Fabriseria comes across as an elegant, medium-bodied Amarone. Its intensity, tannin structure and density are hard to beat in this price range. Very juicy on the palate, full-bodied and soft, with notes of cherries, cardamom and cloves. And always with the elegant seriousness of the Tedeschi family's great flagship of the same name. SUPERIORE.DE

Tramin gave Gewürztraminer its name – and the world has since associated it with lush rose flavours, lychee and a body that likes to be heavy. Martin Foradori-Hofstätter thinks differently. With Vigna Castel Rechtenthal, he shows what this variety can do when the location is right and the winemaker does not stand in its way. The vineyard plot is located on a gravelly hill above Rechtenthal Castle, at the foot of Monte Roen – the highest peak in Tramin at 2,116 metres. The soil is an alluvial cone of dolomite gravel: permeable, cool and mineralised. The Höllentalbach stream intensifies the already fresh downdraughts that blow down from the mountain and significantly lower the temperatures at night. No other Gewürztraminer Tramin grows under such conditions.

The world-famous Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer has been a true benchmark for years and is also a wine that impresses with its ageing potential. A bright yellow colour with greenish highlights. Perfectly typical of the variety – complex and deep, yet also lively and fresh with lovely nuances. The bouquet offers a wide range of aromas, from rose blossom to smoke and oriental spices. On the palate, it flows with silky smoothness, velvety and spicy, with a long finish – magnificent! SUPERIORE.DE

The Ghezzi family has been cultivating the extensive estate on the south-western slope of Montalcino since 1957 – 530 hectares in total, 50 of which are planted with Sangiovese Grosso alone, on clayey-limestone soils with silt and fossil inclusions. A Brunello that combines the power of the south with the elegance of careful clonal selection comes from this sunny, warm location on the Ombrone. 20 to 30 days of maceration, fermentation at 26–28 °C, followed by 24 months in oak barrels and a full year of ageing in the bottle. The 2021 vintage is considered a classic great Annata: late frost in April noticeably reduced the yields, a warm but never overheated summer and two saving August rains brought the grapes to full, slow phenolic ripeness.

For over 60 years, the Produttori del Barbaresco have stood for an uncompromising commitment to quality, supported by over 50 winegrowers who contribute their finest grapes from Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso to the cooperative. The Barbaresco 2022 is a prime example of collective precision and classic style: the Nebbiolo grapes come from selected municipal vineyards, some of which border the crus, on limestone and clay-rich soils. Vinification was carried out using traditional methods: extended maceration, ageing for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a further period of rest in the bottle.

A bold "statement wine" from the south-west coast of Sardinia: Barrua blends 85% Carignano with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – a powerful composition from old vines growing on calcareous sandy-loam soils close to the sea. The grapes are carefully harvested by hand, vinified separately and then aged for 18 months in French barriques. Following a period of rest in a concrete tank and several months' bottle ageing, the wine now displays impressive balance.

Oberkerschbaum – the upper cherry orchard. The name encapsulates the everyday nature of mountain life: a farmstead named after the trees that lined its perimeter. What sets this plot apart from the ordinary, however, is its location. The vineyard is situated in Pochi di Salorno, in the Buchholz UGA, on the southernmost border of South Tyrol – where the province meets Trentino. At an altitude of 770 to 800 metres, facing south-west, on purely volcanic porphyry without any limestone content. No other Vigna vineyard belonging to the estate lies at such a high altitude; none has such consistently volcanic geology. The Sauvignon Bianco thrives here under extreme yet precise conditions: an exceptional amount of sunshine, amplified by the altitude; cool nights that slow down ripening and preserve freshness; and soil that transfers the volcano's minerality directly into the grapes. The "Vigna" classification, first introduced for Alto Adige by Paolo Foradori, denotes a plot that is in a class of its own. The "Riserva" designation of the 2023 vintage confirms the extended ageing process.

Ben Ryé – Donnafugata's great, naturally sweet and world-famous white wine. The grape harvest begins in mid-August, and the grapes are left to dry naturally for 20 to 30 days. In September, the later-ripening grapes are harvested and processed whilst still fresh. The hand-picked, raisin-like berries are added to the must in several stages during fermentation. Pale orange-yellow in colour. Overwhelming aromas of apricot, peach and orange peel. On the palate, creamy notes of passion fruit and peach with impressive elegance and length. For us, one of Italy's finest sweet wines every year! SUPERIORE.DE

The name tells a story: Barco Reale means "royal enclosure" and refers to the historic Medici hunting reserve, which was established in 1626 – a ring of walls over 50 kilometres long surrounded the area where Sangiovese, Cabernet and Canaiolo thrive today. Barco Reale Rosso is the younger, more accessible version of Carmignano DOCG, was awarded its own DOC status in 1994 and epitomises the elegance of this small but important Tuscan appellation. Tenuta di Capezzana has been run by the Contini Bonacossi family for five generations and represents over seventy per cent of the entire Carmignano production. The first documented mention of Capezzana dates back to 804, and as early as the 16th century, Caterina de' Medici had Cabernet cuttings brought to Carmignano from Bordeaux – centuries before the Super Tuscans discovered this idea for themselves. The winery has been certified organic since 2009.

Anyone who knows Carlo Ferrini knows that he thinks in clones. 15 carefully selected Sangiovese clones grow on the Podere Giodo in Sant'Angelo in Colle, in the south-west of Montalcino – a location that gives the Sangiovese warmth and maturity without taking away its tension. Ferrini has been working on his most personal project here since 2002, together with his daughter Bianca and cellar master Riccardo Ferrari since 2020. The Rosso di Montalcino is the latest addition to this family history – debut vintage 2024 and clearly positioned from the outset: not a stopgap, but an independent voice. 1.5 hectares at 400 metres, exposed to the south-east, medium-heavy, skeleton-rich soil, 6,600 plants per hectare. The vines are seven years old – young, but already precise in flavour. 13 days of maceration in steel, délestage at half time. Then 12 months of ageing, divided between wooden vats and cocciopesto amphorae, followed by cement. Six months in the bottle. 12,000 bottles – a generous quantity by Giodo standards, but a welcome one for the market.

Obtained from a small, high-altitude vineyard in the historic San Cristoforo cru site above Neive, this Barbaresco combines terroir depth with contemplative maturity. The clay and limestone-rich soil, the exposed south-east exposure and the late harvest characterise the concentrated style. Three weeks of maceration are followed by a long, patient ageing regime: two years in large oak barrels, a further six months in concrete and then many more years in the bottle – until it opens up with the expression that only time can give.

In 1996, Elisabetta Geppetti bought a slope near Pereta. She named it Poggio Valente – the valiant hill, the brave hill. A name that says it all. The site lies at 280 metres, facing south-west, on sandy soils over sandstone rocks with clay inlays – a soil that gives the Sangiovese precision and elegance rather than weight and vigour. Elisabetta wanted something different here: a single-varietal Sangiovese cru in the Burgundian style, a wine that speaks its vineyard and nothing else. In 2014, she made a consistent decision: Poggio Valente left the Morellino appellation and has since appeared as a Toscana IGT. Not a step backwards – quite the opposite. A statement. This wine is bigger than its designation of origin, and Elisabetta did not want the lack of international recognition of an appellation to limit its ambition.

When Brigitte and Bruno Widmer bought the abandoned Brancaia estate near Castellina in Chianti in 1981, nobody could have guessed that this would become one of the defining wineries of modern Tuscany. The very first vintage in 1983 took first place in a blind tasting – the beginning of a success story that daughter Barbara Widmer is continuing today as a qualified Oenologist. The entire winery has been certified organic since 2019, a consistent development of the philosophy that has always applied here: no compromises. The Riserva combines the best Sangiovese lots from both Chianti Classico estates – brancaia in Castellina and Poppi in Radda – supplemented by twenty per cent Merlot. The sites between 230 and 400 metres above sea level bring together different soil structures: Clay in Castellina, sandy loam with a stony skeleton in Radda.

Swiss precision meets Tuscan elegance in this characterful Super Tuscan, which has embodied the Widmer family's DNA for over four decades. The name has a dual meaning: three grape varieties and three terroirs, which Barbara Widmer blends with inimitable finesse to create a harmonious cuvée. This blend, comprising 70% Sangiovese, is sourced from the vineyards of Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and the Maremma, and is refined with 15% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The continental Chianti vineyards, situated at altitudes of 230–400 metres with their soils interspersed with clay and galestro, meet the Mediterranean Maremma terroir with its sandy loam soils, which lend the wine its characteristic depth. 

Since 1995, Le Cupole has been the accessible gateway to the world of the legendary Tenuta di Trinoro, yet at this visionary winery, "accessible" never means compromise. In the Val d'Orcia, where southern Tuscany reveals its wild and unspoilt side, near Sarteano on the border with Umbria and Lazio, the eccentric scion of the Cinzano empire and nephew of the American painter Cy Twombly created a wine paradise at an altitude of 500 to 700 metres, an idea that was initially considered madness. Le Cupole is made from the same Bordeaux blend as the great Tenuta di Trinoro – Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot – but comes from younger vines on deeper, less extreme soils. The proportions vary depending on the vintage in order to best reflect the characteristics of the harvest.