James Suckling

The evening fall winds of the Mendel Mountains characterise the entire terroir of the St. Michael-Eppan winery. They ensure cool nights and give the grapes those extraordinary characteristics that characterise the aromas, unmistakable freshness and longevity of the wines. The fall wind is the natural force that blows over the vineyard every day, positively influencing the climate and supporting the valuable work of the winegrowers at the cooperative winery.

The evening fall winds of the Mendel Mountains characterise the entire terroir of the St. Michael-Eppan winery. They ensure cool nights and give the grapes the extraordinary characteristics that characterise the aromas, unmistakable freshness and longevity of the wines. The fall wind is the natural force that blows over the vineyard every day, positively influencing the climate and supporting the valuable work of the winegrowers at the cooperative winery.

The grapes for the Galea Vernatsch come from old vines that grow on gravel and porphyry soils. Bright ruby colour, vinous aromas and an appetisingly fresh scent of red cherries. Juicy and fruity on the palate, with velvety tannins, harmonious with fine minerality and good length. SUPERIORE.DE

Intense yellow with golden reflections, notes of yellow peach on the nose, enriched with hints of dried fruit, graphite and camomile. Hints of iodine, sage and almonds open up into a full and powerful sip with great structure and mineral notes that accompany a spicy and persistent finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this single-varietal Pinot Bianco come from altitudes of up to 700 metres around the municipality of Montan. Delicate greenish-yellow in colour, with a fine bouquet of green apple, lemon, chalk and some crushed rock. Fine texture on the palate, with good structure and excellent depth. The spicy, fruity finish is characterised by precise, linear acidity and notes of pear and apple. Great and very balanced! SUPERIORE.DE

Where the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea meet the last foothills of the Colline Metallifere, the Mediterranean character of this exceptional red wine unfolds in all its splendour. The name Mediterra says it all: it embodies the flavours of the Tuscan maquis and that enticing saltiness that only wines from the immediate vicinity of the sea are capable of developing.

Tenuta Missoj is a small winery in Mizzole with just 3.5 hectares of vineyards and is owned by the Campagnola family. The vineyards are situated at an altitude of 200 metres on a well-ventilated and exposed hill, where the grapes can reach perfect and complete ripeness. The new prestige wine Valpolicella Ripasso "Tenuta di Missoj" comes from these soils, which already impressively showcased the typical characteristics of the appellation in the 2019 debut vintage.

Expressive Vermentino from naturally farmed vineyards in Castagneto Carducci. The 2024 vintage featured mild weather with sunny days and cool nights – an ideal profile for freshness and aromatic clarity. The wine fermented in stainless steel at a low temperature and then matured for several months on the fine lees to optimise the fruit and structure.

Pojega is a historic vineyard next to the famous Pojega garden, which was purchased by the Rizzardi family in the 17th century. This single-vineyard Valpolicella skilfully combines the fruitiness and aromatic richness of the traditional grape, enhanced by the Ripasso method, with a well-proportioned body and exceptional finesse. Great value with an almost magnetic attraction! SUPERIORE.DE

Flavours of blueberries and blackberries, with a hint of lightly toasted oak. Full-bodied with velvety tannins and lots of fruit, some caramel and vanilla pods. Expressive aftertaste. Pure Syrah. SUPERIORE.DE

Straw yellow with green reflections and visibly fine perlage from 30 days of yeast ageing. Fine citrus notes with further nuances of yellow fruit such as pear or mild apple, slightly nutty in the background. A fresh, invigorating sparkling wine with the necessary depth and noticeable body that does honour to its famous producer. SUPERIORE.DE

Only 1.5 kilometres separate the vineyards of Capitel Croce and Foscarino – but geologically they are worlds apart. While Foscarino is rooted in volcanic rock, Croce is enthroned on the pure limestone of the Zoppega hill. "Croce like Calcareo", Roberto likes to say as a mnemonic. Here, in the highest areas of his estate, perhaps his most uncompromising wine has been growing since 1982: 100 per cent Garganega, matured for eight months in old Allier barriques. What makes this wine so exceptional is not just its origin, but Roberto's radical approach: only 45 hectolitres per hectare, late selective harvest with up to twelve passes until only the most perfect berries remain. Fermentation takes place directly in barriques, allowing fruit and wood to merge right from the start.

Strong yellow colour, elegant and fragrant bouquet of exotic fruits, peach, lemon peel, hazelnut and chalk. Medium to full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and bright, penetrating acidity. Polished, long and delicate finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Irpinia is not Campania in the tourist sense – no sea, no Vesuvius, no Amalfi Coast. It is the inland area behind Avellino, a world of Apennine hills, chestnut forests and tranquillity, where viticulture has been deeply rooted since ancient times. Columella and Pliny already mentioned Fiano – as "Vitis Apicia" because of its ability to attract swarms of bees to the vineyards. Feudi di San Gregorio has been committed to this tradition in Sorbo Serpico since 1986. Pietracalda is their most precise expression of Fiano: a single vineyard of ten hectares, nestled between chestnut woods and old fruit trees at an altitude of 400 to 600 metres – a terroir that provides Fiano with freshness. Hand-picked, fermented in temperature-controlled steel, then aged sur lie for twelve months – longer than the normal Fiano, and it is precisely this difference that characterises the Riserva: more texture, more depth, more substance.

A Chianti Classico that is created when centuries-old tradition meets contemporary winemaking: organically farmed since the 1980s, the vineyards of Monti-in-Chianti and Vitignano (located slightly below) strive for expression and balance from clay-loam and limestone soils. The vines (90% Sangiovese supplemented by some Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo) are rooted at altitudes between 250 metres and 330 metres above sea level.

One of the most characterful white wines in southern Italy comes from the high vineyards around Tufo – the Riserva Cutizzi version of Greco di Tufo is particularly elegant and brooding. The mineral soils of volcanic origin, the cool nights at 500 to 600 metres above sea level and the selective harvest characterise the distinctive profile of this exceptional white wine. Light golden yellow with silvery reflections in the glass. The bouquet reveals a dense yet focussed aroma: ripe yellow citrus fruit, nectarine, green fennel and a hint of wet chalk. Clear and structured on the palate, with a salty freshness and creamy texture that comes from ageing on the fine lees. Finishes with a fine almond note and a delicate, almost sparse mineral grip.

Clean and refined white wine (Riesling & Durella) from volcanic soils with aromas of ripe yellow grapefruit, melon and a hint of wet straw. Medium-bodied with a silky texture that becomes slightly phenolic towards the end. A note of bitter lemon on the finish is exciting. Lots of crisp flavour, good freshness and length. SUPERIORE.DE

The Cotarellas dedicate a second Verdeluce to the "green heart of Italy": pure Vermentino from the hills around Montecchio near Orvieto. While the Bianco blend emphasises complexity and depth, the Vermentino plays the card of freshness and immediacy. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. The nose is clean and delicate: camomile, kumquat, yellow peach, a hint of Mediterranean herbs. Slender and light-footed on the palate, with lively acidity and that salty undertone that characterises good Vermentino. Uncomplicated in the best sense of the word – a wine for an aperitif, for seafood, for summer evenings. SUPERIORE.DE

This is the epitome of a trattoria or bistro wine with an unmistakable Alpine flavour. The Carménère and Merlot grapes are matured separately for 12 months, 80% in third and fourth passage barriques and 20% in stainless steel. This is followed by the blending of the "Carménère Più", which then matures for four months in stainless steel before being bottled. Before being released for sale, it is left to refine in the bottle for at least six months. Deep red colour with blue-violet reflections. Elegant aroma of small dark berries, cocoa and black pepper. Balanced on the palate with optimum freshness, fruity with well-integrated tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Il Poggiones Rosso di Montalcino is dark and youthful, with nuances of blackcurrant and liquorice balanced by ashy rock. Silky and enveloping on the palate with a savoury core of minerality and bright acids, followed by tart red berries. The wine finishes long and lightly structured, but is always fresh and asks for a short stay in the cellar before it can unfold its full charm. A truly straightforward and captivating Rosso in the style of the house. SUPERIORE.DE

Rosso Falerno del Massico presents itself with an intense aroma of black raspberries, cloves, rosemary and a hint of camphor. It fills the palate with soft, fleshy textures and ripe red berries, contrasted by salty-mineral tones and nuanced tannins. The finish is long and lightly textured, with a hint of violet-coloured floral notes. This is yet another fine vintage of Villa Matilde's Falerno del Massico Rosso, made mainly from Aglianico with a small proportion of Piedirosso. SUPERIORE.DE

An international white wine in a region that is world-famous for its great red wines? Pecchenino dared to try this experiment in Bossolasco at an altitude of 700 metres, and the challenge was mastered with flying colours. Here, where one would expect to find Arneis or Cortese, Riesling Renano thrives on calcareous soils with marl and white clay. The south-easterly exposure and the cool, high-altitude climate of the Alta Langa create ideal conditions for the crystalline acidity and aromatic precision that characterise great Rieslings from France and Germany. The grapes are harvested in mid-September when perfectly ripe, cooled to 12°C in the cellar and gently pressed. This is followed by ten months of ageing on the fine lees with repeated bâtonnage and a further six months of bottle ageing.

At the heart of the north-eastern Etna amphitheatre, where Silvia Maestrelli's vision turned to stone, lies Fessina: a name that sounds like a whisper through the volcanic winds. Here, in the Frazione Rovittello of Castiglione di Sicilia, between two ancient lava flows from 1809 and 1911, a dream came true in 2007. Silvia, the pioneer – a Tuscan with a Milanese soul and a Sicilian heart – was the first woman on the volcano to recognise the extraordinary potential of this difficult, masculine earth. With the tenacity of a visionary and the sensitivity of a "female oenological vision", she created a refuge of excellence after long negotiations with the countless owners of the fragmented plots.