Luca Maroni

In 1971, a successful textile merchant from Umbria bought an estate. Arnaldo Caprai wanted to make wine – no more, no less. What he didn't know was that the estate was called Val di Maggio, and the grape variety that grew on its hills would one day carry the name Montefalco into the world. It was Marco Caprai, the son, who recognised this potential. From 1988, he devoted himself to Sagrantino with a rigour that bordered on obsession – research partnership with the University of Milan, clone selection, new plantings, recalibration of the entire viticulture. Sagrantino, for centuries a monk's wine from Sicilian cellars, became an international great under his hands. And Valdimaggio, since 2012, is Caprai's most personal statement: named after the original estate, planted on 6,000 to 7,000 vines per hectare, on calcareous-clayey soils between 220 and 472 metres above sea level – the heart of the DOCG.

Maurizio Castelli does not like fancy names. That's why he took a simple but original approach to naming the estate and its top wine: 414 – which is the number of the vineyard in the region's land register. His Morellino has become a true Italian classic with a modern interpretation. The grapes come from biodynamically farmed hills around Scansano with deep-rooted Sangiovese. The 2023 vintage was characterised by warm, sunny weather and moderate ripeness, ideal for aromatic clarity and balance. Temperature control during maceration and a subsequent maturation phase of around 12 months in large wooden barrels characterise this wine.

Lis is a mixed blend of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and is one of the house's top wines. It has a wonderfully complex aroma of citrus and passion fruit, yellow apple and an initially barely perceptible flavour lead from the Sauvignon Bianco. All elements of this cuvée are equally and masterfully married on the palate, the mouthfeel is soft and round. This complex and at the same time elegant white wine, with its subtle pressure, whets the appetite for more and inevitably casts a spell over every Friuli fan. SUPERIORE.DE

At the beginning of the 20th century, Caterina Zardini lost her husband. What remained were ten children, a hundred hectares of land in the heart of Valpolicella Classica and a winery that her husband Carlo Campagnola had built up with passion – he had won the prize for the best Recioto in the region in 1907. Caterina could have handed over the estate. But she didn't. She took over the work and continued to run the winery with all her children, laying the foundations for five generations of a wine family that is still rooted in Marano di Valpolicella today. This Amarone bears her name, a tribute.

2017 was a year of drought in Sicily. Little rain, high temperatures, a yield of just 67 double centners per hectare – significantly below what San Lucio usually produces in more balanced years. The vines, accustomed for decades to this barren, calcareous soil, weathered the drought with the serenity of old Alberello vines. The blend for this vintage returns closely to the original proportions of 1959: 58% Nero d'Avola, 42% Perricone. Hand-harvested at 480 metres, south-southeast exposure, traditional fermentation in stainless steel, 20 days' maceration, 18 months in new French barriques made from Allier and Tronçais oak.

When you say Nebbiolo, you think of Piedmont. Of Barolo and Barbaresco, of decades in barrels, of tannins that need more time than almost any other variety. This image is correct – and yet incomplete. Nebbiolo was already in the Aosta Valley long before anyone started marketing it. Here it has a different name: Picotendro. And it does not grow on the famous hills of the Langhe, but in the glacial Fondovalle of Arnad and Issogne – in an alluvial riverbed formed by glaciers, on silty-sandy sedimentary soils, 350 metres above sea level, between north-west and south-east exposures.

On the nose, ripe plum, baking spice, menthol and new leather. On the elegantly structured, delicious palate, notes of ground pepper and liquorice accentuate a core of juicy black cherry and crushed raspberry, supported by a backbone of taut, refined tannins. The fresh acidity keeps it beautifully balanced. Racy and seductive. SUPERIORE.DE

The name pays tribute to the Butteri, those legendary horsemen of the Maremma who have been the symbol of this region for generations – powerful yet elegant. It refers to the long, tapered ash-wood herding staff with which the Butteri still guide their herds across the plains of the Maremma to this day. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah blend here to create a full-bodied, rich red wine – the Syrah component lends it particular depth without sacrificing the elegance and freshness typical of Rocca di Frassinello.

The Wolfstor – a name that commands respect. Andrian's flagship wine was one of South Tyrol's very first premium Lagrein wines. A true veteran of South Tyrolean quality winegrowing, one might say. Since its early days, the winery has been producing this Riserva from grapes grown in Gries near Bolzano, the traditional home of Lagrein. Gries is different. Here in the Bolzano region, the vines grow on warm, alluvial porphyry soils. The microclimate is warmer than elsewhere, the soils more well-drained, with more gravel and less clay. Perfect for Lagrein, which needs warmth and sunshine. The old vines yield concentrated grapes: low yields, maximum extraction. Vinification follows traditional methods. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by eighteen months in French barriques. Malolactic fermentation takes place entirely in the wood, which makes the tannins silky and rounded.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

"For me, Pinot Noir is the finest and, at the same time, the most challenging grape variety," Franz Haas once said. His father had always grown it, so his path was already mapped out – until one day he had the good fortune to taste an exceptional Grands Échezeaux from Burgundy. From that moment on, his real challenge began: to create a wine that would follow in its footsteps. Countless experimental batches over decades, using a wide variety of clones, fermentation and ageing methods, all pursued a goal that had already been his father's: the perfect Pinot Nero. Franz Haas dedicated a specially designed artist's label to this wine, which embodies his entire passion for the most challenging of all grape varieties: Riccardo Schweizer designed it for the first vintage of 1987 – released in 1990 – and thus gave the wine its name. To this day, this wine is not produced every year: it is only released if it meets his own exacting standards.

It was 1959 when Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita set his sights on a hill on his Regaleali estate, which the farmers simply called San Lucio – after the small chapel that stood at the top. He planted Perricone and Nero d'Avola on this hill, in the heart of Sicily, far from any seashore, on clayey soil at an altitude of around 500 metres. Both ripened late, both deeply rooted in the island. What followed was no ordinary wine, but an assertion: that Sicily needs no apology. The first Rosso del Conte was produced from the 1970 harvest and was the island's first single-vineyard cru – at a time when Sicily was primarily known for mass-produced wines and the rest of Italy hardly looked at it. Count Giuseppe wanted to create a red wine that could compete with the world's great reds – without Cabernet, without Merlot, without a foreign language. Only the island itself.

Around 280 million years ago, the Bolzano quartz porphyry was formed by volcanic heat. Subsequent geological movements mixed it with the dolomite and limestone of the Mendel Ridge, and near Andrian, this has formed a conical hill of reddish, limestone-rich loam containing angular, white dolomite boulders. The soil is loose, well-aerated and neutral in pH; it maintains a balance of water, and the vines have deep roots. Pinot Noir is grown there at an altitude of 470 metres. Its grapes come from late-harvested vines and are harvested by hand, yielding 40 hectolitres per hectare, before being taken to the cellar. Fermentation takes place on the must in stainless steel tanks, under controlled conditions with gentle stirring of the must. Barriques are used for malolactic fermentation and ageing, as the estate deliberately ages its selection wines with more oak than its classic wines.

The Bòggina vineyard was planted in 1947 by Gastone Bazzocchi, the grandfather of the family who currently own the estate, making it the estate's oldest vineyard. When Petrolo began bottling its Sangiovese from this plot separately in 2011, the family opted for a vessel that dates back further in Tuscan history than any barrique: the terracotta amphora, crafted according to the tradition of the potters of Impruneta, which traces back to the region's Etruscan heritage. In 300- andLiters, the single-varietal Sangiovese ferments spontaneously with minimal sulphur, being punched down by hand rather than pumped. The must remains on the skins for around eight months before the wine matures for a further six months in the same vessel – without wood, but with the slight permeability to oxygen provided by the fired clay, which prevents reduction without robbing the fruit of its character.

Here, where Ornellaia once sourced its grapes before Marilisa Allegrini acquired this blessed land in 2002, a vision has been thriving since 2008 that only found its perfect form in 2019: Sondraia Bianco - a pure Viognier of such exceptional character that it effortlessly transcends the borders between the Rhône and Tuscany. From just 4.5 hectares, planted in 2008 with a density of 7,936 vines per hectare, a few thousand bottles of a wine are produced each year that epitomises the philosophy of three worlds: Stainless steel for purity of fruit, terracotta amphorae for the verticality of antiquity and French oak barrels for structural depth. The result of this composition is a wine of golden-yellow splendour that already tells its story in the glass.

Terre Brune: A monument to Sardinian winemaking, shaped by the year 2020, which, with its balance between heat and cool nights, has wonderfully captured the essence of the island. For Terre Brune, this meant a late harvest accompanied by cool nights. The result: ripeness in harmony with freshness, expressive and enriching. The foundation for the winery's flagship wine is provided by old Carignano vines (95 per cent), complemented by a touch of Bovaleddu (5 per cent), growing on loamy-sandy, limestone-interlaced soil amidst the salty breeze of the Sulcis terraces. The vines withstand wind, heat and drought with stoic elegance; their strength lies in the terroir. Following traditional, temperature-controlled fermentation, Terre Brune is aged for 16–18 months in barriques, followed by a year in the bottle – a meticulous ageing process that intertwines structure and harmony.

An old, disused railway line runs through the countryside of Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna. It no longer goes anywhere – the rails are rusting, the land is slowly becoming overgrown. But it still exists as a border. It separates the Contrada Cottanera from the Contrada Diciasettesalme. And it gives this wine its precise geographical name: "beyond the railway". Diciasettesalme is one of the oldest vineyard names in Etna viticulture. Its name comes from a historical Sicilian unit of measurement – the salma, an area that a mule could plough in one day. Seventeen of these correspond to around 25 hectares. On this land, Nerello Mascalese grows on black lava sands and clay-rich volcanic soils at an altitude of 750 to 800 metres – one of the coolest and most exposed sites in the entire appellation area.

Mare Antico pays homage to the marine fossils and shells found in the soils of Orvieto. It wafts up like a cool breeze from a mountain peak, its intriguing bouquet blending crushed rock with raw almonds, a hint of sage, ginger and flint. Mare Antico flows across the palate with skilful ease, long and citrus-driven. It also possesses a lovely inner sweetness, contrasted by candied lime and salty minerals. It finishes with structure and crispness, featuring a crisp green apple and a lingering acidity that leaves you craving the next sip.

In the vineyards of Rancia Piccola and Poggiolo, where a Benedictine monastery once watched over the hills of Castelnuovo Berardenga, a quiet revolution has been taking place since 1987. Maestro Raro – the rare master – bears the name of the legendary vineyard parcel, also known as "Mastro Raro", which neighbours the famous Rancia vineyard. Here, the Poggiali family dared to do the seemingly impossible: to breathe the terroir of Fèlsina into the world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon, that magical place where normally only Sangiovese performs at its best.

Volpaia – the foxhole. High above Radda in Chianti, at 450 to 650 metres above sea level, the vineyards of Castello di Volpaia are located on the highest slopes of the appellation. The medieval borgo, first mentioned in a document in 1172, has belonged to the Mascheroni-Stianti family since 1966, who consistently farm organically here. The altitude shapes the character: sandstone soils, cool nights and long ripening periods give the Sangiovese (supplemented by 10% Merlot) a freshness and elegance that would be hard to achieve in warmer locations. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured for twelve months in large oak barrels.

Marciliano is a truly ambitious Cabernet cuvée from the Sangiovese-dominated Montecchio/Orvieto region and reflects uncompromising quality and craftsmanship. The 2019 vintage was characterised by mild but structure-enhancing weather conditions: cool nights during the harvest phase and warm days that perfectly balanced the ripeness of the aromas. In the glass, it has a dense ruby red colour with a garnet red hue. The nose intones ripe sour cherry, stewed plums, ripe wild berries, and further develops smoke, leather, hints of white truffle and a touch of vanilla and cedar wood. Powerful yet polished on the palate – clearly structured, with fine-grained, ripe tannins, lively acidity and a substrate-rich, spicy texture. The ageing in barriques was selectively dosed and supports the spiciness without masking the varietal typicity. Marciliano is a serious, mature red wine with depth and potential. Expressive, focussed and with a lasting finish – a lasting ambassador of modern Umbria. SUPERIORE.DE

The name Cont'Ugo refers to a Tuscan nobleman named Ugo della Gherardesca, whose family has been linked to the Bolgheri area for centuries. It symbolises the aristocratic character of the Maremma, which can still be felt today in combination with the wild coastal landscape. For Marchese Antinori, owner of the Guado al Tasso winery, the name is a tribute to origin and character: noble, independent and deeply rooted. The 2022 vintage of this single-varietal Merlot comes from high-altitude, well-aerated plots with loamy soils and is matured for 12 months in French oak, partly new and partly used.

Bucine, Valdarno di Sopra – where the Arno meanders through rolling hills between Arezzo and Florence, Fattoria Petrolo lies at an altitude of between 250 and 500 metres. In 1988, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust wanted to create a wine that would convey the true identity of this terroir: the "Château" of Petrolo, a tribute to the centuries-old Tuscan tradition of blending French grape varieties with Sangiovese. As early as 1834, Giorgio Perrin, an agronomist of Swiss origin and owner of Petrolo, reported in the *Giornale Agrario Toscano* as early as 1834 that it was customary in Chianti to blend "uve francesi" with Sangiovese, not to alter the quality, but because the terroir prevails over the grape varieties.