Brunello is not a wine for the impatient. Four years of aging are required, and five for the Riserva. No other dry wine in Italy requires so much time before it even comes onto the market. So when a Brunello appears, it has already passed its most important test: patience. Now this special phase in the Brunello lover’s calendar begins again. The first Brunello Annata 2021 and Riserva...

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When the days are cold and clear, wines that perfectly reflect this character are ideal: cool contours, precise fruit, and a minerality that is not decorative but supportive. South Tyrol and Trentino have been delivering precisely this profile for years. Their white wines shine with crystalline clarity and tension, their red wines gain in format, elegance and expression of origin. Italy’s...

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Italy’s sparkling wines have undergone a remarkable development in recent years. Origin, structure and ageing ability are now clearly in the foreground. The latest report by Vinous author Eric Guido categorises this dynamic as historic. Never before has the stylistic range of high-quality Italian sparkling wines been so broad, particularly in the case of classically fermented qualities. Four...

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“One thing is clear: there has never been as much good wine as there is today. Everywhere and especially in Tuscany." With these words, VINUM editor-in-chief Christian Eder opens the anniversary edition of the tenth edition of “Top of Tuscany”. A sentence that aptly describes the region. Tuscany remains one of the most dynamic and fascinating wine landscapes in Italy – diverse, powerful and...

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2023 presented Friuli with rarely seen challenges. A cool, wet spring favoured severe downy mildew, followed by devastating hailstorms in July. Many winegrowers lost large parts of their harvest, but it was precisely in this extreme situation that wines of remarkable clarity were produced. Strict selection and precise vinification led to a style that redefined Friuli: rich in finesse, mineral,...

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From an insignificant region to an international wine legend – in just five decades, the Tuscan coast has achieved what other regions dream of. What once began as an experiment in the hills of Bolgheri is now a symbol of Italian excellence. Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Guado al Tasso – names that have long been mentioned in the same breath as Bordeaux. Italy’s “Gold Coast”, as connoisseurs call...

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We have always selected our range with the utmost care and the newly published Tre Bicchieri wines from the Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia 2026 once again confirm our instinct. Although the print edition is still being printed, you can already find over 50 current award winners in our store, stored in a perfectly climate-controlled environment, of course. The Gambero Rosso has been recognised...

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For the 22nd time, top international experts gathered at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) to judge outstanding wines from all corners of the world. With more than 18,000 entries from 57 countries - including 2,689 Italian wines - the 2025 competition had another record year. This means that the DWWA remains the undisputed largest and most influential wine competition in the world. The...

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Monica Larner, Antonio Galloni, James Suckling and other renowned wine critics have impressively described in their vintage reports that the entire region has been on the move since the 2020 Brunello vintage at the latest. An awakening that is partly due to the fact that there were few distractions in the first year of coronavirus and the winemakers' entire focus was on working in nature....

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For many, Etna is currently the most exciting wine-growing region in Europe. Because what has happened here in the past two decades is simply phenomenal. For a long time, Sicilian wines were seen as Italy’s answer to the New World. However, after the boom in international grape varieties, winemakers are now focussing on local varieties. Particularly in the Etna hotspot, but also in other...

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In the autumn of 2024, the tasting team from the gourmet magazine FALSTAFF turned its attention to the vintages currently available on the west coast of Tuscany: “Bolgheri and the surrounding areas on the coast of Tuscany are among the most outstanding wine-growing regions in Italy. Thanks to the high intensity of light and the mild climate, wines with intense fruit and polished tannins are...

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We are not the only ones who eagerly await this report year after year: Eric Guido, Vinous.com’s Italy specialist, writes about the latest developments in what is probably Italy’s most dynamic wine region. “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I can’t help but be excited about the constant improvement in the quality of Sicilian wines. I believe that part of this leap in quality...

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When Eric Guido (Vinous.com) talks about the current status of the Veneto wine region, he rightly calls it “a constant process of development”. He writes: “Whether it is Valpolicella, Soave or one of the smaller production areas in the region, Veneto has undergone an enormous change in a seemingly very short period of time – mostly in a positive direction. However, in a region like...

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At the beginning of the year, we present the top wines from leading international critics. The second part of our short series features Antonio Galloni, who runs a “modern-day wine platform” with his team at Vinous.com, which involves readers in the communication process. The founder can look back on a proud career as one of the most influential critics in the wine world, including as...

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Over the next few weeks, we will be presenting the top wines from leading international critics. We will start with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, in which the world-renowned sommelier Monika Larner has been rating wines according to the 100-point system for years. The trade magazine “The Wine Advocate” (TWA) was founded in 1978 by Robert M. Parker Jr. The American Parker is regarded as one...

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Bibenda is a renowned Italian wine guide that is one of the most influential annual wine publications alongside Gambero Rosso and the Veronelli Guide. Bibenda’s rating principle is based on a scale of 1 to 5 grapes, with 5 grapes (Cinque Grappoli) being the highest award. This rating is only awarded to wines that stand out for their exceptional quality and distinctive character. Discover our...

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Dott. Daniele Cernilli, internationally renowned Italian wine journalist, co-founder and long-standing editor-in-chief of the renowned Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso, has had a new project close to his heart for a few years now: “Doctor Wine” - a very active and successful online platform about Italian wine, which is also published in English. In October 2014, his 550-page “Guida...

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When a new star has been rising in the wine critic firmament for 10 years, it is only a matter of time that we present the profound tasting notes and ratings to you as well. The wine critic and sommelier world champion Luca Gardini (born 1981) revealed his outstanding talent early on. He is now also known by the synonym “The Wine Killer” and publishes his profound tasting notes and rankings...

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The Slow Wine guide, first published in 2010, emerged from the Slow Food movement after they parted ways with the Gambero Rosso publishing house. The well-known Italian wine critics Giancarlo Gariglio and Fabio Giavedoni were able to recruit around 200 experienced tasters for their new project. The success after more than 10 years proves the editors right, because in all regions of Italy,...

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At the end of February, Monica Larner published for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate her first ratings of the Brunello di Montalcino 2017 and Riserva 2016 that came on the market this year. She rightly asks in her article and also immediately gives the answer: “And what is the soul of Brunello? The ideal is elegance. Few wine regions in the world have the potential to produce wines with such...

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Friuli lies in the far north-east of Italy, bordering South Tyrol and Austria to the north, Slovenia to the east, Venice to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Many small family wineries still cultivate ancient, little-known grape varieties and, of course, international varieties from Chardonnay and Sauvignon to Cabernet and Merlot have long been completely normal in the larger...

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“It is a vintage full of strength and purity, the result of a long growing season without extreme events. One that was warmer than 2014 and with much less rain, yet the water reserves were high due to the rainfall during the winter months. These reserves helped the vines through the dry, warm and sunny summer months, supplemented by cool night temperatures and just the right amount of rainfall...

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