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The name was no coincidence. "Habemus" – we have it. The phrase that falls from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica when the cardinals have reached an agreement. Emanuele Pangrazi chose it deliberately: Viterbo, the capital of Tuscia, was itself a papal residence in the 13th century when Rome was too dangerous – when Rome was too dangerous. The same city, the same history, only the wine was different back then. Pangrazi set out to change that in 2006. The vineyards are located at 300 to 400 metres in Blera, on heavy, stony clay soils with southern exposure. No artificial fertilisers, no chemicals – only spring water and plant-based products. All vines are trained as Alberello, the bushy single vine training of the Mediterranean region, with 11,000 plants per hectare. The yield remains at 25 quintals – two small, loose grapes per vine, with thick skins and little pulp. Concentration as a natural principle.

Named after an iron-rich cave in the region, this wine symbolises what characterises the Sulcis in southern Sardinia: rough, warm, mineral and yet full of charm – and yet full of charm. The Carignano grapes come from old vines rooted in the calcareous, clayey-sandy soils around Santadi. The Mediterranean climate with warm days and cool nights promotes ripeness and freshness in equal measure. After temperature-controlled fermentation and completed malolactic fermentation, the wine matures traditionally in cement tanks.

Arneis means "little rascal" in Piedmontese – the little pain in the arse. Difficult to grow, prone to over-ripening, almost forgotten for decades. Bruno Giacosa was one of two producers who saved the grape variety from extinction in the late 1960s by bottling and marketing it as a single variety – at a time when hardly anyone understood why. Today, it is impossible to imagine the Roero without Arneis. And the Giacosa specimen remains the reference. The grapes come from selected vineyards in Vezza d'Alba, Monteu Roero, Santo Stefano Roero, Canale and Montà d'Alba – long-standing suppliers that Bruno Giacosa has personally selected. Foreign vineyards, own signature. 23 to 34-year-old vines on the sandy soils of the Roero, the ancient seabed north of the Tanaro, which gives the Arneis a natural lightness and aromatic strength that clay terroirs never achieve. Vinification purist: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, 25 to 30 days, without malolactic fermentation – the freshness and acidity remain intact. Four months sur lie, one month bottle ageing. Bottled in February 2025, no wood, no intervention that is not necessary.

Montalcino is a hill. To be more precise: a single large cone of limestone, marl, slate and sand that rises above the Val d'Orcia – exposed to the north, south-east and south-west, characterised by three completely different climates. Most of the producers in the appellation have access to one of these slopes. Val di Suga has all three. Vigna del Lago in the north-west, Poggio al Granchio in the south-east, Vigna Spuntali in the south-west. Three soils, three microclimates, three characters – and a single winery that unites them all under one roof. The basic Brunello is the result of this unique position: a cuvée from all three sites that does not aim for simplification, but for synthesis. Fermentation takes eight to twelve days at a controlled temperature, with maceration lasting a further two to three weeks. Maturation in traditional 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months, followed by six months in concrete and then the bottle. The 2021 vintage brought a late frost in April – the harvest was reduced, the quality concentrated. A dry summer without extreme heat, a long, even autumn. The Consorzio and a jury of eight Masters of Wine agreed on three words to characterise the vintage: fragrant, precise, vertical.

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.

Serralunga d'Alba is not a place for compromises. The soil here – calcareous marl soils, millions of years old, compacted and rich in minerals – forms Barolos with a structure and depth that simply cannot be found elsewhere. The MGA Cerretta is located on the south-eastern slope of the municipal area, at an altitude of 350 to 365 metres, in the zone that winegrowers and critics have appreciated for generations for its extraordinary combination of power and finesse. The Rosso family has been cultivating these vineyards since the 1890s – first Giovanni, then his son Davide, who took over responsibility in 2001 at the age of 27 and since then has made a single sentence the guiding principle of his work: Wine should be a perfect reflection of its terroir.

Flaminia Maremmana. The name tells of paths that are older than Rome itself. Along an ancient branch of the Via Flaminia, the consular road that connected Rome with the Adriatic Sea from 220 BC, shepherds travelled with their flocks century after century: From the green Umbrian hills down to the Maremma, to the Transumanza, the seasonal transhumance that characterised the life of this landscape until the 20th century. Here, where sheep and shepherds once rested, where history is inscribed in the earth, the vines for this special Montefalco Rosso grow today. First vinified in 2007, it carries the soul of this historic terroir. The cuvée of seventy per cent Sangiovese, fifteen per cent Sagrantino and fifteen per cent Canaiolo thrives on south-east-facing limestone-clay soils.

The name says it all, as this is a rosato that is reminiscent of the unconventional times of 1968 in terms of its lightness and vivacity. In the glass, it has a radiant, delicate peach-pink colour – almost as if a sunrise had taken wing. A floral bouquet of grapefruit, pineapple, apricot and wild meadow flowers heralds various adventures. On the palate, it remains dancingly light, with bone-clear acidity and crisp fruit, slightly salty notes and an expression of redcurrants round off the picture. Unfiltered, direct, fresh – an invigorating counterpoint to everyday grey life. Flower Power combines Sangiovese with reductive clarity, drinkability and catchiness – puristic, pink and full of emotion. SUPERIORE.DE

Tramin, the heart of South Tyrolean viticulture – and Hofstätter has been its most reliable interpreter for generations. "De Vite" is Martin Foradori-Hofstätter's entry into the world of white wines: a cuvée of Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc and Müller-Thurgau, vinified in steel, focussed on freshness and drinkability. Light yellow in colour with greenish reflections, lively in the glass. The nose reveals green apples, a hint of lemongrass and delicate elderflower – clear, inviting, alpine. Precise acidity on the palate, good balance, a light, invigorating finish. A direct and beautiful wine for the moment, without detours, without any claim to great complexity, but with the typical Hofstätter sense of care even in simplicity. SUPERIORE.DE

In the wide plain around Bolgheri – between the hills of the Alta Maremma and the nearby Tyrrhenian coast – the Vermentino thrives on ideal terrain. The vines benefit from the interplay of sea breeze and warmth, sandy, well-drained soils and careful harvest at optimum ripeness. Guado al Tasso vinifies a precise, clearly contoured white wine with a Mediterranean soul and remarkable tension.

Since 1897, Nino Negri has been the house that represents Valtellina to the outside world – and the Quadrio is one of its most reliable ambassadors. The name refers to the 15th century Castello Quadrio di Chiuro, the ancestral seat of the winery, named after Stefano Quadrio, once governor of Valtellina. Today, cellar master Danilo Drocco, a Nebbiolo purist from Alba, manages the winemaking process with a Piedmontese view of the Alps – and brings precisely this tension to the wine. Quadrio is a cuvée made from 90% Chiavennasca – the local name for Nebbiolo – and 10% Merlot, whose terraced fruit gently balances out the alpine austerity. The grapes come from south to south-east exposed steep slopes at 350–500 metres, on sandy limestone soils behind dry stone walls, harvested by hand as they have always been. Maceration in steel for ten days, followed by 18 months in large Slavonian and French oak barrels.

Vino Nobile is Montepulciano's answer to Tuscany's big question: What can Sangiovese do if you give it time? At Gracciano, the answer has been the same since the 19th century – and it has not changed. The Tenuta della Seta Ferrari Corbelli Greco family is one of the oldest addresses in the appellation, its vineyards on the Rovisci, Maramai and Toraia crus lie at 300 to 350 metres in south to south-easterly exposure, on clay soils that allow the Prugnolo Gentile to ripen slowly and fully, which is exactly what it needs. 90 per cent Prugnolo Gentile, ten per cent Merlot – a classic Gracciano assemblage. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 20 to 25 days of maceration in steel, then 18 months of ageing: 40 per cent in French tonneaux of 3.5 and 5 hectolitres, 60 per cent in large oak barrels from France and Slavonia.

The grapes for Carluccio "Carlo" Negri, named after the winery's pioneer, come from vineyards in the DOC and DOCG areas of Valtellina on the slopes of the Rhaetian Alps along the right bank of the River Adda. The region's world-famous sfursat is produced by the natural drying of the grapes, favoured by the cool, dry winds from the mountains. In the "fruttaio", the fruit shed, they lose almost 30% of their weight during this process. The result is a unique Nebbiolo: rich and intense, with the typical mineral and fresh character of Alpine wines.

Anthìlia is Donnafugata's "ancient white rock", named after the ancient town of Entella and a tribute to the roots of Contessa Entellina. Born as the first wine of the house, it is still a shining classic in the portfolio today. Pale yellow in colour with delicate greenish reflections. The nose reveals a lively basket of aromas of white peach and fine citrus notes, accompanied by fragrant wild flowers that combine lightness and freshness. Clear and juicy on the palate: pure fruit, a pleasant salty coolness and an elegant finish. Goes perfectly with raw fish, fried vegetables, vegetable tarts or mild cream cheese – a Mediterranean white wine that is an uncomplicated delight and enriches everyday life with style. SUPERIORE.DE

At some point in the history of Nals Margreid, the Gambero Rosso even declared Sirmian to be the best white wine in Italy. We are not surprised. Above Nals, in the Sirmian district, the slopes lie between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. South-east facing, alpine climate: mild summers, cool autumns, a long growing season that ends in mid-October with the harvest. The soil is a geological archive: Permeable glacial moraine of limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble, deposited millions of years ago by glaciers in the Western Alps, resting on porphyry, the volcanic bedrock of the bedrock.

Soave has an image problem with many – wrongly so. Anyone who believes that the name stands for pale white wine with no origin is not yet familiar with the eastern hills of Colognola ai Colli. Here, on volcanic soils with sulphurous minerality, Garganega grows with a precision that one would not expect. Monte di Colognola bears the name of its UGA – the Additional Geographical Unit, one of the largest and westernmost hills in the denomination.

Nero di Troia was long the well-kept secret of northern Apulia – used in cuvées, rarely in its pure form. Torrevento changed this in 1993: the Vigna Pedale was the first single-varietal Nero di Troia in the world. Since then, it has been the flagship of the winery – and has left the Gambero Rosso with no choice but to award it the highest rating eight times in a row up to the current 2019 vintage.

Some wineries tell their story on display boards. At Fuligni, it hangs on the walls. The palazzo in the centre of Montalcino dates back to the 17th century – the Medici resided here and a Spanish princess left a room that still bears her name today. Underneath, deeper than the palazzo itself, are the cellars: built at the end of the 16th century, with vaulted ceilings in tecnica mista, completely naturally insulated. This is where the Brunello matures in Slavonian oak barrels. It also matured here when Giovanni Maria Fuligni came to Montalcino at the beginning of the 20th century – and it matures here, just as his ancestors made wine in the Maremma before him, without interruption, without abbreviation.

The Winkl has been vinified as a single variety since 1956 – at a time when Sauvignon Blanc was still a rarity in South Tyrol. Winery manager Rudi Kofler says that this grape variety has always felt at home around the oldest farms in the Terlan DOC area. You believe him when you taste the wine. The vineyards lie at 280 to 580 metres above sea level, exposed to the south-southwest, on steep to very steep slopes. The soil is quartz porphyry – volcanic primary rock, crystalline-mineral, with a slightly acidic pH value and an almost natural self-limitation in yields. It is precisely this microstress that produces the terroir's own polyphenols, which give Terlano wines their characteristic saltiness and tension. No other soil, no other result. Hand-picked, gentle whole-cluster pressing, slow fermentation – then 7 to 8 months on the fine lees, 80 per cent in steel, 20 per cent in large wooden barrels. This silent wood component only serves the texture, it gives the wine substance without masking its origin.

Italy's smallest wine region doesn't do things by halves. The Aosta Valley lies wedged between the highest peaks of the Alps, crossed by the Dora Baltea, characterised by moraine soils left behind by glaciers and a climate that demands everything from the vines: short summers, long winters, extreme temperature differences between day and night. Viticulture here is not a decision for the faint-hearted.

Sicily at altitude. The Insolia vines of Cusumano grow in the hills near Salemi and Monreale – with south-easterly exposure, slow ripening and pure mountain air. No drama, no feat of strength: the high altitude does the work. Hand-picked at the beginning of September, twelve hours of cold maceration at 8°C, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation at 18–20°C, four months on the fine lees in steel. Straw yellow colour, hawthorn, citrus peel, a hint of exotic fruit – fresh, delicate, with pleasant acidity and a light salty-mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Since its creation in 1998, Vitiano Rosso has been one of the most successful Italian red wines on the international market – a classic that masterfully combines tradition and modernity. The grapes grow on the hills around Orvieto, where sedimentary limestone-clay soils with volcanic influences form the basis, at an altitude of around 300 metres. The blend of one third each of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is vinified separately: Merlot contributes fullness and velvety texture, Cabernet Sauvignon lends structure and depth, while Sangiovese provides balance with its lively acidity.