Organic

The combination of two such different personalities as Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon blend brilliantly in Grifi, giving this wine a unique character. The Cabernet gives the wine an extra kick of depth in the mid-palate as well as a tannic backbone that gives the wine plenty of persistence and energy.

Intense ruby red, persistent, fruity bouquet with notes of wild berries, violets, cloves and cinnamon as well as sweet tobacco flavours. Rich and velvety on the palate, with an abundance of ripe red fruit and tactile mineral tones, complemented by a hint of sage. The lively acidity provides balance. On the finish, the spicy tones merge with a pleasant fruity flavour. An unbeatable wine every year at a very attractive price! SUPERIORE.DE

Monica Raspi remembers: "I took my first steps as a winemaker in the Omino vineyard. The grapes grown here produce the wine that is the absolute benchmark for my very personal interpretation of the Sangiovese grape."

There are words that tell more than entire stories. Sgarzon: In the ancient dialect of Campo Rotaliano, it means "young shoot", "sapling" and embodies the essence of youthful vitality and the impetuous vigour of new beginnings. This name is the programme for a Teroldego that revolutionises conventional ideas of this powerful grape variety. Just one kilometre from the famous Morei vineyard as the crow flies, but completely different in character, is the 2.5-hectare Sgarzon vineyard. Here, the Noce River has deposited sandy sediments over thousands of years, creating a cooler, more open microzone. While other Teroldego vineyards are already harvesting their grapes, the Sgarzon berries ripen a week longer – a decisive difference that gives this wine its exceptional finesse.

For some years now, Matteo Catania has been holding back a few hundred bottles of his wines in the best vintages in order to offer them to his most loyal importers after a few years. From this "private reserve" comes Neromaccarj 2011, which is now - in spring 2023 - offered in small quantities with 8 years of further bottle ageing quasi in Riserva quality.

Between light and shade, between strength and elegance, sometimes only a few hundred metres decide the character of a wine. Less than ten minutes' walk from Sgarzon, but geologically in a different world, lies Morei, "the dark one" in the old Trentino dialect. Here, on the warmer, rockier terrain of Campo Rotaliano, Elisabetta Foradori has been writing another exciting chapter in the Teroldego story since 1984. The name says it all: where Sgarzon embodies youthful freshness, Morei reveals the deep, mineral soul of this extraordinary grape variety. The 2.5-hectare plot rests on the ancient riverbed of the Noce, where thousands of years of erosion have left behind a mosaic of pebbles, sand and dolomite rock. This stony matrix stores the heat of the dolomite sun and releases it to the vines at night – a natural heat reservoir that gives Teroldego its characteristic depth and concentration.

Sangioveto, which consists of 100% organic Sangiovese, is grown in cool locations at an altitude of 260 to 370 metres with a south-westerly exposure. In the past, Sangiovese was called "Sangioveto" or "San Zoveto". It represents a refined expression from this particular part of the appellation and a very faithful interpretation of the Tuscan grape.

This Riserva is only made available each year in very small quantities to hand-picked specialist retailers and top restaurants. Brilliant ruby red colour. Fine raspberry and floral notes dominate the spicy nose. Very juicy on the palate, tannins and acidity are well integrated. Riecines Riserva has length and suppleness right through to the long fruity finish. The elegance and fine melting texture are impressive. Once again, this is Sangiovese at the top level that Riecine is known for! SUPERIORE.DE

Countess Sophie Goëss-Enzenberg, who runs the estate together with her husband Michael, gave her name to this Chardonnay. A wine that combines elegance with determination, finesse with power. Half of the grapes come from two contrasting worlds: Terlan Lieben Aich at 300 metres, exposed to the west, where loamy sandy soil on volcanic porphyry nourishes Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. And Kaltern Mazzon – the steepest vineyard in Manincor, the "Leiten" with a gradient of up to 100 per cent. Here, Chardonnay and Viognier are rooted between 350 and 400 metres in calcareous loess loam, facing south-west towards the light. Two soils, two microclimates, one vision. The destemmed berries macerate in the press for four hours – longer than the Eichhorn, shorter than the Sauvignons. Finesse is the top priority, the pressing process is slow and careful. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden barrels of various sizes, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees. Here, the aroma and structure are refined into the density that characterises Sophie.

This Riesling is an exceptional phenomenon: it grows on the black, barren lava soils of northern Etna at an altitude of almost 900 metres – in a microclimate that is almost alpine. The grapes come from the historic Contrada Sciaranuova, a place shaped by the massive eruption of 1614. Wines of salty tension, cool precision and a depth that is unrivalled in southern Italy are produced here. Fermentation and ageing take place exclusively in stainless steel in order to preserve freshness and pure expression of origin. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with a silver sheen. Crystal-clear citrus notes, green apple, white peach, smoke and a fine hint of petrol on the nose – subtle, not overpowering. Vibrant and slender on the palate, with focussed acidity, mineral density and a long, almost crystalline final. Great with oysters, scallops or purist Japanese cuisine. SUPERIORE.DE

In the hallowed halls of Casòn Hirschprunn, where history and innovation meet in the vaults of the 13th century, a red wine is created that epitomises the future of South Tyrolean viticulture. Here, in the middle of the 30 hectares of biodynamic vineyards between 230 and 360 metres above sea level, Alois Lageder ventured a visionary experiment in the 1980s: the cultivation of Tannat, an exotic grape variety from south-west France that proved to be exceptionally suitable for the Alpine future in the face of climate change. "Negli ultimi anni, ci siamo appassionati sempre di più al Tannat" – the Lageder family confesses their growing passion for this exceptional variety, which is immediately recognisable in the vineyard thanks to its characteristic red leaf stalks. What began as an experimental curiosity developed into a philosophy: not to celebrate the typicality of individual grape varieties, but to let the unique terroir of a vineyard speak for itself – a guiding principle based on the great châteaux of the Bordelais.

A summer that Europe remembers as hot – and Montalcino as surprising. The vines of Col d'Orcia, deeply rooted in the calcareous, clay-poor soils of the Orcia hill, showed in 2020 what biodynamic cultivation means in years of stress: resilience. Early bud burst after a mild winter, followed by a balanced spring with well-distributed rainfall. The summer remained warm, but without extreme heat phases – sporadic downpours at the end of August cooled the soil at the last moment and allowed the grapes to develop aromatic compounds instead of simply ripening. In addition, there were pronounced day-night temperature differences in September. Harvest from mid-September, clean and structured. The result has a character that Montalcino connoisseurs describe as "captivante": simultaneously accessible and enigmatic. Maceration for 18 to 20 days, shallow 150-hl steel tanks, gentle extraction. Three years in large barrels, twelve months in the bottle: Col d'Orcia's traditional vinification process – unchanged for decades because it works.

It was 2007 when Marc de Grazia tasted a 42-year-old Carricante for the first time – and that moment changed everything. Three different occasions, three different bottles, but always the same revelation: a wine of such impeccable beauty and youthful vigour despite its venerable age that the Etna pioneer knew immediately: he wanted to create a wine like this himself. This vision gave rise to Le Vigne Niche Santo Spirito, a homage to the past and at the same time a manifesto for the future. In the Contrada Santo Spirito, at an altitude of 700 to 800 metres in Castiglione di Sicilia, the Carricante vines thrive on deep black volcanic soil, rich in ash from past eruptions. Here, where for centuries only red grapes were cultivated, Marc dared to do the seemingly impossible: world-class, single-varietal white crus.

Sometimes a great vintage needs a little scare first. In April 2021, the thermometer dropped to minus seven degrees in parts of Montalcino – late frost, which hit the more sensitive sites and reduced the harvest to around 15 per cent below the previous year. What was a loss for some farms proved to be a gift for quality. Fewer grapes, more concentration. The surviving vines seemed to know what was at stake. The rest of the year followed the textbook pattern of classic Brunello meteorology: regular spring, hot and dry summer – then two decisive rain events in the second half of August, which gave the vineyards water and the grapes their final aromatic complexity. The September nights cooled the Sant'Angelo vineyard in Colle to temperatures that distinguish phenolic ripeness from genuine elegance. Harvest did not start until mid to late September – patiently waited, fully redeemed.

Smells intensely of redcurrants and black cherries, leather, spices and liquorice. Lush and flowing on the palate, all elements merge into a great, striking wine. Great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Fresh, vibrant and full of energy, Geremia 2019 is highly entertaining and lively. Its flavours are remarkably intense, yet it also has a certain lightness that keeps it balanced and brilliant with every sip. Crushed stones, menthol, liquorice, sage and gravel envelop its core of blue and violet fruits, the tannins are well-built and it convinces not least with its beautiful length. Geremia always has something magical about it and its special personality makes it one of the most remarkable red wines from the Chianti Classico region for us every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Geremia founded the Ricasoli family in the 7th or 8th century – at a time when Chianti was not yet a wine name, but a battleground between rival noble families. Today, his descendant Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi runs the same estate, on the same land, in Gaiole in Chianti. And he gave this wine the name of his ancestor. This is piquant in that the Geremia is not a Sangiovese. Marco planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon on 2.5 hectares of his hills in 1997 – consciously, curiously, with a clear question: what does this terroir say in another language? The chalky-clay soils between 340 and 510 metres, the south-southeast exposure, the microclimate between Florence and Siena – everything that characterises Sangiovese is also available to the Bordeaux varieties here. Hand-picked in baskets, fermentation in temperature-controlled tanks, 24 months in medium-roasted Allier barriques, bottled unfiltered, 18 months bottle ageing. Certified organic.

In the history of the Campolungo vineyard, thousands of years of Tuscan viticultural culture merge with visionary dedication to perfection. These historic terraces between 420 and 580 metres above sea level were already recognised as exceptional by the Romans and have been considered one of the cradles of fine Chianti since the 19th century. The 2018 tells the story of a special climatic favour: after a hot, dry summer, the extreme altitude of Lamole preserved the crystalline freshness that makes Campolungo one of the most exceptional single vineyards in Tuscany. Pure Sangiovese from hand-picked grapes of exceptional aromatic intensity. After careful hand-picking and visual selection of the best grapes, a two-week fermentation with skin contact takes place in traditional wooden vats. Thirty months of ageing in oak barrels, supplemented by a small proportion in French barriques, create a wine of multi-layered complexity and elegance.

Bionzo is a hamlet near Costigliole d'Asti, around 15 kilometres south-east of Alba – not a famous name, not a long headline. But here, on five hectares of calcareous clay and marl soils with a southern exposure, 250 metres above sea level, are Barbera vines that have been rooting through the same soil for more than six decades. La Spinetta has been vinifying one of the most characterful representatives of this denomination since 1998. Giorgio Rivetta's conviction that 90 per cent of the quality comes from the vineyard is evident here: no herbicides, no artificial fertilisers, horses instead of tractors to keep the soil alive. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled tanks for 14 to 15 days, malolactic fermentation and subsequent ageing take place in French oak barrels – 20 per cent new, the rest second fermentation. Then bottle ageing. Certified organic.

Pinot Nero from Etna has long been the dream of the Planeta family. And the experiment has been a success: Eruzione 1614 offers many positive surprises, starting with a strong varietal identity: the natural characteristics of the grape variety surpass the obvious intensity and energy of this volcanic region. It is probably one of the most Burgundian interpretations of the grape variety in Italy (alongside Alto Adige). The purity and freshness of the wine, with its many aromatic details such as cassis, wild berries, lilac and violets, is rounded off at the end by interesting notes of crushed volcanic rock. Die-hard fans of Pinot Nero will be delighted. SUPERIORE.DE

The 2019 vintage leaves no doubt about its origin from a top vintage in Montalcino. The fruit for Poggio Landis Brunello is harvested at altitudes of 200 to 300 metres above sea level. Interesting aromas of wild cherry, plum and crushed flowers. Taut, polished yet traditional character on the palate. It fits perfectly into the house style, which favours an elegant and less extract-rich approach. A highly sophisticated charmer across the board. SUPERIORE.DE

While Santo Spirito unfolds its floral elegance at an altitude of 700 to 800 metres, Calderara Sottana is rooted in a completely different world. Only a few kilometres away, yet geologically different, this contrada lies at an altitude of 620 to 670 metres directly next to the winery – and here the extraordinary complexity of the Etna terroir is revealed. Marc de Grazia discovered one of Sicily's rarest treasures in Calderara Sottana: pure elliptical terroir, formed 60,000 years ago by volcanic eruptions. Of the hundreds of contrade on Etna, only three have this pristine geological fingerprint and Calderara is one of them. While the Santo Spirito impresses with its crystalline minerality and maritime freshness, the Calderara Sottana is more opulent, creamy and warmer.

The name Pin honours Giuseppe "Pin" Rivetti, the paternal driving force behind this family and founder of La Spinetta. His Rosso Monferrato is more than just a cuvée – it is a personal legacy made from 65% Nebbiolo (from aged vines from Castagnole Lanze/Neive) and 35% Barbera d'Asti (Bionzo parcel). Each grape variety was vinified separately – fermentation on the skins for around 7-8 days in rotary fermenters at a controlled temperature, followed by malolactic fermentation in French wood. Ageing took place for 16-18 months in used, medium-toasted barriques before the two components matured in stainless steel tanks for a further two months, followed by 15 months of bottle ageing without filtration.

Altrovino is a fine blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Intense, rich ruby red colour. Opulent aroma of black fruit, leather and tobacco. Graceful and very charming on the palate, multi-layered flavours, velvety and long. Already a harmonious pleasure today, this wine will enjoy a continuous career. SUPERIORE.DE