Organic White Wine

The Vogelmaierhof is enthroned high above Lake Kaltern, where cool downdraughts blow through the side valley and give the Goldmuskateller its characteristic freshness. This organically farmed plot of land between 300 and 400 metres above sea level is a secret favourite in the Lageder range. The dry vinification process brings out the aromatic grape variety's full typicality: some of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches, while the rest matures for six months on the fine lees in stainless steel.

Three Moscati, three characters: La Spinetta adds a third voice to its trio with San Rocco. Since 1977, Bricco Quaglia and Biancospino have characterised the aromatic spectrum of the house – one with peach and sage, the other with citrus and floral freshness. The San Rocco finds its own place: the organically cultivated vines produce grapes of high ripeness and aromatic density.

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

Biancospino shines in the glass with a light straw yellow colour and a subtle greenish tinge. The nose already reveals delicate aromas of mandarin, lime and geranium blossom, livened up by salty minerality and white flowers. On the palate, a finely sparkling mousse, lively freshness, a delicate spicy note and aromatic support form a finish full of character. The ageing in stainless steel emphasises the clarity of the fruit and the typical Moscato notes – a finesse-rich, natural aperitif with plenty of vigour and elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

Chardonnay only arrived in Piedmont in the 19th century – late for a region with such a deep winemaking tradition. But in the municipalities of Fontanile and Castel Boglione, north of Nizza Monferrato, the grape variety found a soil that took it seriously: Marne di Sant'Agata Fossili, an alternation of fossilised marl and sandstone with a good proportion of limestone. The Bertolino family discovered this potential in the 1950s and 60s – at a time when the region's sparkling wine production demanded a Chardonnay of exceptional quality. Today, Tenuta Olim Bauda only produces a few thousand bottles from these vineyards. The grapes are harvest in the first week of September. Gentle pressing, only pre-fermentation must. 36 hours of contact with the fine lees at 5°C with bâtonnage for aromatic extraction, followed by static clarification. Fermentation in large 50-hectolitre wooden vats for around 15 days. Maturation in tonneaux, 10% of which are new, for around one year.

A real insider tip for lovers of elegant white wines: This Trebbiano shows what this grape variety can do outside the classic norm. It comes from biodynamic vineyards in a coastal location near Scansano, characterised by the influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The 2023 vintage was characterised by alternating sunny days and cool nights - ideal for aromatic clarity and finely balanced acidity. The wine was fermented cold in stainless steel and matured briefly to preserve varietal typicity and freshness.

Mussels in the vineyard? Not uncommon in Valdarno di Sopra. Where today Chardonnay vines take root at the foot of the Pratomagno, millions of years ago there was a lake – the metamorphic soils are criss-crossed with fossilised evidence of that era. The name "Lamelle" honours these grooves in the fossilised shells, which give the wine its unmistakable minerality. After being harvested by hand, the grapes are left to rest overnight at 5°C before being gently pressed. Pure stainless steel vinification at 16°C, two months on the fine lees – that's all it takes to capture the freshness of this terroir.

The Rivetti family, who have long since achieved fame with La Spinetta in Piedmont, found their Tuscan terroir for Vermentino in Terricciola. Sandy soils of marine origin, interspersed with oceanic sediments, characterise this white wine with its unmistakable minerality and salty freshness. The vines grow at an altitude of 250 metres on a south-easterly exposure and are cultivated organically. After manual harvesting, the must ferments spontaneously with natural yeasts, after which the wine rests for three to four months on the fine lees in stainless steel.

Goldmuskateller is one of the oldest grape varieties in South Tyrol, which until a few years ago was still considered moody and demanding. Manincor shows what this diva can become when given the right sites: Mareit Leiten at 350 metres, extremely steeply exposed to the south with warm gravel soils and moraine deposits. In addition, Vogelleiten and Panholzer with loamy limestone gravel soil – sites where the exuberant growth of the Muscat is tamed and reaches perfect ripeness. The destemmed berries macerate in the press for twelve hours to extract flavour and structure from the skins. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels and steel tanks, mostly spontaneously with wild yeasts. During the five-month maturation on the fine lees, the aroma and flavour are refined – the wine develops the balance between fruit and minerality that characterises dry Muscat.

The Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca grapes for this exceptional white wine come from the Casanova dell'Aia vineyard in Radda in Chianti, the first 0.2-hectare, calcareous and clayey plot that the family bought and planted in the 1980s and then renewed in 2014. It matures on the fine lees mostly in terracotta amphorae and only a small part remains in stainless steel tanks. Total production per vintage: 2,500 bottles.

The name is reminiscent of the ancient grain fields that once covered the hills of Spoltore before vines took root here. This Trebbiano has been labelled "Oro" since 2017 – a claim that it lives up to. The Di Properzio brothers select only three hectares of old vines on compact limestone-clay soils near the coast. What distinguishes Spelt Oro from conventional Trebbiano is its radical patience: after fermentation, the wine rests for four months sur lie in stainless steel tanks, which are deliberately located outside the winery – exposed to natural temperature fluctuations. Then another year in concrete. It is bottled after fifteen months, unfiltered, unclarified, without any stabilisation.

Luigi Maffini's Kràtos is an organic wine grown in the foothills of the ancient ruins of Paestum. It spends only a short time in steel tanks and is smoky but also fruit-driven, with musky dried apricots, lime zest, crushed rocks and sea spray forming its captivating bouquet. Energetic on the palate, soft in texture and packed with zesty citrus and mineral notes balanced by a core of vibrant, ripe yellow apples. Finishes fresh and bold with notes of lemon oil and peach. For an "entry-level" Fiano, this is great cinema! SUPERIORE.DE

Capalbio – this is the southernmost end of the Tuscan coast, where the Maremma is wilder and more unspoilt than anywhere else, with views of Monte Argentario and the Burano lagoon. This is where Monteverro is located: a biodynamically farmed estate that Georg and Barbara Weber awoke from its slumber around two decades ago. Vermentino is the white soul of this place – fresh, fruity, light-hearted, with the fine minerality of clay and limestone soil. 100% Vermentino, harvested by hand from 5,555 vines per hectare with a north-south orientation. Whole-cluster pressing, no malolactic fermentation – because this is about freshness, not fullness. Six months on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. The result is exactly what Monteverro formulates as its goal: "An expression of Italy's joie de vivre."

"This wine was born as a challenge. In 2004, when we started making it, ageing it in steel was against the general trend of ageing complex Soave wines in barrique. Today, we are glad that we took this risk." Graziano Prà

While the whole world was talking about the extinction of Trebbiano di Soave, the three Tessari sisters set out on a mission: to save an almost forgotten grape variety. In collaboration with Professor Attilio Scienza from the University of Milan, they selected the best clones of old Trebbiano vines and planted the Massifitti vineyard in 2006 – named after the "dense rocks", the large, compact basalt boulders that characterise the south-facing slope. Only two hectares at an altitude of 300 metres, where the volcanic minerality shows itself in its purest form. What is produced here is unique: probably the only single-varietal Trebbiano di Soave in the world. It matures for 15 months in stainless steel on the fine lees, then a further 12 months in the bottle before the sisters release it.

Soave Classico Wild from the Ponsara UGA is sunny and straw yellow in colour. The complex nose ranges from a strong floral note of broom and hawthorn to fresh, fragrant fruit reminiscent of Granny Smith apples. On the palate, there is a vibrant freshness that is very balanced and perfectly balanced by a lingering, intense finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Rami is an attractive and at the same time very individual blend of Grecanico and Inzolia. Bright golden yellow in colour with a slight, typical cloudiness of an orange wine and an initially restrained, reductive bouquet, with some aeration then sweetly scented with apricots, dried flowers and orange peel. This intellectual white needs time and a certain amount of experience with natural wines - with the necessary amount of oxygen, it is highly appetising and elegant on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE

The name already reveals the philosophy: DA-DI means "great earth" in Chinese – virginie Saverys' homage to the yin-yang principle that characterises her biodynamic work at Avignonesi. This experimental white wine from Cortona combines four indigenous grape varieties in just as many vinifications: Orpicchio matures in amphorae and used barriques, Vermentino exclusively in amphorae, Grechetto undergoes a six-day carbonic maceration, while Trebbiano macerates for 48 hours. After ageing on the fine lees, the components are assembled in the summer.

100% Carricante from one of the youngest and most promising cru sites on the northern Etna slope: Contrada Taccione is located around 700 metres above sea level in Castiglione di Sicilia, characterised by volcanic sand, basalt rock and millennia-old ash. It is a landscape in motion, shaped by lava, wind and time. It is precisely this tension between barrenness and energy that Planeta translates here into a wine that seems to be made for quiet tones.

Owner Leonardo Pinzolo cultivates 52 hectares of biodynamically certified vineyards on his family farms in Popoli and Capestrano. The soils here differ from those in the rest of Abruzzo. Combined with the higher altitude of the vineyards and the proximity to the Gran Sasso mountains, these wines have a decidedly cooler expression than is usually found in Abruzzo. In the winery, fermentations are spontaneous and without temperature control. With the exception of a few single-vineyard wines, most of the wines are matured in stainless steel.

Three thousand years of winegrowing history are condensed into one street name: Strada Provinciale 68 near Vittoria, the route along which generations of Sicilian farmers carried their amphorae and later barrels to market. Arianna Occhipinti, a pioneer of Sicilian natural wine, has created a liquid monument to this country road. Albanello and Zibibbo, two indigenous islanders, grow here on red sand over limestone. The grapes ferment together with wild yeasts in concrete, and two weeks of maceration give the Bianco its characteristic texture. Bottled unfiltered, it retains its lively cloudiness.

Blangè comes from carefully cultivated Arneis parcels in the Langhe, which benefit from calcareous soils and optimal altitude. Since its introduction in the 1980s, it has been regarded as a modern classic, bringing new fame to the once almost forgotten Arneis grape variety. A characterful, aromatically clear white wine with a Piedmontese identity and contemporary style. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. On the nose, a fine, clear aroma of pear, white peach, citrus and a hint of exotic fruit, underpinned by floral notes and a delicate almond flavour. Fresh and balanced on the palate, with juicy fruit, fine acidity and a hint of salty minerality. SUPERIORE.DE

Tenuta Sansonina is situated in the south of Lake Garda, not far from Sirmione – where the lake breathes across the hills and the soils tell the story of what the last Ice Age left behind: A deep, clayey mixture of chalk and silt that stores water, buffers heat and gives the Turbiana grape that distinctive minerality which sets Lugana apart from everything else. Thirteen hectares, organically farmed, with vines around sixty years old – vines that know just how deep they need to reach. 100 per cent Trebbiano di Lugana, hand-harvested and carefully selected before the grapes reach the winery. The must is first cold-fermented statically, then ferments for around ten to twelve days in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Six months’ ageing in stainless steel tanks, followed by one month in the bottle: no oak, no interference, just the wine and its terroir.