Organic White Wine

Pietrabianca offers a contrast between richness and freshness and seduces with a blend of white flowers, almond paste, wet stone and crushed red pears. Silky and supple, it caresses the palate with an elegant wave of ripe peach and nectarine. Lingers long, leaving a mineral and acidic tension as notes of candied lime fade. Not only is it stunning today, but it has a bright future. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come mainly from the historic Russeghine vineyard above the town of Ranzo Borgo. The character of the Pigato here is of particular depth and minerality, which is due to the exceptional terroir and the long maturation on the fine lees. Bright straw yellow in colour with light green reflections. Fragrant nose of herbs, yellow fruit and traces of pine resin. Full and long-lasting flavour with beautiful spiciness and aromas of citrus and almond, then again this beguiling, deep minerality at the end. SUPERIORE.DE

Famous, single-varietal Fiano from calcareous, clayey-sandy soils in the Contrada Dispensa near Menfi. Bright straw yellow in colour with a greenish tinge. The bouquet is complex and full of finesse: white flowers, Williams pear, ripe citrus fruit and a hint of exotic notes such as passion fruit and guava, underpinned by a salty, almost chalky nuance. Silky and broad on the palate, with polished fruit, lively acidity and a cool minerality. The texture appears creamy, but remains clearly contoured and convincingly expresses its origin.

Zibibbo is the most aromatic grape variety in Sicily. Its full name is Moscato d'Alessandria – from Alexandria, Egypt, from where it travelled to the Mediterranean for centuries. On Pantelleria, it is known as the soul of the sweet passito. COS turns it into something else: a dry wine, spontaneously fermented on the skins in Liters terracotta amphorae. The vineyards are located in the hinterland of Marsala, at 12 metres above sea level. This is no coincidence – it is part of the programme. The sea is close by, the air is salty, the soil is flat and sandy. Biodynamically cultivated, Guyot training, around 5,000 vines per hectare. Hand-picked in September. Then the amphora: spontaneous fermentation, skin contact, natural yeasts, no intervention.

Exciting, balsamic, white cuvée from Vermentino, Trebbiano and Malvasia - with a handful of Traminer and Riesling. Initially reductive on the nose, then dark yellow fruit, some smoke. Very direct, straightforward and grippingly mineral on the palate, with crisp acidity, citrus zest and fine juicy yellow fruit. Lingers on the palate for a long time and, with its race and alpine freshness, makes you briefly forget that this linear and very concise white wine comes from Tuscany. SUPERIORE.DE

Le Rive: the steep slope. In Venetian dialect, this term describes those rugged, 45-degree south-facing slopes where only the bravest winegrowers cultivate their most precious grapes. Since 1992, the Tessari family has been harvesting their most overripe Garganega grapes from ancient vines on a single hectare in the UGA Fittà – only at the end of October, when the first mists of autumn drift over the hills. What happens in these steep rows is natural alchemy: Garganega "surmatura", overripe and concentrated by months of sunshine, develops a golden complexity that few wines in the world can match. 20 days of fermentation in large French oak barrels, 15 months on the lees without a single racking, then a further 12 months of bottle ageing. Patience as a craft.

Giovanni Manetti's white exotic wine from the legendary Conca d'Oro in Panzano: "È per divertirmi", something for your own pleasure, as the patron of Fontodi likes to say with a grin. While his Sangiovese wines enjoy worldwide fame, one of the most beautiful Tuscan white wine rarities is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the La Rota vineyards. The north-west facing plot has been strategically chosen: Here, the vegetation grows more slowly and the grapes are spared the intense summer heat of Tuscany. This organically certified rarity is produced in only 8,000 bottles per year. After manual harvesting, temperature-controlled fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, with part of the wine being vinified in amphorae and untoasted barrels. The six-month maturation on the lees in steel tanks preserves the wine's characteristic purity and freshness.

Capezzana's Trebbiano blossoms in the glass with a sweet floral bouquet of crushed yellow apples, peaches, aniseed, sweet sage and dusty stone. It is round and supple, with a depth of ripe white stone fruit perfectly contrasted by salty minerals and a hint of spice. The fresh acidity provides a nice balance. The finish is long, classically dry and youthfully tense. Already wonderful today, but still needs further bottle ageing to fully develop. SUPERIORE.DE

A white pioneer in Tuscany: in 1987, Avignonesi was the first winery in the region to create a barrique-aged white wine and named it after the stone lion in front of the palazzo in Montepulciano – symbolising wisdom and strength. Today, Virginie Saverys continues this tradition with biodynamic precision and vinifies the Chardonnay from Cortona using the pied-de-cuve method: 81% is matured in French barriques, 19% in cement barrels, in each case for at least five months on the fine lees.

The Via Francigena was the great pilgrimage route of the Middle Ages, running from Canterbury to Rome. It passed through San Gimignano, and those travelling along it would also stop to rest at the small Romanesque Pieve di San Donato – a church around which a medieval village had once gathered, before time and history caused it to disperse. The church remained. And at some point, the brothers Giampiero and Stefano, together with their father Mario, bought this Pieve and the surrounding land. They set up their first cellar in the old sacristy.

A white rarity from the heart of Chianti Classico: Il Bianco is a remarkable exception in a terroir dominated by red wine. The white grape varieties of this exceptional cuvée have thrived for over 45 years on the historic dry-stone terraces of Castellina in Chianti, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The blend of 60 per cent Procanico (a local Trebbiano clone), 30 per cent Viognier and 10 per cent Malvasia Bianca embodies the visionary signature of the Swiss Bär-Bettschart family.

There is a poetic play on words behind this rare white wine: Pinner – born from PINot NERo, as if the name itself were a wink from the Cavallottos. On the north-eastern slopes of the Cru Vignolo, original Champagne clones of Pinot Nero have been rooted in chalky-clayey soils with veins of sand since 1972 – a geological rarity that gives this Blanc de Noirs its unmistakable minerality. The vinification is a balancing act between tradition and innovation: after the gentlest pneumatic pressing without skin contact, the must ferments for 45 days at a cool 16-18°C in stainless steel tanks. Nine months of sur lie ageing with daily bâtonnage create the creamy texture that distinguishes Pinner from simple white wines.

A white rarity from the heart of Chianti Classico: Il Bianco 30 anni by Gagliole is a remarkable exception in a terroir dominated by red wine. The white grape varieties of this exceptional cuvée have thrived for over 45 years on the historic dry-stone terraces of Castellina in Chianti, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The blend of 60 per cent Procanico (a local Trebbiano clone), 30 per cent Viognier and 10 per cent Malvasia Bianca embodies the visionary signature of the Swiss Bär-Bettschart family. These grapes ripen particularly slowly on the Galestro-rich soils at an altitude of 420 metres, between fragrant roses and centuries-old olive trees – they are among the last to be harvested and develop exceptionally thick skins, which give the wine its intense flavour. Vinification is carried out separately for each grape variety: Procanico and Malvasia mature for seven months sur lies in French oak barrels, while the Viognier retains its fresh fruitiness in steel tanks. After blending, a further three months of ageing in the bottle follows in a climate-controlled cellar.

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta’s Chardonnay combines the tradition of French grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing one of Italy’s most distinctive white wines year after year. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 m and Maroccoli at 415 m above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, fried fish, poultry in butter sauce, or on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

When the joy of experimentation meets biodynamic consistency, wines like this Bronner from Alois Lageder's Kometen series are born. Only 259 bottles were produced – from a single barrique. The Bronner grape variety, a fungus-resistant cross between Märzling and Saint Laurent, is considered a first-generation PIWI variety. While such grape varieties are increasingly being promoted in cultivation, they are still met with reluctance in sales. This wine is impressive proof of their potential.

Tannenberg – a parcel within the Lieben Aich vineyard that stands alone. While the Lieben Aich represents the entire Tenuta, this Sauvignon concentrates on a specific parcel: the one with the most pronounced mineral structure. South-western slope, 300 metres above sea level, warm and breezy microclimate. The soils of sandy loam over porphyry weathered rock are water-permeable and low in nutrients – conditions that require concentration. 2024 was a challenging vintage: a wet spring, then a hot and dry summer, followed by a golden autumn that allowed for perfect physiological ripeness. In mid-September, the grapes showed ripe fruit, cool character and moderate alcohol – ideal conditions for long-lasting wines with tension. The yield per hectare was 43 hectolitres. Vinification follows Manincor's biodynamic philosophy: the destemmed berries macerate on the press for twelve hours to extract flavour and structure from the skins. Spontaneous fermentation with the grapes' own yeasts takes place in wooden barrels, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees. The phases of the moon determine sowing, cultivation and harvesting: Rudolf Steiner's principles, consistently implemented. 11,900 bottles and 217 magnums were filled.

"Curiosity about the future" – is the motto of this extraordinary comet, which is not just a wine, but a climate change experiment. For many years, Alois Lageder has been working on the question of which grape varieties are suitable for future higher average temperatures and more extreme weather conditions in South Tyrol. The answer: plant grape varieties from southern wine-growing regions of Europe and observe how they behave in cooler environments. The hypothesis was that these varieties would develop higher acidity and moderate sugar levels in South Tyrol. Today, VIO XIII is one of the most successful experiments in this series.

Limited anniversary edition with a special label to mark the birthday of the icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: 30 years of Planeta Chardonnay – and to mark the anniversary, the label is on fire. Not literally, but almost: ‘On Fire’ is the title of the work by Claire Fontaine that adorns the 2024 vintage in a limited edition. The artist collective, founded in Paris in 2004 and based in Palermo since 2017, – whose work “Foreigners Everywhere” gave its name to the 2024 Venice Biennale – has transformed the flame emoji into a light sculpture: extracted from the digital realm, made physical, strikingly beautiful. The original hangs in Ulmo’s Studiolo, just a few steps away from the Chardonnay vines. The special edition is available in 300 jeroboams – and only one of the six 0.75l bottles per case bears the art label. The proceeds go towards "A Long and Magnificent Walk", a greening project in the archaeological park of Selinunte: a symbolic act against the fires that threaten Sicily every summer. Thus, an anniversary becomes a statement – and a Chardonnay into a manifesto.

There are said to be vineyards in Piedmont that do not like Nebbiolo. The Vigneto Fossati in the highest location in the municipality of Barolo is one of them: gravelly-sandy soil, morning sun exposure, 420 to 450 metres. Aldo Vajra planted it with Riesling in 1985 – out of conviction, which sounded rather provocative at the time. A second vineyard chapter was added: the Cascina Bertoni in Sinio, exposed to the north-east, calcareous and homogeneous. Pétracine, whose name means "Riesling" in Piedmontese, comes from both vineyards – and at the same time sounds like stone and roots. The clonal vines come from the Rhine, the Moselle, the Palatinate and Alsace: austere German minerality meets Alsatian creaminess and Piedmontese terroir. Gentle pressing, short cold clarification, 15 to 20 days fermentation in steel, ageing in stainless steel until spring – no intervention that does not serve the precision of this rare wine.

Fiano Pietraincatenata is the winery's flagship white wine and takes the grape variety to a whole new level. The bouquet is a fascinating blend of grapefruit, lime zest and peach with a hint of sweet smoke as it warms up in the glass. Silky yet savoury to the core on the palate. A cornucopia of citrus fruits and minerals completes the green apple fruit. Tense and invigorating as it progresses and finishes, but still well suited to further and exciting bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

The vineyard is called Racciano. Armando Castagno, Italy's leading Vernaccia expert, has carried out thorough research: the name can be traced back to "Fundus Rasianus" – land of the Rasini, a people of Etruscan origin. 2.5 hectares, east-facing, planted exclusively with Vernaccia. The Racciano plot is the sole source of L'Albereta – gran Riserva, the highest expression permitted by the Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. The brothers Giampiero and Stefano, together with their father Mario, who still oversees the work in the vineyard today, have nevertheless decided to treat this wine differently from all the others there. And there aren't many of them.