Organic White Wine

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

On the northern slope of Mount Etna, black is not a mood but the finest "building material": the terraces of the Contrada Santo Spirito near Passopisciaro are laid out in layers of lava stone, at an altitude of 700 metres. Animaetnea is the Etna project run by Antonio Moretti, who also manages the Tuscan estate Tenuta Sette Ponti, and the project's guiding principle is: a wine does not have to be perfect; it must be authentic. The lava soil, altitude and wind have largely kept phylloxera and mildew at bay here; as a result, almost all the vines are grown on their own roots, trained as bush vines. The wine's name evokes the glow of a flowing lava flow. Carricante, blended with Minnella, is fermented at a controlled temperature and aged for only a short time, followed by a few months' bottle ageing.

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

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.

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.

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta's Chardonnay combines the French tradition of grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing, year after year, one of Italy's most distinctive white wines. 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, pan-fried fish, poultry in a butter sauce, or even on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

For a biodynamic winegrower, 2024 presented one of the greatest challenges of recent years. The exceptionally wet months of May, June and July brought immense pressure from downy mildew and powdery mildew, which even the normally hardy PIWI varieties struggled to withstand. Only experience and consistent work in the vineyard ensured the vines came through this phase virtually unscathed. Late frost had already significantly reduced the harvest yield – in the end, it stood at a modest 27 hectolitres per hectare. However, the short, hot weeks from mid-July to the end of August, followed by a lovely autumn lasting until the end of September, produced grapes of a quality that exceeded all expectations.

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.

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.

"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.

A limited-edition anniversary release featuring a special label to mark the birthday of the icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: 30 years of Planeta Chardonnay – and to celebrate the anniversary, the label is on fire. Not literally, but almost: "On Fire" is the title of the artwork 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, bewitchingly 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 0.75-litre 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 becomes 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.

Cilento lies in the shadow of its more famous neighbours in Campania – Irpinia with its Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and Taurasi with its Aglianico. Luigi Maffini is one of the winegrowers who have given this coastal region south of Paestum a voice of its own, with the same high standards for Fiano that the more famous areas claim for themselves. Three hectares, facing west-north-west, trained using the Guyot method with 4,200 vines per hectare. The yield is deliberately kept low: 1.5 kilograms per vine, a level of concentration that many white wine producers would shy away from. Hand-harvested in the second ten-day period of September. The grapes are gently pressed; fermentation takes place directly in new barriques at a controlled temperature of 16°C, followed by around four months' ageing in the same oak.

Eichhorn Vineyard – the name evokes South Tyrol, with its centuries-old vines rooted in sandy loam soils on weathered volcanic porphyry. As with the Sauvignon, this plot is also situated within the Tenuta Lieben Aich estate in Terlan, 300 metres above sea level, facing south-west towards the mild air currents. But whilst Tannenberg aims for maximum minerality, the Eichhorn seeks a balance between alpine clarity and Mediterranean richness. Here, Pinot Bianco – or "Weißburgunder", as the South Tyroleans call it – matures into a variety that oscillates between restraint and expression.

"This wine comes from my family's historic vineyard. It is a wine that is the result of much thought, research and experimentation, in which nothing was left to chance: Monte Grande is intended to be my great Soave wine." Graziano Prà

In 1988, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust, together with the OenologistGiulio Gambelli, set the course for Petrolos' modern era with the "Torrione" – the estate's first wine produced without regard to volume. Almost forty years later, the family has given the name to a second wine: a single-varietal Trebbiano, the grape variety that was delivered from the Valdarno to the popes in Rome as far back as the 14th century. Torrione Trebbiano deliberately eschews a vintage: each bottling bears a batch number and combines base wines from several years (in this case: 2023/2024), selected with the precision of the benchmark Trebbiano, Bòggina B. Hand-harvested and fermented spontaneously in tonneaux, it matures on the fine lees for over 15 months, with bâtonnage carried out regularly at first and then gradually reduced, and without racking prior to bottling.

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.