Organic White Wine

Some wines are born from a dream. Arianna Occhipinti, who has long since become an icon of Sicilian natural wine, spent years searching for that one vineyard that could translate the limestone soul of the Monti Iblei into liquid. In 2016, she found it: a forgotten piece of land at the foot of Chiaramonte Gulfi, 490 metres above sea level, nestled between pine forests, gnarled oaks and ancient olive groves. The soil tells the story of the earth. Sandy, calcareous marl alternates with yellowish-white calcarenite – marine sediments from the Pleistocene, evidence of a sea that has long since disappeared. Four parcels with their own identity: Costa Sud and Costa Nord, grown in traditional single vines, give the wine its salty signature; Terrazza and Trefile, planted as Alberello on limestone, provide the vibrant freshness. The Grillo – native to western Sicily, known here in the east as "Riddu" – ferments spontaneously in concrete and Austrian oak, maturing for twelve months in the same containers.

In Sicily, "Firraru" is not just a profession – it symbolises precision craftsmanship and quiet dignity. The blacksmith who moulds lasting values with patience, fire and strength. Feudo Maccari dedicates its most impressive white wine to this image: a single-varietal Grillo, which, like no other, makes the combination of origin, patience and depth tangible. The name was deliberately chosen because the wine is artisanal, elegant, precise and at the same time uncompromisingly Sicilian. The grapes come from high-altitude plots in the south-east of the island, where the limestone-rich soil and proximity to the sea give the Grillo structure and salty tension. Manual harvesting, gentle pressing and slow fermentation form the basis – the wine then matures for 12 months on the fine lees in Liters French oak tonneaux, with some of the wine also being matured in concrete eggs. Here too, the organic approach is not just a label, but is reflected in the clarity and vitality of the wine.

A small marvel, perfectly harmonised with multi-layered aromas of tropical fruits, apples and honey. A highly interesting white natural wine that is far more than just a casual pleasure, as it offers an extremely full, well-structured flavour. Fermented with the skins using the red wine method. Strong yellow colour with golden reflections. Intense aroma of dried herbs, incense, candied lemon peel and a hint of bitter orange. Fresh citrus notes on the palate, an exciting acidity and a powerful structure lead into a very long finish, crowned by a hint of bitter almonds. Very complex and a wonderful accompaniment to food – be sure to aerate! SUPERIORE.DE

In Sicily, "Firraru" is not just a profession – it symbolises precision craftsmanship and quiet dignity. The blacksmith who moulds lasting values with patience, fire and strength. Feudo Maccari dedicates its most impressive white wine to this image: a single-varietal Grillo, which, like no other, makes the combination of origin, patience and depth tangible. The name was deliberately chosen because the wine is artisanal, elegant, precise and at the same time uncompromisingly Sicilian. The grapes come from high-altitude plots in the south-east of the island, where the limestone-rich soil and proximity to the sea give the Grillo structure and salty tension. Manual harvesting, gentle pressing and slow fermentation form the basis – the wine then matures for 12 months on the fine lees in Liters French oak tonneaux, with some of the wine also being matured in concrete eggs. Here too, the organic approach is not just a label, but is reflected in the clarity and vitality of the wine.

The Popoli vineyard bears witness to the fact that the Valle Reale plateau has been a wine-growing area since time immemorial. Several rows of this vineyard stretch out in front of the ruins of a cave cellar dating back to 1300. This is where the Benedictine monks from the monastery of San Benedetto in Perillis produced and stored their wine. A small plot of around 1 hectare is dedicated to Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.

It was December 1998 when a customer knocked on Giuseppe Bisci's door and asked for "vino d'annata" – young wine, drinkable immediately. But Bisci only sold his Verdicchio after at least two years of ageing. Giuseppe sent the customer away, but the encounter stayed with him. The high-altitude limestone soils of Matelica, where the Apennines rise majestically into the sky, did not produce simple everyday wines – they were capable of much more! The continental climate with sun-drenched days and icy cold mountain nights gave the Verdicchio an intensity, minerality and acid backbone that allowed it to age for decades – something almost unheard of in Italian white wine. That same day, Giuseppe turned to his cellar master Aroldo Bellelli: "Let's make a wine for the next person who asks for young wine – so that we can tell him: We make Riserva, and it will only be released after seven years!"

Bòggina Bianco is an extremely brooding, flavoursome and fresh Trebbiano from vines that are around 50 years old. It is the result of Luca Sanjust's encounter with Lucien Le Moine (Mounir Souma), a major producer in Burgundy, who has contributed significantly to the success of this extraordinary project with his inspiration and expertise. Vinification takes place in French oak barrels and tonneaux specially made for this wine and selected by Lucien Le Moine. The wine remains "sur lie" (on the lees) for the entire ageing period of over 2 years, which gives it an incredibly fresh flavour and harmony. An extremely rare and very delicious exceptional white wine, which is only produced in small quantities of a few 1,000 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

Dear Aich – the name sounds like old South Tyrolean history, and that's exactly what it is. The Tenuta Lieben Aich in Terlan, at an altitude of 300 metres, was once part of the estate with which Hieronymus Manincor was rewarded for his services to Austria in 1608 and elevated to the nobility. The family has been producing wine for over 300 years. The "Man-in-cor" coat of arms – hand on heart – still adorns the façade of the ancestral home on Lake Kaltern. The south-west facing vineyards benefit from a warm, breezy microclimate and sandy soils of volcanic origin: porphyry weathered rock that combines minerality and drainage. 2023 presented the winegrowers with challenges – wet spring, hot and dry summer, then a golden autumn that allowed for perfect ripeness. Aromas, sugar and acidity were in perfect balance by mid-September. Yield: 41 hectolitres per hectare. The destemmed grapes macerate on the skins for twelve hours – an unusual step for white wine, which extracts flavour and structure from the skins. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts takes place in wooden barrels, followed by ten months of ageing on the fine lees in large oak barrels.

"Historical is Umani Ronchi's highly ambitious project, created thanks to its profound knowledge of the region and the terroir, on a small, remote plot in the historic vineyards of Montecarotto in the Castelli di Jesi Classico area. The Historical Vecchie Vigne is an extreme selection that is refined for five years (including 18 months on the fine lees) before being released onto the market - with the claim of being one of the greatest white cru in Italy and the world." Michele und Massimo Bernetti

There are wines that seek their time. And there are wines to which time confides its secrets. Historical Vecchie Vigne is one of those rare gems that only reveal their true colours after more than five years of ageing – a tribute by the Bernetti family to Verdicchio and at the same time a radical statement: that even non-aromatic white grape varieties can be among the very best if they are given the time they deserve. In Montecarotto, where the hills of the Verdicchio Classico find their noblest expression, there is a small plot at 310 metres above sea level, isolated in the middle of the historic Vecchie Vigne. Vines over fifty years old are rooted here in brooding, fresh, loamy soils that provide Verdicchio with the minerality and substance that only old vines can give. Eastern exposure, perfect balance between growth and yield – these vines were planted in the early seventies and today produce grapes of a concentration and ripeness that are harvested by hand at the end of September, beginning of October, berry by berry intact.

"Silent greatness. Noble is he who is self-sufficient. Perhaps a little demanding and in any case sensitive. But has many sought-after qualities: Clarity, freshness, complexity." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor

Eichhorn vineyard – the name sounds like South Tyrol, like centuries-old vines rooted in sandy loam soils on volcanic porphyry weathered rock. As with the Sauvignon, this parcel is also located within the Tenuta Lieben Aich in Terlan, 300 metres above sea level, south-west exposed to the mild breeze. But where Tannenberg aims for maximum mineral tension, Eichhorn seeks a balance between Alpine clarity and Mediterranean fullness. This is where Pinot Bianco – pinot Bianco, as South Tyroleans call it – a variety that oscillates between restraint and expression. After a wet spring and hot summer, 2024 brought a golden autumn that allowed for physiologically perfectly ripe grapes. The grapes were harvested by hand at the end of September, striking an ideal balance between ripeness, freshness and moderate alcohol – a vintage that combines cool character with ripe fruit. The yield was 50 hectolitres per hectare. The destemmed berries remain in the press for eight hours for maceration – this is shorter than for Sauvignons because Pinot Blanc is more subtle in its use of structure. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden barrels, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees.

"The Löwengang Chardonnay is an expression of classic refinement: An elegant, fine wine with good complexity, great structure and a pronounced body, whose origin characterises its character. When the Chardonnay came onto the market and a suitable name was sought, it was clear that the Margreid vineyard should take centre stage. It was the perfect opportunity to revive the name Löwengang and give the newly created, high-quality wines this name." Alois Lageder

South Tyrol's Chardonnay legend writes another chapter. Since 1994, the Löwengang has characterised the perception of Alpine white wine excellence like no other. The historic estate above Margreids holds a secret: Chardonnay vines, whose roots reach up to five decades deep into the South Tyrolean soil, thrive on barren limestone soils between 230 and 330 metres. The warm microclimate with its nightly drops in temperature produces grapes of concentrated minerality. The Lageder family gives this terroir free rein. Organic farming without compromise, spontaneous fermentation in hand-picked barriques from the Tronçais and Vosges forests. One third new wood lends structure, while eleven months on the lees give the wine its silky texture. A further twelve months of ageing in the cellar bring the final harmony.

An absolute rarity from the legendary vineyard of the Savoia royal family: while the "Vigna dell'Impero 1935" is known worldwide for its exceptional Sangiovese, Tenuta Sette Ponti now surprises with a mysterious white counterpart. This rare Trebbiano comes from the same historic 1935 terroir that was once planted by the Italian royal family – a white wine that interprets the mineral depth and regal elegance of the famous vineyard in a completely new way.

The Capestrano vineyard is located in the plain of Ofena, just a few kilometres from Popoli and still around 400 metres above sea level. It is part of the Convento vineyard and is planted throughout with Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. The unspoilt environment of the Capestrano spring located there has a high level of biodiversity, which is reflected in the numerous aquatic plants, bushes, flowers and spontaneous vegetation that, thanks to the indigenous yeasts, give the wines made from these grapes their unmistakable organoleptic profile.

Didacus Chardonnay comes from the first vines planted on the shores of Lake Ulmo in 1985. It is dedicated to the founder of the winery, Diego Planeta, and represents the history of the winery as well as elegance, tradition, family and the future. It also embodies Planeta's vision of Sicilian viticulture at the highest level.

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian viticulture: Planetas Chardonnay combines French grape variety tradition with the sun-kissed terroir of the south and produces one of Italy's most distinctive white wines year after year. The grapes come from two altitudes, Ulmo at 250 metres and Maroccoli at 415 metres above sea level. The colour in the glass is a brilliant golden yellow with light greenish reflections. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruit, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. Dense and full-bodied on the palate, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, fine flavour and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian noblesse. Ideal with lobster, fried fish, poultry in a butter sauce or as a great white wine on its own. SUPERIORE.DE

Pure Chardonnay in the finest Burgundy style in honour of Lidia, the mother of the three Rivetti brothers. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Delicate, buttery nose of pineapple and peach, with hints of stone fruit, jasmine and nutmeg. Multi-layered, creamy and dry on the palate, the beautiful mineral vein and subtly lingering fruit accompany this elegant Chardonnay into a complex and long finish. A delicious wine monument that will gain even more tension and elegance as it matures. SUPERIORE.DE

A white wine that challenges everything you think you know about Puglia. While the region is known for powerful red wines from Primitivo and Negroamaro, this Fiano shows that great whites can also be produced here – perhaps even the best in the entire region. The organically cultivated vines are rooted in the barren limestone tufa soils of Tenuta Bocca di Lupo near Minervino Murge, at an altitude of 250-300 metres in the heart of the wild Murgia. Harsh winters, striking day-night fluctuations and the proximity to the extinct volcano Vulture characterise a terroir that produces white wines of rare minerality. The grapes are gently destemmed and pressed. The must rests for 24-48 hours at 10 °C for natural clarification before fermentation begins in stainless steel and is completed in French tonneaux. There the wine matures on the fine lees, followed by further bottle ageing.

In the gentle hills above Trento, where the Dolomites majestically watch over the Adige Valley, lies a vineyard called Fontanasanta, the "Holy Spring". Here, at an altitude of 400 metres and on calcareous clay soils, Elisabetta Foradori preserves one of Trentino's most precious treasures: the Nosiola, an ancient indigenous grape variety that was once at the heart of the region's wine culture but is now threatened with extinction. Only three hectares are dedicated to this rare variety. Nosiola, whose name is derived from the dialect word "nosela" for hazelnut, requires patience and sensitivity. In wet Alpine years, it can be capricious, but under Elisabetta's biodynamic guidance, it unfolds its full aromatic complexity. The vinification process follows the revolutionary Foradori philosophy: after hand-picking, the de-stemmed berries are placed in Spanish tinajas, where they ferment on the skins for eight months – a process that gives the Nosiola its characteristic golden yellow colour and structural depth. A short maturation in used acacia barrels rounds off the profile.