Italian red wine

For many years, a small and strictly selected portion of the Sangiovese at Istine has been vinified separately according to the origin of the vineyard in order to emphasise and bring out the specific characteristics of the site, the soil and the altitude. Since then, the best grapes from the estate's own vineyards Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole) have been vinified separately, resulting in three now highly sought-after cru wines, of which just 3,000 bottles are sold in specialised shops and restaurants every year.

In the vineyards of Rancia Piccola and Poggiolo, where a Benedictine monastery once watched over the hills of Castelnuovo Berardenga, a quiet revolution has been taking place since 1987. Maestro Raro – the rare master – bears the name of the legendary vineyard parcel, also known as "Mastro Raro", which neighbours the famous Rancia vineyard. Here, the Poggiali family dared to do the seemingly impossible: to breathe the terroir of Fèlsina into the world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon, that magical place where normally only Sangiovese performs at its best.

Maestro Raro shines first with its lively colour and then impresses with a bouquet that reveals a wonderful blackberry scent after spices, leather and tobacco aromas. The concentrated taste spreads softly, in which a stable acid structure cooperates perfectly with the tannin structure. SUPERIORE.DE

Here the name becomes the programme: Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg gave this wine its title because it tastes like Manincor itself. The essence of the hills that surround the estate, the view over Lake Kaltern, the strength and warmth of the warmest vineyards in South Tyrol – all come together in this glass. Grapes from Manincor and Panholzerhof, both at 250 metres, south-eastern slopes with sandy clay soils full of limestone gravel and glacial deposits. Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon – three grape varieties, one home. Each batch is vinified separately, partly spontaneously with wild yeasts in wooden, concrete and stainless steel vats. Ten days of gentle maceration, only dipped once a day for fine-grained tannins. Matured for twelve months in used wooden barrels of various sizes.

The Taurasi 2016 from Pietracupa is a lesson in patience and precision – an Aglianico from high vineyards in Irpinia that only reveals its complex spectrum of flavours after years of ripening. The year 2016 brought ideal conditions: a moderate summer, sufficient rainfall and a long, dry autumn, which allowed a late harvest of healthy, perfectly ripe grapes. Deep dark ruby red in the glass with a garnet-red rim. The nose is multi-layered and rich in detail: black cherry, blackberry, ripe plum, dried violets, tobacco, dark chocolate, graphite and fine spice nuances. It is powerful on the palate, with a firm tannin structure, lively acidity and fruit that is carried by fresh energy despite its maturity. Ageing over many months in large wooden barrels gives the wine depth and harmonious integration of flavours. The finish is long, balsamic and characterised by mineral spice – a Taurasi with great nobility that combines the power of Aglianico with cool precision.

I Viaggiatori is a particularly finely woven Aglianico. Its grapes come from almost 200-year-old open-air vineyards with vines that are already over a hundred years old. The Paternopoli area, one of the highest areas of the Taurasi Valley, lies in the green heart of Irpina. The cool, continental climate here allows the Aglianico to ripen very slowly and thus retain its fresh and extremely elegant profile.

Angelo Ambrogini was born in Montepulciano in 1454. As a humanist, poet and confidant of Lorenzo de' Medici, he wrote some of the most beautiful stanzas of the Renaissance under the name "Il Poliziano". Le Stanze, his most famous work, is a poem about beauty, transience and the power of the moment. Federico Carletti has named his winery after the great poet. And this wine the title of his masterpiece. This is no coincidence. Le Stanze is Poliziano outside its borders – no Prugnolo Gentile, no DOCG obligation, no looking back. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, certified organic since 2021: a Super Tuscan. The grapes grow on the best plots around Montepulciano, on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, fermentation in stainless steel tanks with a long maceration period of 20 to 25 days, 16 months in French barriques – precise, without exaggeration.

Matan Pinot Nero Riserva is one of the two red flagships of the family winery, the grapes come from the most valuable Pinot Noir vineyards in Montan. Deep ruby red in colour. The multi-layered and complex bouquet has aromas of dried cherries, lavender, orange zest, porcini mushrooms, cedar wood and cloves. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with supple, grainy tannins and fresh acidity. Concentrated, flavoursome and deliciously spiced, with a beguiling juiciness and plenty of potential. One of the great Pinot Noirs of South Tyrol! SUPERIORE.DE

A bold experiment that became a success story: In 2000, Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini ventured into international grape varieties and created Camalaione, a Supertuscan that expresses the special terroir of Panzano in every bottle. This organically certified cuvée of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 15% Merlot impressively demonstrates the Orsinis' conviction that the unique interplay of soil and climate can be found in every wine, regardless of the grape variety. The grapes come from the estate's oldest vineyards, where an extreme vine density of 9,000 vines per hectare ensures natural competition and each plant produces no more than 500 grams of grapes. This concentration is also reflected in the exceptional quality of the vintage. Vinification is carried out using traditional methods: spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in Liters oak barrels, which act as small open fermentation vats and allow regular hand pressing. After fermentation, the wine matures for around 24 months in French barriques, followed by at least twelve months of bottle ageing.

Generous Brunello made from grapes from different vineyards in various sub-zones in Montalcino with the classic aura of its vintage. The aromatically intense bouquet opens with a scent of violets and then develops flavours of wild berries, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate. The flavour is characterised by a good balance between a full, juicy body, soft tannins and well-integrated alcohol. SUPERIORE.DE

"This is the wine with which my experience as a winemaker was born. A wine from a single vineyard in which I frankly find all the characteristics of Bolgheri that I love: clear and juicy fruit, balance. The Merlot brings volume and softness, the Cabernet Sauvignon structure. I give a lot of space to the very Tuscan Sangiovese, which adds complexity and drinkability." Fabio Motta

When Sergio Rossi took over Podere Colombaio from the Biondi-Santi family in 1976, nobody could have guessed that the Milanese advertising expert would become one of the architects of modern Montalcino. He was one of the 24 founders of the Consorzio, one of the first 35 Brunello bottlers of an appellation that will number over 250 by 2024. What he brought with him: the legendary Sangiovese clones of Biondi-Santi, planted on marl and limestone in Canalicchio – vines that are now over forty years old. Brunello 2020 unites two souls: the cool elegance of the north from the historic Canalicchio parcels and the sun-kissed vigour of Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the south. The wine rests for three years in large Slavonian barrels and a further eight months in the bottle – time that you can taste.

Our customers had to do without Frescobaldi's Castelgiocondo for several years, as we felt that it did not sufficiently reflect the elegance and finesse of the Montalcino region. After the winery made some stylistic changes in recent years, it has evolved from a rather opulent wine into a very authentic and cool interpretation of the appellation and we would therefore not like to withhold the very successful 2019 edition from you.

Volpaia – the foxhole. High above Radda in Chianti, at 450 to 650 metres above sea level, the vineyards of Castello di Volpaia are located on the highest slopes of the appellation. The medieval borgo, first mentioned in a document in 1172, has belonged to the Mascheroni-Stianti family since 1966, who consistently farm organically here. The altitude shapes the character: sandstone soils, cool nights and long ripening periods give the Sangiovese (supplemented by 10% Merlot) a freshness and elegance that would be hard to achieve in warmer locations. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured for twelve months in large oak barrels.

Contrada Rampante is one of the highest and most renowned vineyards on the north-east slope of Mount Etna. At around 1,000 metres above sea level, Nerello Mascalese thrives here on volcanic sandy soils with a high lava content – a terroir of rare expressiveness that combines cool nights, long vegetation cycles and extreme slopes. The vines are over 100 years old – partly ungrafted – produce small-berried, concentrated grapes. After fermentation in cement, the wine matures for around 12 months in large wooden barrels and then for several months in the bottle.

Brilliant, dark ruby colour. Deep bouquet of rich blackberry and cherry flavours with mentholated herbal notes that give it lift, while notes of cedar and clove develop in the glass. On the palate, the wine is a pure silk that slowly lays over the palate, with an admirable density and weight balanced by bright acidity and minerality. This still very young wine is full of potential with a core of dark primary fruit that already offers a good foretaste of the charm of later years. A finely woven tannin structure on the long final. Wonderful ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Sansonina (Lugana and Merlot) is a strictly limited and very ambitious project by the Zenato family, in which only the best grapes from their own vineyards are used. Only a small number of these are sold in numbered bottles each year.

Marciliano is a truly ambitious Cabernet cuvée from the Sangiovese-dominated Montecchio/Orvieto region and reflects uncompromising quality and craftsmanship. The 2019 vintage was characterised by mild but structure-enhancing weather conditions: cool nights during the harvest phase and warm days that perfectly balanced the ripeness of the aromas. In the glass, it has a dense ruby red colour with a garnet red hue. The nose intones ripe sour cherry, stewed plums, ripe wild berries, and further develops smoke, leather, hints of white truffle and a touch of vanilla and cedar wood. Powerful yet polished on the palate – clearly structured, with fine-grained, ripe tannins, lively acidity and a substrate-rich, spicy texture. The ageing in barriques was selectively dosed and supports the spiciness without masking the varietal typicity. Marciliano is a serious, mature red wine with depth and potential. Expressive, focussed and with a lasting finish – a lasting ambassador of modern Umbria. SUPERIORE.DE

Amarone Case Vecie takes its name from the vineyard of the same name in the municipality of Grezzana in Valpantena. An exceptional plot of land where the grapes ripen slowly and consistently even in the most difficult years thanks to the altitude and exposure. The late harvest makes it possible to store the grapes in a cooler season and to carry out a slow and long drying process that develops the characteristic flavours. A wine that brings out the natural characteristics of the high mountain climate: a true Amarone "delle vigne alte".

Santo Spirito is one of the most striking contrade on the eastern slopes of Mount Etna – less stony than Rampante, but no less impressive. Here, at an altitude of around 700 metres, the old Nerello Mascalese vines are deeply rooted in ashy volcanic soil with a high sand content. The microclimate is cooler, the humidity higher and the east-facing exposure gives the grapes gentle morning warmth. Pietradolce vinifies the single-vineyard wine traditionally with spontaneous fermentation in wooden vats, followed by approx. 12 months of ageing in large French tonneaux.

The roots of this story go deeper than any memory: the vines are over 80 years old and have been bearing silent witness in the warm alluvial soils of Gries for generations. Here, where thirty visionary winegrowers laid the foundations for a legend in 1908, the masterpiece that has long since become the undisputed icon of South Tyrolean winemaking is produced year after year: Taber Lagrein Riserva. It is a wine that epitomises time. Time in the old vines, which at an altitude of just 250 metres transform the extreme temperature fluctuations between hot days and cool nights into pure concentration. Time in the patient manual labour that selects only the finest grapes for this exceptional Riserva. And time for ageing, where after traditional wooden barrel fermentation, a whole year of ageing in French barriques awaits completion.

Light ruby-coloured, cherry-fruity and with a lot of character of its own. The red variety also known as Ribolla Nera has been interpreted by Ronco del Gnemiz with a great deal of character. It is soft, delicate, juicy, fruity and wonderfully precise and long. It leaves a hint of sour citrus fruit and ends with a light structure and a colour like liquid lavender. Lovers of Schioppettino will fall head over heels in love with this wine. SUPERIORE.DE

On 11 September 2001, a concert was to take place in the hills of Figline Valdarno. Sting was standing on the stage of his Tuscan villa when the news arrived from New York. He played anyway – not as entertainment, but as therapy. That evening, the feeling of emptiness and the search for meaning gave rise to an album two years later: "Sacred Love", a meditation on love as the only answer to a world in chaos. "We have to go back to that basic thing," said Sting at the time, "mother love, father love, husband love, wife love, child love – because when you don't have that, all hell breaks loose."