The Wine Advocate

A Grillo typical of the western half of Sicily; the grapes come from vines growing on calcareous soil at medium altitude near Salemi. In the glass, it is a bright straw-yellow colour with a greenish tinge. On the nose, ripe yellow fruits, a hint of grapefruit, honeydew melon and a touch of salty sea breeze. On the palate, the 2024 vintage is crisp and juicy, with well-integrated acidity, a subtle sweetness from the fruit, a hint of lime zest and noticeable minerality on the finish. Ageing in stainless steel preserves its freshness and purity of flavour. A characterful, Mediterranean white wine with understated elegance – pairs superbly with antipasti, grilled fish or summer vegetable platters. SUPERIORE.DE

A Sicilian duo full of excitement: Angimbé blends Inzolia and Chardonnay to create a white cuvée that combines the island's aromatic character with international elegance. The grapes come from Tenuta Ficuzza at an altitude of around 700 m – a cooler terroir with loamy-limestone soils that lend freshness and structure. In the glass, it is a pale straw yellow with golden highlights. On the nose, it offers notes of yellow pear, pineapple, citrus, a hint of honeydew melon and floral notes. On the palate, it is juicy, round and well-balanced, with gentle acidity, delicate fruit sweetness and a harmonious, slightly spicy final. A versatile, approachable white wine that pairs just as effortlessly with Mediterranean cuisine as it does with relaxed evenings on the terrace. Very good value. SUPERIORE.DE

Frappato is Sicily's best-kept secret. It is grown on just a few dozen hectares across the whole island – and hardly anywhere is it as impressive as in the red sands of Vittoria. Light, well-aerated soils, with a layer of tuff underneath that regulates the water. A sea breeze, southern sun. Planeta cultivates it in the Mogli vineyard at an altitude of 70 metres, organically, with 4,500 vines per hectare. Seven days' maceration, gentle pressing, ageing in stainless steel.

Piedmont in a bottle – not a mere miniature, but the very essence. Nebbiolo brings structure and bright cherry fruit, Barbera contributes juicy acidity, Dolcetto rounds it off with soft tannins, and in the background, Freisa and Albarossa whisper of the diversity of grape varieties in a region that is far more than just Barolo and Barbaresco. The Vajras call this wine "a hug from Piedmont", and that is exactly how it feels: warm, approachable, without ever becoming insubstantial. The grapes come from younger vines, are vinified separately and only then blended into the cuvée – a process that demands precision where others merely feign simplicity.

In Neive, where the hills of Barbaresco gently undulate towards the horizon, the Pola family has been running the Fontanabianca winery since 1969. What Franco Pola started back then with the first bottle of Barbaresco Bordini is continued today by his son Aldo and grandson Matteo with the same conviction: quality is only created where the wine authentically reflects the terroir. On the limestone and clay soils of the municipality of Neive, 250 metres above sea level, the autochthonous grape varieties of Piedmont thrive in a temperate climate: Nebbiolo for the great Barbaresco wines, Dolcetto for uncomplicated pleasure and Barbera for the powerful elegance that has made this variety the region's most sophisticated popular grape.

Zisola is the Tuscan dream of the Mazzei family in the south of Sicily. The winery's bestseller is made from 100% Nero d'Avola from traditional Alberello vines near Noto, where chalky soils and proximity to the sea balance the natural exuberance of this indigenous grape variety with freshness and elegance. The Marchesi Mazzei, one of Italy's most historic winegrowing families with over 600 years of tradition, have been continuing their Sicilian project since 2003. 24 hectares of vineyards surround the historic bagli of the 50-hectare tenuta with a view of the baroque UNESCO World Heritage Site of Noto. Hand-picked and fermented for 14-16 days at 26-28°C, the wine matures for 10 months in French oak barrels (33% new).

Nebbiolo is the king of Piedmont, and Neive is one of its finest terroirs. Anyone who produces Barbaresco here knows just what this grape variety is capable of. Fontanabianca's Langhe Nebbiolo is the gateway to this world: the same limestone-rich clay soils at 300 metres, the same climate, the same family – but younger vines, shorter ageing, and greater approachability. Vines aged 12 to 15 years, trained using the Guyot method, fermentation in stainless steel at a controlled temperature, traditional ageing with brief contact with wood. This is not a wine that demands patience – it is one that demonstrates what Nebbiolo from Neive has to offer even in its youth. Matteo Pola, Aldo's son, now bears the estate's oenological hallmark and has given the Langhe Nebbiolo a contemporary, elegant character.

A Chianti Classico born of the fusion of centuries-old tradition and modern winemaking techniques: Organically farmed since the 1980s, the vineyards of Monti in Chianti and Vitignano (situated slightly below) – with their clay-loam and limestone soils – strive for character and balance. The vines (90% Sangiovese, complemented by a little Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo) are planted at altitudes ranging from 250 m to 330 m above sea level.

On Mount Etna, red and white grape varieties often ripened in the same vineyard and were brought to the cellar together, and this wine is a reminder of that: Nerello Mascalese forms the core of the blend, complemented by Nerello Cappuccio and a small proportion of Minnella and Carricante. The bush-trained vines have been growing in Rovittello since 1950, at an altitude of 700 metres and facing north-east. The estate regards this Rosso as a 'morning wine', as the vineyard catches the morning sun whilst remaining sheltered from the afternoon heat: fruit-forward, fresh and ready to drink straight away. The soil is brooding, consisting of pumice and fine clay.

When an artist founds a winery, the spirit of this artist wafts right into the last cellar room. The Brio label shows a detail from a fresco by Sandro Chia: chessboard, violin, clock. Existence, soul, time. An unusually serious statement for an entry-level wine. The wine behind it lives up to it. Sangiovese from the Scansano vineyards of Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte – young vines on volcanic soils, close to the sea, cool nights. A few months in wooden barrels, then bottle ageing.

Shells in a vineyard? Not an uncommon sight in the Valdarno di Sopra. Where Chardonnay vines now take root at the foot of the Pratomagno, a lake once stretched out millions of years ago – the metamorphic soils are riddled with fossilised remnants of that era. The name "Lamelle" pays homage to these grooves in the fossilised shells, which lend the wine its unmistakable minerality. After being hand-harvested, the grapes are left to rest overnight at 5°C before being gently pressed. Vinification takes place exclusively in stainless steel at 16°C, followed by two months on the fine lees – that is all it takes to capture the freshness of this terroir.

A circular forest sits enthroned on the highest point of the vineyard, and inside it rests an Etruscan tomb – over 2,500 years old. Al Passo, "at the passage", is what they call this place, from where the view extends as far as the Torre del Mangia in Siena. Here, where past and present meet, the estate's most popular cuvée is created: equal parts Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the silty-clayey limestone soils of Castelnuovo Berardenga. Double selection, 20 days on the skins, then 14 months in French oak – six of which on the fine lees, which gives the wine its silky texture.

Barbara Widmer's Chianti Classico has for years been characterised by clarity and terroir: 100% Sangiovese from plots in Castellina and Radda (230–400 m), on limestone- and clay-rich soils with a south to south-west aspect. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged for around twelve months on the fine lees in stainless steel and cement tanks – deliberately without the use of wood, to allow the grape variety to express itself purely and precisely.

Il Falcone is a famous Riserva from the heart of the DOCG Castel del Monte, named after the famous hunting falcon of Emperor Frederick II. The Nero di Troia and Montepulciano grape varieties come from the best hillside vineyards at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres. After around 14 months of ageing in large wooden barrels and barriques, it presents a dark ruby colour with garnet-red reflections in the glass. Ripe blackberry, black cherry, tobacco leaf, some leather and balsamic herbs on the nose. Powerful yet finely balanced on the palate, with robust tannins, mineral tension and a spicy, long final. A serious, historic wine with elegance, structure and clear provenance. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1987, Castello Romitorio was not yet a winery. Just a castle, an artist and an idea. Sandro Chia bought grapes from his friend and cellar master Franco Martini and had the first wine vinified – even before a single vine of his own had ripened. That was the Romitorio: not a reaction, but an attitude. Today it grows at Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte in Scansano, 25 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at an altitude of 170 metres. The soils are of Pliocene origin – galestro, clay, Alberese, interspersed with fossils and shell remains, remnants of a primeval seabed. Petit Verdot and Syrah give the wine its profile: fermentation in steel, ageing in cement and oak.

In school philosophy, A quo denotes the starting point of an argument – the place from which everything else begins. Fabio Chiarelotto has dedicated a wine to this Latin thought. And what he meant was: Montepeloso begins here. The Swiss national with a Tuscan mother bought the estate in Suvereto, near Bolgheri – one of the hottest wine-growing regions in Tuscany. What others drown in heat, he wanted to translate into elegance. He replanted, pruned, worked biodynamically and bet that it was possible to make wines that glow instead of sweat on these limestone-rich, fossilised clay and silex soils. 2024 shows that he was right. The blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malvasia Nera and other varieties is fermented in steel, then matured for twelve months in used barriques – no wood to cover the fruit, just one that polishes delicately. Bottled unfiltered.

In 1872, Bettino Ricasoli wrote down his famous formula – the blueprint of what Chianti Classico should be: Sangiovese as the heart, structure as the backbone, terroir as the argument. The fact that his descendants have named this wine after him is not nostalgia. It is a commitment. Brolio Bettino is a single-varietal Sangiovese – and that is intentional. No blending, no corrective. The grapes grow on five geological formations: Sandstone, Galestro, Alberese, marine sediments and old river terraces – a terroir mosaic that combines depth and complexity in one glass. Fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, 18 months of ageing in large barrels: classic, without compromise. The 2022 vintage was capricious – mild winter, dry spring, a hailstorm in July, but it ended on a mild note.

Forcole is produced in a surprisingly small quantity for a Chianti Classico - just 15,000 bottles. The bouquet begins with a slender texture and aromas of wild berries, sour cherries, pressed violets and sweet earth. Supple, generous and inviting on the palate, it captures all the natural intensity of the vintage. Its attractive silky tannins and the rather darker and crispy-cool Sangiovese flavour profile of the Panzano region make it a great soloist as well as food companion. SUPERIORE.DE

A rosé as distinctive as its origins: Alberto Graci's Etna Rosato is more than just a summer wine – it is a bold and refreshing greeting from the volcano. Grown on mineral-rich gravelly soil near Passopisciaro, where Nerello Mascalese, at an altitude of around 600 metres, embodies the temperament of a volcano, this rosé remains consistently clear in expression – a product of tradition, terroir and respect for nature. Its vinification follows the principle of purity – gentle direct pressing, spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks, and the wine is left on its fine lees for six months, powerful without oak, elegant without exaggeration.

100% Carricante from one of the youngest and, at the same time, most promising cru vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna: Contrada Taccione lies at an altitude of around 700 metres in Castiglione di Sicilia, characterised by volcanic sand, basalt rock and ash dating back thousands of years. It is a landscape in constant flux, shaped by lava, wind and time. It is precisely this interplay between barrenness and energy that Planeta translates here into a wine that seems tailor-made for subtlety.

With this exceptional Chianti Classico Riserva, the Mazzei family pays tribute to their famous ancestor, Ser Lapo, in whose writings the name "Chianti" is first mentioned. The upper part of the label features a faithful reproduction of one of his writings (dating from 1398) in beautiful calligraphy. "Do not worry about the cost of this wine, even though it was expensive: its quality will more than make up for it."