Veronelli

Don Antonio is not only a great and powerful wine, it is also a monument. Dedicated to the father of the Morgante family, this Nero d'Avola embodies the quintessence of the passion with which vines have been cultivated in the hills of Grotte for generations. The grapes come from old vines and the best altitudes of up to 500 metres, where day-night temperature fluctuations, limestone soils and the sea breeze favour a Mediterranean but wonderfully developed profile. After temperature-controlled fermentation, the wine is aged for twelve months in French barriques, followed by a further maturation phase in the bottle.

The elegant blend of Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot surprises with its aroma full of purity and intensely aromatic fruit flavour. Elegance and finesse trump muscle in Turpino, a wine that is always light on its feet. Fermentation in wooden barrels and ageing in barriques lend the spicy, balsamic notes of the grape blend a softness, a fine frame and a beguilingly long finish on the palate. With its tangy acidity balancing the ripe fruit, Turpino manages to be generous and restrained at the same time, making it a great accompaniment to Mediterranean meat dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Pelago is a tribute to the harmonious combination of classic Marche flavours with international influences. The cuvée of Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot brings together the best of the region in a finely structured red wine. The grapes are harvested by hand and placed in stainless steel tanks for controlled fermentation before the wine matures for 14 months in Liters barriques and then develops for a further twelve months in the bottle.

La Fabriseria comes across as an elegant, medium-bodied Amarone. Its intensity, tannin structure and density are hard to beat in this price range. Very juicy on the palate, full-bodied and soft, with notes of cherries, cardamom and cloves. And always with the elegant seriousness of the Tedeschi family's great flagship of the same name. SUPERIORE.DE

Tramin gave Gewürztraminer its name – and the world has since associated it with lush rose flavours, lychee and a body that likes to be heavy. Martin Foradori-Hofstätter thinks differently. With Vigna Castel Rechtenthal, he shows what this variety can do when the location is right and the winemaker does not stand in its way. The vineyard plot is located on a gravelly hill above Rechtenthal Castle, at the foot of Monte Roen – the highest peak in Tramin at 2,116 metres. The soil is an alluvial cone of dolomite gravel: permeable, cool and mineralised. The Höllentalbach stream intensifies the already fresh downdraughts that blow down from the mountain and significantly lower the temperatures at night. No other Gewürztraminer Tramin grows under such conditions.

From old vines in the best Lagrein vineyards in Gries near Bolzano comes this Riserva, which is strictly limited every year and has a seductively chocolaty, fruity bouquet. Rich, dark purple in colour with a slightly lighter rim. On the palate, it is velvety and elegant with a soft fullness and lively freshness, with further fruity accents on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The world-famous Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer has been a real benchmark for years and is also a convincing wine in terms of longevity. Bright yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Typically perfect, complex and deep, but also agile and fresh with beautiful nuances. A broad bouquet of rose petals, smoke and oriental spices. On the palate it flows silky smooth, velvety and spicy, lingers for a long time, great! SUPERIORE.DE

Strongly Nebbiolo-influenced variant of a Langhe Rosso and thus in the impression like a Barolo with the discreetly juicy and fruity component of the Barbera grape. On the nose some cherry and blueberry, then autumn leaves, walnuts and forest floor. Very soft and delicate on the palate, the polished tannins make it seem smoother and more accessible than the Nebbiolo dominance would suggest. A wine of great freshness and complexity, with good structure and made for a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

In the mysterious Etruscan caves under the hill of Decugnano, a sparkling wine matures at a constant 13° Celsius, which is only produced in extremely limited quantities. Claudio Barbi produced this Metodo Classico in 1978 as the first bottle fermenter in Umbria. At that time, it was still made from Procanico and Verdello grapes. Over the years, it has developed into something even more special by using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and extending the ageing period on the lees to 4 years. The entire production process is artisanal: riddling and disgorging are still done manually and are carried out with noticeable care and passion.

The Praesulis Pinot Nero is the latest addition to the Gump Hof wine family – a challenge that Markus Prackwieser has only been taking on for a few years. Because Pinot Noir in the cool altitudes of the southern Eisack Valley is a venture that requires patience and courage. The grapes grow at 550 metres above sea level on calcareous moraine soils over quartz porphyry – those steep slopes that benefit from Mediterranean warmth during the day but are ventilated at night by the cool downdraughts from the Dolomites. A week of cold maceration is followed by two weeks of fermentation and maceration on the skins. The wine then matures for twelve months in barriques with malolactic fermentation.

Nubiola is a Barbaresco with inner tension: differentiated, unagitated, but with a clear character. The name refers to historical roots: Vitis Nubiola was the name given to Nebbiolo in the 13th century. Pelissero has revived this term – not out of sentimentality, but because it suits the style of the wine: Complexity instead of posturing, depth instead of effect. The grapes come from various plots around Treiso, on soils of calcareous marl with a fine clay content. The sites complement each other – altitude, exposure, microclimate – to create a complex but harmonious overall picture. The wine is fermented with natural yeast and matured for 18 months in large barrels and tonneaux, all with deliberate restraint so that the structure and origin remain visible.

1992 was the last vintage of Boscarelli's first Riserva era. This was followed by a break of almost two decades – this was not a period of inactivity, but a lot of work and research: replanting the historic vineyards, selecting clones, researching the climatic variations of the Cervognano terroir. It was not until 2010, when the young vines of the autochthonous new plantings first showed the complexity that had been awaited, that the Riserva returned. Just like in the 1970s and 80s: exclusively from indigenous grape varieties. Prugnolo Gentile and Colorino. Vines over 20 years old from the historic core of the Boscarelli vineyards in Cervognano – calcareous, alluvial sandy soils with silt, clay, minerals and a rich stone skeleton that varies depending on the location and altitude. 6,500 vines per hectare.

Animardente is a pure Nerello Mascalese produced from vines planted in bushes at an altitude of 700 metres on partly sandy and ashy, partly gravelly and pebbly soils that are exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night. The name of the wine is derived from the bowels of the volcano, from its incessant activity, the heat and the colour of the magma. The vines grow in a kind of amphitheatre created by volcanic eruptions, which over the centuries have produced a valuable substrate for viticulture: On dark volcanic soils formed from lava flows, mainly free-living, rootless vines develop here, which are exposed to the most extreme climatic influences. Animardente was born a few years ago in this almost moon-like landscape. A name that tells of the soul of the silent volcano, unexpected and incandescent, breathing life into perpetual motion. An irrepressible and seductive force of nature, the expression of a unique terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

Lagrein is South Tyrolean through and through. The grape variety grows almost exclusively in this region, with a genetic origin that stretches further back in history than most other Central European varieties: pre-Roman, documented in historical records and unmistakable in character. Its historical home is Gries, now a district of Bolzano, where its potential was recognised early on and which gave it its name. The Pfitscher family has its roots in Montan, a municipality in the South Tyrolean Unterland, known above all for the Mazon vineyards and Pinot Nero. The fact that a Lagrein of this calibre is also produced here demonstrates the breadth of the terroir. The Griesfeld is the most consistent expression of this: 15 months in small oak barrels, which lend the Lagrein character and refined spice without overpowering it.

When Franco Pola bottled the first bottle of his Barbaresco Bordini in 1970, he not only wrote the beginning of a family story, but also symbolised the connection between man and vineyard that lasts for generations. The vineyard bears the same name as the street on which the winery stands – via Bordini 15 – and this geographical coincidence harbours a deeper truth: here, where the winery building looks directly onto the south-east-facing slope, family and terroir are inextricably interwoven. On sandy limestone/clay soil, 280 metres above sea level, Nebbiolo vines 50 to 60 years old take root – one hectare of which is even over 70 years old and ungrafted, a living link to the time when Franco's father Secondo still ran the farm as a farm.

Bertone – almost two hectares, planted in 2001 with Burgundian clones for great finesse – on the slope opposite the Cru Pernice. 400 metres, south to south-west facing, directly above Villa Fornace, the family's historic residence. Calcareous, clayey soil with sand and silt, a dry microclimate that accelerates ripening and concentrates the grapes. Small like a Burgundian plot, consistent like a family decision. 2021 was a year of balance at Oltrepò Pavese: a long, cool spring, a dry and structured summer. Fermentation in conical wooden vats, malolactic fermentation in barriques in spring, then twelve months in carefully selected French barrels of various origins – followed by at least one year in the bottle.