VINOUS

Deep, bright ruby red colour. Stunning aromas of floral dark berries, flint and attractive aromatic spices. Then fresh and juicy, but with a creeping concentration of blue and black fruit flavours, lifted by a zesty minerality and lively, harmonious acidity. The spicy, long finish is reminiscent of cloves, black pepper and coriander. A great wine, and we know now at the latest: The Catania family has a real knack for Cerasuolo di Vittoria. SUPERIORE.DE

The organically grown Etna Rosso Reseca is made from 100% Nerello Mascalese from a 1.5 hectare vineyard located at 800 metres above sea level on the blackened cone of the volcano. The wine offers both power and grace, the two contrasting qualities that characterise the great wines of Etna.

In the heart of the Colli Berici, where one of Italy’s most mysterious wine-growing regions stretches between Vicenza and Padua, Stefano Inama has been writing an extraordinary chapter in the European Carménère renaissance for three decades. What began in 1991 with an anonymous sip from an unlabelled glass – that legendary ‘love at first taste’ –, has developed into an obsessive passion that has made Inama Europe’s leading Carménère pioneer. Carminium, produced since 2015, is the younger sister of the iconic Oratorio di San Lorenzo and embodies Inama’s vision of a more accessible, yet complex expression of this almost forgotten Bordeaux variety. The history of this wine is inextricably linked to the Oratorio di San Lorenzo – of that small 16th-century chapel, which stands enthroned in the midst of a twelve-hectare Carménère amphitheatre. Here, where monks once lived amidst unspoilt nature, the Carménère vines have, after fifteen years on the vine, reached a level of maturity that allows Inama to vinify the adjacent plots separately. The terroir is characterised by the distinctive red clay soils of the Colli Berici – iron-rich terra rossa on a limestone subsoil, which gives the Carménère that unique balance between power and elegance that remains unattainable elsewhere.

Pure Sangiovese from western Tuscany is not comparable with the interpretations from Montalcino or Chianti Classico due to its cultivation near the coast, but this somewhat different facet is in no way inferior to the aforementioned. Saturated, light ruby red colour. Intense and complex bouquet of cherries, lilac and broom, densely woven on the palate with black cherries, spices and grilled herbs, the whole framed by a terrificfreshness and lightness. A supple and elegant wine whose well-balanced acid wire not only provides the necessary structure, but also the framework for a wonderful further ageing phase. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all – and a piece of wine history. Maggiorina refers to a training system that is older than viticulture in the Langhe: three vines grow at the four cardinal points, a pre-Roman legacy perfected in the 19th century by Alessandro Antonelli, the architect of the Mole Antonelliana, born in nearby Maggiora. What sounds like a folkloristic detail today is reality: Christoph Künzli cultivates these 80 to 100-year-old vines exclusively by hand – machines have no access here. More than ten indigenous grape varieties, both red and white, come together in the glass: Croatina and Nebbiolo form the foundation, Vespolina, Erbaluce, Malvasia and almost forgotten varieties such as Durasa, Slarina and Rastajola complete the ensemble. After spontaneous fermentation and brief maceration, the wine matures for twelve months in stainless steel.

Val di Cava – the valley of the quarries. A sober name for one of Montalcino's most precious addresses. The Abbruzzese family estate is located in the Montosoli area to the north of Montalcino – one of the coolest locations in the entire appellation, at around 350 metres, with a soil of galestro, limestone and clay, which gives the Sangiovese elegance, freshness and structure all in one. Bramante Abbruzzese bought the estate here in 1953. His grandson Vincenzo has turned it into one of the quiet legends of Brunello viticulture. The philosophy of the estate is clear and uncompromising: exclusively Sangiovese from its own vineyards, large Slavonian oak wood for ageing, no intervention that obscures the purity of the grape variety. The Rosso di Montalcino comes from the younger vines of the four single vineyards Filai Lunghi, Lago, Cipressi and Nova – the same Galestro-rich soils as the Brunello.

In the rolling hills of Castelnuovo Calcea lies the Montemareto vineyard, a privileged parcel in the heart of the Nice DOCG zone, where Michele Chiarlo has relied on old, low-yielding Barbera vines for decades. The 2021 vintage benefited from a balanced vegetation cycle: a mild spring, warm, dry summer months and cool September nights resulted in perfectly ripe, concentrated berries. A deep ruby red colour with violet hues shines in the glass. The bouquet opens with juicy black cherry, ripe plums and dark berries, underpinned by violets, liquorice and fine roasted aromas. On the palate, the Barbera is powerful and supple at the same time, with rich fruit, present but well-integrated acidity and a fine-grained tannin that lends structure. The long, harmonious finish carries notes of sweet tobacco, herbs and a subtle almond flavour. A Barbera wine of remarkable depth and balance – full of character, storable and a worthy ambassador of the Nice terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

Whilst Virgilio Bisti tends to the reds – Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah – Rita Tua has focused on the whites. Lodano Bianco is her wine, her conviction: that in this climate and on the mineral-rich soils of the Colline Metallifere, a white wine with a character all of its own can be produced – from a blend that nobody in the Maremma would have expected. Traminer, Riesling and Chardonnay. Three grape varieties, three stories of origin, one terroir. The vineyards near Suvereto lie on loamy, mineral-rich soils, twelve kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Mistral wind from the Piombino Channel keeps temperatures in balance, preserves the aromas and gives the white wine that freshness which is not to be taken for granted at this latitude. Gentle pressing, fermentation in wooden tanks, followed by ageing in barriques.

La Grola is the eponymous, historic vineyard where Corvina, the indigenous grape of Valpolicella, is believed to have originated. The replanting of the vineyard by Giovanni Allegrini triggered an agronomic revolution and laid the foundations for the success of this wine-growing region, which today stands for convincing, great red wines from north-east Italy. With the 2022 vintage, La Grola returns to its origins: declared Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC for the first time, it marks a new phase for this iconic wine from Allegrini. The cuvée of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella comes from the limestone terraces of the La Grola hill, exposed to the south-east and consistently selectively harvested. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is matured in barriques, some new, some used.

The still young DOC Colli Tortonesi is probably still one of the least known wine regions in Piedmont. The term Derthona is already used as a generic term. It is the old name for Tortona, a small village in the centre of the DOC. The indigenous white grape variety Timorasso led a shadowy existence for many years, but today some winegrowers are already calling it the "white Barolo". This is due to its great complexity and finesse on the one hand and the excellent ageing potential of the wines on the other. In addition, the grapes often vary in size and ripeness during the harvest, which makes selection a major challenge, just as with the great Nebbiolo crus.

The four wines resulting from the collaboration between Dolce & Gabbana and Donnafugata demonstrate an eye for detail and an unconditional love for Sicily. They are the perfect expression of two leading "Made in Italy" companies. They represent the aesthetic fusion of craftsmanship, creativity and Sicilian passion. Together, they have created a unique collection of wines and packaging that emotionally captures Sicilian culture and way of life, whilst expressing a clear commitment to Sicily's beauty and tradition. 

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.

Cultus is Latin for "cultivation, care and veneration". The name says it all: this wine honours tradition by reinterpreting it. Where the house's classic Riserva relies on tried and tested structures, Cultus dares to take a longer breath. Forty days of maceration instead of the usual three weeks, Sangiovese supplemented by the historical companions Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo – all from massalselection of the estate's oldest vines. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 250 to 330 metres, on clayey loam over limestone, organically farmed since 1995 and certified since 2003. The 2019 vintage brought ideal conditions: early budding in the warm spring, balancing rainfall into the summer, then perfect ripeness.

A wine like a manifesto: Della Bastonaca is the quintessence of the COS philosophy, grown on the historic estate in Bastonaca near Vittoria – where up to 75-year-old Alberello vines of Nero d'Avola and Frappato stand on calcareous red clay, criss-crossed by quartz veins and the constant presence of Mediterranean air. Biodynamics is not a statement here, but a lived practice – for decades, each vintage has been vinified in harmony with nature at the right rhythm. The 2020 vintage brought the best conditions: A spring with sufficient moisture, a warm but not overheated summer and cool nights during the ripening period created the ideal balance of vigour, freshness and aromatic precision. Selective hand-picking, spontaneous fermentation on the skins and careful ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months – these are conscious decisions that together result in a wine of quiet greatness.