VINOUS

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.

Bright ruby red with garnet red reflections. Wild bouquet of red fruits, delicate spice flavours and a hint of tobacco and leather. Taut and elegant at the same time, the tannins are velvety soft, with a well-proportioned fruit centre and harmonious spiciness. A skilfully balanced red with a lingering final and good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Lively, golden straw yellow colour. The floral and spicy nose offers ripe pear, cinnamon, chamomile, white peach and grapefruit with subtle hints of ginger. Rich and racy, with multi-layered orchard and tropical fruit flavours and a subtle spiciness that lingers beautifully on the rich, luscious finish. Its excellent salinity and a very juicy, fresh cut accompany the tropical and spicy fruit flavours on the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Bright silver-grey with a persistent, finesse-rich perlage. A wonderful nose of white flowers and light-coloured fruit. Full, broad and creamy elegance on the palate, supported by a delicate interplay of sweetness and acidity. A very expressive and sensual Prosecco Superiore from the top Cartizze vineyard. SUPERIORE.DE

Villa Gresti is an exciting cuvée of Merlot and Carménère that represents a very nice balance between fruit intensity, spice, ripe cherry and sweet tobacco. Medium-bodied on the palate, with a softness and a very attractive, drinkystyle and a rich, fruit-accentuated finish. Classic Bordeaux style. SUPERIORE.DE

The Ghezzi family has been cultivating the extensive estate on the south-western slope of Montalcino since 1957 – 530 hectares in total, 50 of which are planted with Sangiovese Grosso alone, on clay-limestone soils with silt and fossil inclusions. A Brunello that combines the power of the south with the elegance of careful clonal selection comes from this sunny, warm location on the Ombrone. 20 to 30 days of maceration on the skins, fermentation at 26–28 °C, followed by 24 months in oak barrels and a full year of bottle ageing. The 2021 vintage is considered a classic great Annata: late frost in April noticeably reduced the yields, a warm but never overheated summer and two saving August rains brought the grapes to full, slow phenolic ripeness.

For over 60 years, the Produttori del Barbaresco have stood for an uncompromising approach to quality, supported by over 50 winegrowers who contribute their best grapes from Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso to the community. The Barbaresco 2022 is a prime example of collective precision and classic style: the Nebbiolo grapes come from selected communal vineyards, some of which are adjacent to the crus, on chalky and clayey soils. Vinification was carried out traditionally: a long maceration period, ageing for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a further resting period in the bottle.

The Brunello di Montalcino "50 anni" is much more than just an anniversary bottling – it is Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini's emotional homage to half a century of Caparzo history and at the same time her legacy for the future. In 2020, the year of its 50th anniversary, she deliberately chose this exceptional vintage to embody the essence of what Caparzo has stood for since 1970: the combination of tradition and innovation in the service of one of the world's greatest terroirs.

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

Poggio Valente comes from a single vineyard of the same name at an altitude of around 300 metres. Opulent floral and small-fruited Sangiovese nose with optimally nuanced hints of tobacco, cedar and mint. Precise on the palate with plenty of pressure and power, then towards the end the furious resolution of all the well-dosed components in a fine, silky texture and an unforgettable, long final. SUPERIORE.DE

Soft, silky wine with aromas of ripe apricots and honey that harmonise well with the fleshy richness of the mouthfeel. The expressive and very varietal palate is crowned with plenty of stone fruit, melon and pear. This is a strong performance from one of the winery's flagships. SUPERIORE.DE

Ben Ryé - the great naturally sweet and world-famous white wine from Donnafugata. The grapes are harvested in mid-August and left to dry naturally for 20 to 30 days. In September, the later ripening grapes are harvested and freshly processed. The hand-picked raisined berries are added to the must in several stages during fermentation. Light orange yellow in colour. Overwhelming aromas of apricot, peach and orange peel. Creamy notes of passion fruit and peach on the palate with an impressive elegance and length. For us, one of the best sweet wines in Italy every year! SUPERIORE.DE

Finely structured Rosé Millesimato with elegance and depth – the essence of time in every sip. The cuvée of predominantly Chardonnay with a proportion of Pinot Nero reveals its perfection after a long lees contact. Delicate old rose colour in the glass with a subtle perlage. The bouquet combines fine aromas of red berries, particularly redcurrant and raspberry, with delicate brioche and almond notes and a hint of dried rose. On the palate, it impresses with juicy fruit, lively acidity and elegant creaminess. The perlage is subtle, the finish dry, precise and persistent with a slightly salty length. A rosé that is powerful and subtle at the same time – noble, classic, with very good balance. Ideal with salmon, tuna carpaccio, tender veal or as an aperitif. SUPERIORE.DE

Davide Rosso's Etna Bianco from Contrada Montedolce is an energetic, fresh white that impressively emphasises its volcanic character with its mineral salinity. The bouquet begins elegantly with Sicilian flavours of orange blossom and sweet almonds, then opens up with fresh lemon, crushed apples and a hint of wet stone. Its medium concentration and crisp freshness will serve it well as it continues to develop in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Rive Alte Sauvignon Blanc Piere is the lighter coloured of the estate's two Sauvignons, but both wines are beautiful in their own right. Piere shows earthy notes of green olive, garden tomato leaf and sage on the palate, rounded off with lively and zesty flavours of citrus orange peel and some crushed mineral and white pepper. All the elements are in the right place and, like all Vie di Romans whites, Piere needs time in the glass to find its centre and minerality. And if you have the patience to give it this, then it's great. SUPERIORE.DE

The youngest wine from the house of Manetti – and yet one that bears Montevertine's signature like a second skin. Pian del Ciampolo is more than just an entry-level wine: it is the accessible side of the uncompromising philosophy for which Sergio Manetti gave up the Chianti Classico DOCG in 1981 because he refused to blend white Trebbiano into his Sangiovese. This wine comes from parts of the two great bottlings – le Pergole Torte and Montevertine – as well as from grapes from younger vines. What would elsewhere be called a second or third wine is here pure Sangiovese character in its freshest form.

When Brigitte and Bruno Widmer bought the abandoned Brancaia estate near Castellina in Chianti in 1981, nobody could have guessed that this would become one of the defining wineries of modern Tuscany. The very first vintage in 1983 took first place in a blind tasting – the beginning of a success story that daughter Barbara Widmer is continuing today as a qualified Oenologist. The entire winery has been certified organic since 2019, a consistent development of the philosophy that has always applied here: no compromises. The Riserva combines the best Sangiovese lots from both Chianti Classico estates – brancaia in Castellina and Poppi in Radda – supplemented by twenty per cent Merlot. The sites between 230 and 400 metres above sea level bring together different soil structures: Clay in Castellina, sandy loam with a stony skeleton in Radda.

Le Cupole offers excellent value every year. You get a glass full of sunny Tuscany and rich intensity at an affordable price. The wine is packed with black fruits, spices and leather, resulting in a classic bouquet, especially for a warm corner of Tuscany, off the beaten track, in Sarteano. SUPERIORE.DE

After 35 years at the helm of Vietti, Luca Currado and Elena Penna ventured a new beginning in 2023: Cascina Penna-Currado, an artisanal boutique winery in Serralunga d'Alba, founded together with their children Michele and Giulia. A cascina dating back to 1554, once owned by the Marchesi Falletti, with a 360° view over the Langhe – and a wine that epitomises Elena's long-standing passion: Timorasso. The almost extinct, indigenous white wine variety of Piedmont, revived in the Colli Tortonesi, where Sant'Agata fossilised marl – 20 million years old compacted limestone – provide the typical salinity and minerality. The 15-year-old vines grow in Berzano di Tortona on east-facing slopes. The vinification is ground-breaking: spontaneous fermentation with innovative "submerged cap maceration" – the skins remain submerged, which enables perfect extraction without oxidative notes. 40-45% skin maceration, then maturation on the fine lees in clayver ceramic vats, partial malolactic fermentation.

Nerobaronj is no ordinary Nero d'Avola, but a deeply rooted homage to origin and style. The name plays with the aristocratic title and grape variety – and refers to the self-confident profile of a wine that sets new standards with its concentration and elegance. The grapes come from the south of Sicily, not far from Noto, from old bush vines on calcareous clay soil. Organic cultivation, hand-picking and strict selection ensure a high degree of precision. The wine is matured for 24 months in barriques and tonneaux, followed by long bottle ageing.

This Nebbiolo comes from one of the best vineyards in the Roero and is vinified by Luciano Sandrone with the same care as a Barolo. Brilliant ruby-garnet colour. Wonderful aroma of light red fruit, mainly raspberry and cherry. Earthy on the palate with a lovely strawberry touch and an incredible amount of elegance. The fine-grained tannin is wonderfully integrated and, together with a subtle minerality, gives this Nebbiolo a race, depth and finesse that is unrivalled. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

From the highest corner of the Vigna Istine (the name 550 refers to the metres above sea level), surrounded by cool forests, this balanced Merlot is vinified in concrete before spending around 15 months in lightly toasted tonneaux. Due to the cool location, it is – unusually – harvested after the Sangiovese so that it has more time to mature on the vine. The result is a wine with a fine tannic structure and juicy, ripe blue fruit, with a hint of red fruit and some coffee notes leading to a long, graceful finish. Production is 2,600 bottles per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE