Vintage 2024

High above Bolzano, where the steep porphyry slopes of the Ritten rise 650 metres into the alpine air, one of the most characterful Gewürztraminer wines in South Tyrol thrives. Kleinstein is the result of uncompromising selection: cellar master Stephan Filippi only chooses grapes from those sites where the volcanic terroir and the extreme day-night temperature fluctuations elicit the full aromatic power of the royal grape variety. These privileged plots on the Ritten tell a geological story: volcanic primary rock and mineral-rich weathered soils create a terroir of rare intensity. The Gewürztraminer grapes ripen here under the South Tyrolean sun, while cool mountain winds provide the freshness that gives this premium wine its impressive balance.

Prosecco Superiore Rive di Col San Martino grows on the equally named steep slopes of Valdobbiadene. The second top product from the small family winery is Castè Extra Dry, which comes from the old steep slopes on the castle hill and thus got its name. Brilliant pale yellow in colour, with a bouquet of white fruit, a delicate hint of yeast, lemon and herbs. Very typical of the grape variety on the palate with a fine apple and peach flavour, the barely perceptible fruit sweetness is excellently integrated; fine perlage, long-lasting. SUPERIORE.DE

Soave Classico Wild from the Ponsara UGA is sunny and straw yellow in colour. The complex nose ranges from a strong floral note of broom and hawthorn to fresh, fragrant fruit reminiscent of Granny Smith apples. On the palate, there is a vibrant freshness that is very balanced and perfectly balanced by a lingering, intense finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Margreid lies in the extreme south of South Tyrol – and thus climatically in a different world to the Alpine altitudes near Nals. Warm summers, mild winters and the Ora every afternoon: the warm south wind from Lake Garda that blows through the vineyards, ventilates the vines and keeps the harvesthealthy. This is exactly what Chardonnay loves. The vineyards on the gentle slope between 220 and 350 metres, facing south-southeast, stand on white, broodinglimestone gravel soil with a high humus content – a terroir that allows for fullness and aromatic intensity at the same time. Cellar master Harald Schraffl focuses on ageing with a sense of proportion: fermentation in 30-hectolitre wooden barrels for three weeks, followed by eight months of maturation on the fine lees. The creaminess comes from the yeast, not the wood.

Timorasso – once almost forgotten, today one of the most exciting white wines in Piedmont. Piccolo Derthona is Walter Massa's introduction to this fascinating grape variety, but there is no question of a simple base. The wine comes from the hillside vineyards around Monleale, where clay and limestone on ancient sea beds create a microclimate that favours cool fruit and mineral tension. The wine is traditionally matured in stainless steel, with long maturation on the fine lees – for structure, clarity and character.

White postcard from the Langhe: gentle hills, morning breezes – and Arneis in its purest form. Arveja comes from selected, higher-lying parcels around Alba; the harvest is cool and selective, and the ageing is deliberately focussed on freshness and clarity. Pale straw yellow in the glass with a greenish tinge. Open bouquet of white flowers, green apple skin, juicy pear with a hint of citrus zest, underneath a fine, stony-mineral tone. Straightforward, juicy on the palate, with lively acidity and a delicate creaminess in the flow. The fruit remains cool and precise, with a small almondy accent for a Piedmontese wink. The final is long and salty-fresh. An uncomplicated, elegant Arneis with a confident drinking pleasure – perfect as an aperitif, with antipasti, vitello tonnato or simply with a good piece of grilled trout. SUPERIORE.DE

Bright, sparkling silver-grey with a persistent perlage. The nose is fragrant with white roses, juicy pears and white peach. Juicy on the palate, radiant and with a great fruity sweetness, it opens up with presence and balance, pleasantly dosed in all its facets. SUPERIORE.DE

From one of the region's most famous winegrowers, this sparkling wine from a single vineyard shows the serious side of Valdobbiadene. A single vineyard from the year 2000, located directly in front of the winery and therefore close to the village. San Floriano opens with delicate scents of white spring flowers and white stone fruit. The elegant, unobtrusive palate draws all the attention to itself and offers creamy white peach, ripe green apple and a hint of citrus - and all this together with an extremely refined perlage. Delicious! SUPERIORE.DE

One of the best rosati in Lazio, only 2,800 bottles are filled: The grapes for the rare Sorèlle come from Cotarella's younger Merlot vineyards and the historic Aleatico vineyard. The grapes, which are pressed at different times, are left in the press at a temperature of 10°C for two hours after destemming. This allows the flavours to be fixed and their characteristics to be brought out to the full. Once alcoholic fermentation is complete, the wine remains in steel tanks in contact with its fine lees. Only then is it blended. Salmon pink in colour, a bouquet of roses and blueberries full of character. Perfect structure on the palate, good acidity, a firm wine with excellent texture and persistence. SUPERIORE.DE

A charismatic representative from the Alba region: this Barbera reflects the diversity of the Vajra vineyards – a spirited expression of the grape variety, vinified with attention to detail and many years of biodynamic expertise. The colour in the glass is a bright ruby red with a violet hue. An elegant bouquet of fresh cherries, fine spicy notes and a floral touch on the nose – delicate violet accents included. This wine simply smells of lively freshness and archetypal Barbera characteristics. On the palate, it reveals a juicy fruit structure, supported by a balanced, lively acidity and softly framed tannins. The ageing in stainless steel preserves the varietal purity, the natural flavours and provides an invigorating freshness. The finish is slightly spicy and persistent with an elegant aftertaste. A Piedmontese all-rounder for everyday enjoyment: charming, clear as a bell and highly drinkable – a stylish statement for uncomplicated enjoyment! SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby red in colour with a violet hue. Ripe cherry, blackberry and violet on the nose, with a hint of herbal spice. Juicy, fresh and precise on the palate, carried by fine tannins and lively, pure-toned fruit. The pure stainless steel maturation reinforces the varietal character. Winemaker Chiara Boschis is considered a pioneer of organic winegrowing in Piedmont – her tireless, quality-driven work and likeable personality characterise each of her wines. SUPERIORE.DE

"Fruit that bears richly" ... the meaning of the name. Sciala evokes images of golden grapes in the warm light of the Gallura autumn. Here, millennia-old memories and modern precision come together to create a Vermentino that is considered the style-defining work (not only) of Surrau. The 2024 vintage in Gallura was strong in character and balanced at the same time – characterised by plenty of warmth from the sun, yet plenty of cooling sea air and the exposed altitude ensured concentrated fruit and aromatic elegance. In combination with a late, selective harvest, this beautiful vintage marks a highly lively expression between strength and finesse.

La Contessa is a South Tyrolean white wine with soul and origin, produced from biodynamically farmed vineyards near Kaltern. Grown on loamy-sandy soils at an altitude of 300-400 metres, the cuvée of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc combines alpine freshness with southern charm. The 2024 vintage was characterised by a cool spring and a balanced ripening phase, which allowed for aromatic clarity and fine structure.

Buchholz – in the Austrian land register of 1858, the name already referred to the valley slopes above Salurn, where terraced vineyards lie on dolomite sedimentary rock between 400 and 800 metres above sea level. Peter Zemmer, whose family has been making wine in Kurtinig an der Weinstraße since 1928, has chosen this heterogeneous location for his Chardonnay: A mosaic of microclimates and soils that combines alpine freshness with southern ripeness. In the morning, the breeze from the north cools, in the afternoon the "Ora" from the south warms: a daily breathing space that gives the grapes time. The vinification remains deliberately restrained: short cold maceration to preserve the fruit, fermentation at 19°C in large wooden barrels.

La Rosé de Manincor is produced using the classic saignée method – as a juice extraction from the estate's best red wine batches. The grapes come from the Manincor, Seehof, Panholzerhof and Mazzon vineyards between 250 and 500 metres above sea level. Strong clay soils, interspersed with limestone gravel and glacial rock deposits, characterise the wines. The composition of the cuvée changes slightly from year to year – in 2024, it consists of 35% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 14% Pinot Nero, 6% Syrah, 6% Tempranillo, 5% Lagrein and 4% Petit Verdot. After six to twelve hours of maceration, the must is drawn off – this is the part that makes the red wines more concentrated and gives the rosé its colour, structure and aromatic richness. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels, partly spontaneously with wild yeasts. The wine then matures for five months on the fine lees, where the aromas are refined and the creamy texture that characterises La Rosé develops.

Riesling is a rarity in Piedmont. However, the grape variety finds ideal conditions in carefully selected, higher-lying plots: sunny days for aromatic ripeness, cool nights for acid freshness. Re di Fiori is matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve the pure fruit and fine tension of the variety. A white wine full of character that interprets the classic German grape variety in a Piedmontese style. Rare, authentic and with a subtle aristocratic flavour.

A photo from 1955 adorns the bottle: Elliott Erwitt's "California Kiss", two lovers in the mirror of a car. When Trudie Styler tasted the first sip of this Vermentino, she spontaneously found the name – "like a kiss on the lips". The fact that the wine was released in March 2021, when the world was hungry for closeness, lends it additional poetry. Incidentally, it is the first white wine that Riccardo Cotarella vinified for Il Palagio – a tribute to Trudie's love of elegant Bianchi. The hand-picked Vermentino grapes ferment at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, and a short maturation period preserves the vibrant freshness.

From the gentle hills of the Friulian Collio, where the Ponca soils have been producing wines of exceptional elegance for centuries, comes this crystal-clear Pinot Bianco from Silvio Jermann, a visionary who has been redefining the boundaries of traditional viticulture since the 1970s. The 100% Pinot Bianco, a grape variety that has become rare in this region, matures for several months on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. This process gives the wine its characteristic roundness and depth. The early September harvest ensures the perfect balance between aromatic ripeness and the natural acidity that makes Jermann's wines so distinctive.

In the gentle hills between Gran Sasso and Majella, where the silhouettes of Abruzzo stand out against the sky, a palazzo baronale has been enthroned since the 17th century, telling a very special love story. Castello di Semivicoli – once the summer residence of Sicilian nobles, later a military hospital, then a derelict ruin – was purchased by Gianni Masciarelli as a gift for his wife and, after years of restoration work, was transformed into one of the most beautiful wine resorts in Abruzzo. The Pecorino vines that now surround the historic building are rooted at an altitude of 380 metres in the calcareous soils of the Provincia Chieti, which have always been prized for their mineral complexity. Here, where the maritime influences of the Adriatic meet the continental mountain climate, white wines of characteristic freshness and distinct territoriality are produced.