Vintage 2025

The extremely flavoursome rosé classic from Lake Garda: Chiaretto Bardolino is floral, sweet and nuanced in the glass, with notes of wild strawberries and candied citrus fruits. It is soft and supple, with a brilliant acidity that maintains balance and crisp red fruits that resonate beneath the rosy inner flowers. Lasts an impressively long time and remains completely refreshing. A subtle hint of minerality remains. Excellent as an aperitif and with light dishes as well as a summery accompaniment in the afternoon. SUPERIORE.DE

Three grape varieties and one goal: freshness. Garganega brings structure, Cortese liveliness and Chardonnay rounds things off. The vineyards are located between Lazise, Peschiera and Valeggio, right on Zenato's doorstep on Lake Garda. Straw yellow in colour with green reflections. Aromas of peach, white flowers and a hint of citrus. Light and fresh on the palate, with restrained acidity and a pleasant mellowness. A white wine for the terrace, with antipasti or as an aperitif – light-hearted and yet with character. SUPERIORE.DE

Pinot Grigio as it should be: typical of the variety, fresh, without frills. Zenato vinifies the grapes in stainless steel, thus preserving the clear character of the grape variety. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Pomaceous fruit and honeydew melon on the nose, juicy on the palate with moderate acidity and a creamy melt. The finish remains fresh and inviting. Versatile in use – whether as an aperitif, with salad, seafood or simply at the next party. Serve well chilled at max. 9°C. SUPERIORE.DE

Bagnara is a village between Cellino San Marco and Campi Salentina. Limestone hills, Mediterranean scrub, figs, olive groves, the wind from the Adriatic Sea. Here, along the old "Limite dei Greci" – the historical borderline of the Greek colonies in Apulia – grows the Fiano of Due Palme. A grape variety with a long history in Salento, already known at the time of Frederick II. Hand-picked, cold maceration at 4°C for 24 hours, temperature-controlled fermentation in steel. Straw yellow in the glass, fresh. The nose opens with citrus, white peach, a hint of almond and Mediterranean herbal spice. Lively on the palate, with good acidity and a long, salty, mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Verdicchio – the name comes from verde, green – and that's exactly what this wine is all about: a fresh, lively energy that needs no explanation. 100% Verdicchio from the historic Classico region around Serra de' Conti, vinified in stainless steel, clearly focussed on fruit and freshness. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Lemon, fresh apricot and hawthorn on the nose – light, inviting, with a hint of almond. Dry, juicy on the palate, with lively acidity and a fine salty minerality on the finish, which is typical of the hills between the Apennines and the Adriatic. The classic accompaniment to everything the sea has to offer – and the moment when you simply want to open a good white wine. SUPERIORE.DE

The Cantina Santadi in Sulcis is considered one of the best co-operatives in Italy – and this Vermentino shows why. The grapes (85% Vermentino, 15% Nuragus) come from five municipalities in south-west Sardinia, where sandy clay soils and a Mediterranean climate create ideal conditions. Manual harvesting, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and short storage on the lees preserve freshness and flavour.

Passerina is one of the silent heroines of the Marche region. Less well-known than Verdicchio, but with a character of its own that is immediately recognisable: slender, fresh, uncomplicatedly charming. Garofoli deliberately picks the grapes a little earlier in order to preserve freshness and naturalness – gentle pressing, fermentation in steel tanks, clear lines. Pale straw yellow with greenish reflections. Apple, pear and acacia blossom on the nose – inviting and light. Fresh, soft and balanced on the palate, with a delicately bitter final that whets the appetite for more. Aperitivo, fish, seafood – or simply when the evening deserves an uncomplicated companion. SUPERIORE.DE

Sicily at altitude. The Insolia vines of Cusumano grow in the hills near Salemi and Monreale – with south-easterly exposure, slow ripening and pure mountain air. No drama, no feat of strength: the high altitude does the work. Hand-picked at the beginning of September, twelve hours of cold maceration at 8°C, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation at 18–20°C, four months on the fine lees in steel. Straw yellow colour, hawthorn, citrus peel, a hint of exotic fruit – fresh, delicate, with pleasant acidity and a light salty-mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The Riff project is a co-operation between Alois Lageder and local winegrowers in Veneto, where the grapes also thrive in selected vineyard sites. On its label, the segments of stylised ammonites tell the story of the formation of the mountainous landscape on which the vines for the Pinot Gris Riff now stand: From the ocean with its coral reefs to the unique terroir, in which many fossils of former ocean dwellers can still be discovered today.

Typical Sardinian white wine, unagitated, independent and precisely for this reason so charming: S'elegas is a fresh voice of the island, eloquent and yet light-footed. Made from 100% Nuragus, one of the oldest indigenous grape varieties, it shows how tradition can grow into a modern favourite. The grapes grow on limestone and marl soils in the south of Sardinia, at Tenuta Sa Tanca near Selegas. After cool fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is given time: several weeks on the fine lees refine the texture and harmony.

A rosé that tingles on the tongue like summer air, light, fragrant and full of vibrancy. Serra Lori is an unadulterated reflection of Sardinia: a cuvée made from four typical island grape varieties – cannonau, Monica, Carignano and Bovale Sardo. After just a few hours of maceration on the skins, it is a delicate pink colour, soft but not pale. It is matured purely in stainless steel, modern and clear.

Nieddera – an almost forgotten grape variety that has only survived in Sardinia. Attilio Contini has been preserving this heritage for decades and, with his Rosato, impressively demonstrates how much charm this old variety harbours. The wine is produced in the Valle del Tirso, not far from Oristano, where the warm climate and proximity to the sea ensure fragrant freshness. Brilliant salmon pink with copper-coloured reflections in the glass. The bouquet is lively and typically Mediterranean: ripe raspberry, pink grapefruit, rosehip and a hint of wild fennel. The palate is juicy, slightly herbal and delicately flavoured. The fine acidity provides freshness, the body remains round and balanced.

A white wine that breathes Sardinia, created from 100% Nuragus, the island's ancient indigenous grape variety. The grapes come from the oldest vineyards in the lower Sulcis, grown on sandy-clay soil, blown by the Mediterranean wind and characterised by warm, dry summers. Manual harvesting takes place late, often in autumn, in order to achieve maximum aromatic ripeness. The processing follows a clear line: gentle pressing, controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks and several months of maturation in cement tanks on the fine lees.

Arnaldo Caprai is Umbria – or more precisely: Montefalco. The house that brought Sagrantino out of its slumber and turned it into an international great has been in family hands since 1971. "Anima Umbra" is the light-footed side of this winery – no claim to eternity, but all the more pleasure in the moment. 85% Grechetto, 15% Trebbiano Spoletino. Three months in steel, three months in bottle – clear, direct, without detours. Grechetto provides the backbone: structure, a slight bitterness, mineral freshness. Trebbiano Spoletino rounds off, adds flavour and volume.

Soave has an image problem with many – wrongly so. Anyone who believes that the name stands for pale white wine with no origin is not yet familiar with the eastern hills of Colognola ai Colli. Here, on volcanic soils with sulphurous minerality, Garganega grows with a precision that one would not expect. Monte di Colognola bears the name of its UGA – the Additional Geographical Unit, one of the largest and westernmost hills in the denomination.

A typical Grillo variety from the western half of Sicily, the grapes come from vines on calcareous soil at medium altitude near Salemi. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with a greenish tinge. Ripe yellow fruit, some grapefruit, honeydew melon and a hint of salty sea breeze on the nose. The 2024 is clear and juicy on the palate, with well-integrated acidity, a fine extract sweetness, some lime zest and noticeable minerality on the finish. The ageing in stainless steel preserves freshness and purity. A characterful, Mediterranean white wine with restrained elegance – goes perfectly with antipasti, grilled fish or summer vegetable dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Cerasuolo – the name is derived from cerasa, cherry, and also describes the bright colour of this rosé made from pure Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The Di Properzio brothers have been vinifying it in Spoltore near Pescara since 1990: hand-picked, 18 hours of maceration, then saignée and slow fermentation at low temperature in stainless steel. No wood, no frills – just grape variety and terroir. Cherry red in the glass, fresh sour cherry, strawberry and a hint of pomegranate on the nose. Lively acidity on the palate, juicy flavour and a salty minerality reminiscent of the proximity to the Adriatic. Not a pale terrace rosé, but a wine with a backbone – and one of Italy's often underestimated rosés. SUPERIORE.DE

The small vine wood on the neck of the bottle tells a story: In Bolognano, the small village in the province of Pescara where Zaccagnini has been making wine since 1978, the local women tie each Tralcetto to the bottle by hand with raffia. A symbol of the connection with the land that has long since become a trademark. The Bianco di Ciccio comes from vineyards on clayey soils, where the vines grow partly on the classic pergola and partly on a trellis. An early harvest at the beginning of August preserves the lively acidity. After gentle vacuum pressing and cold clarification, only the fine must fraction ferments at a controlled low temperature – a process that maximises freshness and aroma.