Vintage 2025

A Pinot Gris as it finds its most beautiful expression in the South Tyrolean lowlands. Peter Zemmer selects the best grapes for this wine from vineyards on the valley floor and steep slopes around Kurtinig. The special microclimate, the calcareous gravel soils from moraine sediments and the sandy alluvial soils create optimal conditions for this noble Burgundy variety. The "Ora", the warm southerly wind from Lake Garda, ensures perfect aeration of the berries and guarantees healthy, fully ripe harvest. Maturation on the fine lees for several months gives the wine complexity and a creamy mouthfeel.

Cleto Chiarli travelled to Paris in 1900. In his luggage: bottles of his Lambrusco, fermented using the old method – fermentation in the bottle, no intervention, no dosage. The jury of the World Exhibition awarded him the "Mention Honourable". A century later, the Wine Spectator voted Fondatore one of the top 100 wines in the world. The secret is the process. While the market favours Charmat, Chiarli 1860 sticks to the Metodo Ancestrale for del Fondatore, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. This is followed by six months of maturation on the lees. No dosage. The result is a Lambrusco that can be traced back through the vintages – and which shows what this wine sounded like long before anyone had the idea of making it sweet.

Founded in 1889 by Pastor Christian Schrott, the Tramin Winery is today one of the most renowned co-operative wineries in Italy – supported by around 270 winegrowing families who cultivate their vineyards around Termeno, Neumarkt, Montan and Auer. Oenologist Willi Stürz, who has been at work since the 1990s, has turned this collective strength into a portfolio that has won many international awards. His credo: purity and terroir character – not a word too much in the cellar. The Pinot Bianco grows on chalky and clayey soils with gravel and crushed stone, between 250 and 500 metres above sea level.

Pinot Grigio is the most widely cultivated white wine variety in South Tyrol – and at the same time the most misunderstood. Anyone who thinks it only knows one note has not yet drunk one from the vineyards around Termeno. The Tramin winery gets the best out of this grape variety: calcareous clay and gravel soils, altitudes between 200 and 400 metres and the temperature fluctuations between day and night that are typical of the valley. This is what gives the Pinot Grigio its tension. Vinified in steel tanks, with careful temperature control – no wood, no distractions. What ends up in the glass is the location.

The name is steeped in history: Falanghina, derived from the wooden phalanges – the stakes that have supported the vines since ancient times. A grape variety that has been cultivated in Campania since Roman times and which Mastroberardino, a ten-generation-old traditional house from Atripalda, has saved from oblivion through consistency and conviction. The grapes grow on the Apice estate in Sannio, 350 metres above sea level, exposed to the south-east, in volcanic clay soils with a mineral-rich skeleton. Hand-picked at the end of September, vinification in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature – cool, clean, designed for freshness and flavour.

A great, fresh and fruity Moscato from a specialist: fresh, fine nuances of yellow fruit, sage and white flowers. Delicate and fine perlage, wonderful drinking flow. Lively and electric, with freshly cut peach, candied lemon peel, fresh mint and wild flowers all swirling out of the glass. The palate is sweet, but not sticky, with plenty of stone fruit. The balance of this wine is masterful, with a tangy acidity that keeps the wine lively at all times and makes each glass as refreshing as the first. SUPERIORE.DE

A wine with a legendary name and volcanic character: according to legend, God wept when he saw Lucifer steal a corner of the sky. And where his tears touched the earth, the vine Lacryma Christi grew. Mastroberardino vinifies this historical origin as a single-varietal Coda di Volpe from the mineral-rich slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Clear, bright straw yellow in colour. Ripe pear, honeydew melon and candied citrus fruit on the nose, complemented by fine notes of incense, herbs and exotic spices. Harmonious on the palate, juicy and carried by salty minerality, with a fine mellowness and floral freshness on the finish. An authentic white wine with an ancient soul and fascinating energy – between myth and terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

The Tramin winery, founded in 1898 and today one of the most renowned cooperatives in South Tyrol with over 300 members, vinifies this Chardonnay from vineyards between 240 and 500 metres above sea level in the municipalities of Ora, Tramin and Egna. The calcareous, loamy, gravelly soils and the marked day-night temperature fluctuations of the Alpine region give the grapes their characteristic intensity of flavour.

Morisfarms is located seven kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea. And you can taste it. The Vermentino from the Poggetti estate carries the coast in the glass: salty, mineral, fresh, with that characteristic crispness that distinguishes Vermentino from the Tuscan coast from its more opulent relatives from Sardinia or Piedmont. The wine is not a pure Vermentino, but a harmonious blend: 90 per cent Vermentino, 10 per cent Viognier – the indigenous coastal variety and an aromatic northern player. The Viognier is harvested at the end of August, the Vermentino in mid-September. Both are cold clarified separately and fermented together in steel at 18 degrees. Matured lean, short fine lees, fresh in the bottle.

A white wine made from a red grape variety – and what a wine it is. The Bianco di Morgante is a Sicilian rarity: Nero d'Avola, pressed in white. The Morgante family has broken new ground with this wine, which also reflects the terroir of their home Grotte in the hinterland of Agrigento – barren limestone soils, intense hours of sunshine, Mediterranean breezes. In the glass, the Bianco has a light straw yellow colour with silvery reflections. The nose surprises with a vibrant aroma of lemon zest, green pear, white peach skin and a hint of broom blossom. Elegant and straightforward on the palate: cool citrus fruit, fine salty notes, precise acidity and a dry, very clear finish.

The autochthonous Lagrein grape grows in the middle hills between 250 and 400 metres, where clay meets calcareous inclusions, to produce one of the most characterful rosés in South Tyrol. The traditional Tramin winery, founded in 1898 by the visionary priest Christian Schrott, preserves a centuries-old South Tyrolean tradition with its Lagrein Kretzer. Pink to light ruby red in colour, the wine shimmers in the glass and develops a delicate, pleasantly fruity bouquet. The extreme interplay between sunny, Mediterranean-influenced days and cold down winds from the mountains gives it that lively freshness that is stimulating and invigorating on the palate. A classic South Tyrolean rosé with an authentic character. SUPERIORE.DE

Guardia Sanframondi, Benevento. Clay-limestone hills at the foot of the Matese mountains, 350 to 450 metres above sea level, organic. Greco grows here – one of the oldest grape varieties in southern Italy, rooted in this region for centuries. Carlo and Filomena Iacobucci vinify it as it should be: in steel, fresh, without detours. Straw yellow in colour with green reflections. Intense floral notes, citrus peel, pear, white peach, a light hint of wild herbs. Refreshing on the palate, with lively acidity and a mineral finish that reveals its origin. Uncomplicated, precise, honest. SUPERIORE.DE

Falanghina is one of the great white wine classics of southern Italy – and Feudi di San Gregorio interprets it in its purest form. The grapes come from the gentle hills of the Sannio, a high altitude area with calcareous soils and striking day-night differences. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. Aromas of white peach, apple blossom, lime and a hint of broom. Fresh, fruity and delicately flavoured on the palate, the minerality remains subtly in the background. A confident, clear white wine from a traditional grape variety that does not want to be fashionable, but speaks its origins. Ideal with seafood, pasta with vegetables or simply as an aperitif on a warm evening. SUPERIORE.DE

A fragrant bloomer from the hot south: Alastro, named after the wild flower that grows around Cantina Ulmo, combines the Mediterranean clarity of Grecanico with the aromatic freshness of Sauvignon Blanc. Delicate straw yellow in the glass with silvery reflections. The nose opens with tangerine, white peach, lychee and a hint of yellow blossom. Elegant and silky on the palate, with a smooth texture, clear fruit structure and lively, balanced acidity. The ageing on the lees gives the wine additional depth and finesse without detracting from its freshness. Alastro is a charming white wine for modern connoisseurs – aromatic, precise and multi-faceted. Ideal with cold pasta with summer vegetables, courgette carpaccio or grilled fish. SUPERIORE.DE

In Serralunga d'Alba, everything revolves around Nebbiolo. The limestone, the steep slopes, the microclimate – everything is geared towards it, everything serves Barolo. The fact that the Massolino family also cultivates Dolcetto on these soils has less to do with compromise than with conviction: What comes from a great terroir bears its signature, regardless of the variety – regardless of the variety. 2.5 hectares of Dolcetto at 330 metres, in the shadier plots of the Serralunga hills – because the variety ripens quickly and needs some protection from the midday heat of the limestone slopes. Hand-picked, 7 to 9 days of maceration in steel at around 30 degrees, BSA, short maturation in the bottle – the wine is released at the beginning of the following year.

Dry Moscato from the Noto coast – unusual, but all the stronger in character. Allemanda comes from the south of Sicily, where the calcareous, sandy soils of Tenuta Buonivini and the Mediterranean climate create a unique terroir for aromatic grape varieties. Maturation in stainless steel tanks emphasises the purity and finesse of this rarely dry Muscat variety. Pale straw yellow in the glass with silver reflections. The aroma is clear and animating: lychee, white peach, lemon balm, wild flowers and a hint of nutmeg. Lively and dry on the palate, with a lean structure, well-integrated acidity and a delicate, almost salty finish. No opulence, but precise flavours with a fine spiciness. Allemanda shows that Moscato in the right location can also be a fragrant, elegant white wine. Ideal with summer cuisine, ceviche or marinated fennel with citrus. An original wine for explorers. SUPERIORE.DE

Frappato is Sicily's best-kept secret. It is only grown on a few dozen hectares of the entire island – and hardly anywhere as convincingly as in the red sands of Vittoria. Light, well-aerated soils, with a layer of tufa underneath that regulates the water. Sea breeze, southern sun. Planeta cultivates it in the Mogli vineyard at 70 metres, organically, with 4,500 plants per hectare. Seven days of maceration, gentle pressing, ageing in steel.

"Genius loci" – the spirit of the place. Not a name that advertises modestly. But the Fiano vines of the Famiglia Iacobucci on the clay-limestone slopes of Guardia Sanframondi actually deliver what is promised: a clearly territorial interpretation of a grape variety that defines Campania like no other. Steel tank, sur lie, no wood intervention. Pale golden yellow in colour. Ripe peach, vanilla, almond, a hint of hazelnut, subtle saline note on the finish. Fuller than the Aurora, with a glyceric texture that warms the sip. Fresh and round at the same time. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1993, on the 50th anniversary of the Five Roses, Leone de Castris decided that an anniversary deserved a worthy wine. The Anniversario was born – and has been making history ever since. The Tre Bicchieri of the Gambero Rosso several times, as if it were routine. 80% Negroamaro, 20% Malvasia Nera di Lecce, on clayey-silty soils in Salice Salentino. Hand-picked at the beginning of September, gentle destemming, cold maceration at 7–10°C, gentle must extraction without pressing pressure, controlled fermentation in steel. Simple, precise, without compromise.

Pale straw yellow with greenish reflections, clear and brilliant in the glass. Seductive on the nose with notes of white peach, citrus zest, lime blossom and a hint of almond. Fresh and juicy on the palate, carried by lively, finely balanced acidity and a delicate, creamy texture. The clay-rich soils lend the wine a fine salty trace that harmoniously complements the fruity core. Long, mineral finish with plenty of drinkability. A Lugana that effortlessly combines crisp freshness, elegance and regional authenticity. SUPERIORE.DE

Delicate straw yellow colour with greenish reflections. This classic and extremely harmonious Friulano is youthfully fresh and at the same time full of character. The bouquet is finely nuanced with aromas of yellow pear, ripe citrus fruit, almond blossom and a hint of hay. The palate is dry, balanced and textured, with ripe fruit, well-integrated acidity and the slightly tart almond note typical of the variety on the finish. An authentic representative of the grape variety that shows how harmoniously tradition and modern drinking flow go together. SUPERIORE.DE

Volpe Pasini's Chardonnay has a clear focus: straightforward, juicy, completely focussed on freshness and varietal typicity. The nose is characterised by notes of green banana, white peach, citrus zest and a hint of white flowers – not a loud appearance, but a subtle interplay of nuances. On the palate, the wine is taut and animating, with a subtle creaminess, lively acidity and a pleasantly dry finish. No wood, no exaggeration, but a Chardonnay that favours lightness and elegance and is therefore pleasantly out of the ordinary. International format meets regional signature. SUPERIORE.DE

Svelato means unveiled – the veil pulled away. The name of the most famous Falanghina from the Sannio resonates with the legend: Guardia Sanframondi, the "bewitched land" on the Matese mountains, home of the witches of Benevento and, since 1898, of the Iacobucci family. Filomena and Carlo rebuilt the business in 2004 – and the Svelato quickly became an ambassador. Hand-picked, whole bunch pressing, ageing in steel on the fine lees.

A Ribolla Gialla that knows exactly what it wants: freshness, tension and the expression of one of Friuli's most traditional white wine terroirs. Pale straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. A cool, clear aroma of lemon peel, white flowers, green apple and a hint of lime honey. No excess, but controlled precision. The acidity is lively, the texture slightly creamy, the finish characterised by citrus, fine herbal notes and an almost salty touch. A very characterful representative of its kind. SUPERIORE.DE