Vintage 2025

This delicately fruity olive oil is mainly made from the Correggiolo variety. The fruit from the olive groves of the Talenti estate in Montalcino is carefully picked by hand and the oil is extracted within 48 hours of harvesting in order to optimise the qualitative characteristics of the product in the bottle. The colour is a beautiful green with golden reflections, the taste is fruity and intense with spicy notes of artichokes, tomatoes and herbs. Slightly savoury on the palate with a wonderfully bitter finish. SUPERIORE.DE

From the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where the wind dictates the rules: Here, the olive trees grow on terraces of black lava rock, pruned low to defy the relentless gusts. The Biancolilla – one of the oldest olive varieties in Sicily – finds its most poetic expression in this barren landscape between Africa and Europe. The olives are harvested by hand directly from the tree, early in the second decade of October, when the polyphenol content reaches its maximum. Immediate cold pressing and gramolatura in a controlled atmosphere preserve the exceptional fineness.

This olio comes from old olive groves in south-east Sicily, where the Tonda Iblea variety has been native for generations. After harvesting, it is cold-extracted immediately so that the vibrant flavour and powerful character of the variety remain unchanged in the bottle. There, the oil is a light green colour with a golden shimmer, as if the Sicilian sun is shining once again. The bouquet is fine and clear: green tomato, fresh grass and a subtle herbal flavour reminiscent of lemon thyme and young leaves. The flavour is harmonious, with a delicate bitterness, elegant, well-integrated spiciness and a juicy, green-fruity length.

From wine to oil, from west to east: Donnafugata has been cultivating olive groves on the northern slope of Mount Etna since 2016 – where volcanic soils and extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night produce olives of particular intensity. The Nocellara Etnea is the defining variety of this region: large-fruited, juicy, with a favourable ratio of flesh to stone. For this single-variety oil, the olives are harvested by hand in the second half of November and immediately cold-pressed – gramolatura is carried out in a controlled atmosphere to prevent oxidation and preserve the flavours.

A small marvel, perfectly harmonised with multi-layered aromas of tropical fruits, apples and honey. A highly interesting white natural wine that is far more than just a casual pleasure, as it offers an extremely full, well-structured flavour. Fermented with the skins using the red wine method. Strong yellow colour with golden reflections. Intense aroma of dried herbs, incense, candied lemon peel and a hint of bitter orange. Fresh citrus notes on the palate, an exciting acidity and a powerful structure lead into a very long finish, crowned by a hint of bitter almonds. Very complex and a wonderful accompaniment to food – be sure to aerate! SUPERIORE.DE

Italy's smallest wine region doesn't do things by halves. The Aosta Valley lies wedged between the highest peaks of the Alps, crossed by the Dora Baltea, characterised by moraine soils left behind by glaciers and a climate that demands everything from the vines: short summers, long winters, extreme temperature differences between day and night. Viticulture here is not a decision for the faint-hearted.

Balduccio is made up of around 9,000 organically cultivated olive trees, all located on the picturesque Montalbano hills between Florence and Montecatini Terme, and an oil mill that is so popular with local farmers that the most popular dates for pressing between 15 October and 15 November have been fully booked on the waiting list since the summer. This is because Balduccio not only presses its own olives, but also makes its modern technology available to other olive producers. Over the last 20 years, Balduccio has gained recognition and respect as an oil mill among local producers. It is not only the customers who are impressed by the quality. The ambition to produce top-quality oils is also increasingly inspiring other olive growers.

The Winkl has been vinified as a single variety since 1956 – at a time when Sauvignon Blanc was still a rarity in South Tyrol. Winery manager Rudi Kofler says that this grape variety has always felt at home around the oldest farms in the Terlan DOC area. You believe him when you taste the wine. The vineyards lie at 280 to 580 metres above sea level, exposed to the south-southwest, on steep to very steep slopes. The soil is quartz porphyry – volcanic primary rock, crystalline-mineral, with a slightly acidic pH value and an almost natural self-limitation in yields. It is precisely this microstress that produces the terroir's own polyphenols, which give Terlano wines their characteristic saltiness and tension. No other soil, no other result. Hand-picked, gentle whole-cluster pressing, slow fermentation – then 7 to 8 months on the fine lees, 80 per cent in steel, 20 per cent in large wooden barrels. This silent wood component only serves the texture, it gives the wine substance without masking its origin.

In the Conca d'Oro, the golden amphitheatre of Panzano, around 400 olive trees per hectare grow alongside the famous Sangiovese vines. Giovanni Manetti, the mastermind behind the legendary Flaccianello della Pieve and president of the Chianti Classico Consortium, applies the same precision to his olive oil as he does to his wines. The cuvée of 80% Correggiolo and 20% Moraiolo is harvested by hand and gently pressed on the same day – freshness and fruitiness are thus fully preserved. Fontodi has not used herbicides or pesticides since it was founded and has been certified organic since 2008.

Chardonnay doesn't really need an origin. The world drinks it everywhere, it adapts, it works. This is precisely its problem – and this is exactly where it so often fails. Those who grow it in the Aosta Valley, on granite moraine between 600 and 800 metres above sea level, with short summers, long winters and temperatures that drop to extremes at night, ask a different question: what happens to this variety when the mountain has the last word?

The same hills, the same family, the same philosophy – what applies to the wine also applies to the oil. Around a thousand olive trees grow on the slopes of Monti in Chianti, mainly Correggiolo with some Moraiolo in between, in mixed cultivation with fruit trees according to old tradition. Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi harvests by hand before the olives are fully ripe – lower yields, but acidity levels below 0.2% and a wealth of polyphenols. The olives are pressed on the day of harvest, under nitrogen, to prevent any oxidation.

Biancolella epitomises the heart of Ischian wine culture – an indigenous grape variety with a millennia-old tradition that grows almost exclusively on Ischia. Its existence documents the inseparable link between the island and the vine since the times of the ancient Greeks, when the first amphorae carried the precious wine as far as France. The four hectares of vineyards grow on the mineral-rich volcanic soil of Monte Epomeo at an altitude of 300 metres overlooking the sea. The green tuff stores the Mediterranean warmth and passes it on to the vines, while the salty sea breezes provide natural freshness and elegance. This unique combination of volcanic power and maritime mildness characterises its unmistakable character.

The Giachis think in music. Where others soberly number their oils, they compose: Adagio – the slow, gentle tempo. A name that is the programme. This deliberately mild oil comes from the hills of Mercatale Val di Pesa, in the centre of the Florentine Chianti Classico. Frantoio and Moraiolo, complemented by Leccino and Pendolino, result in a blend that does not want to overwhelm, but rather accompany.

After the Adagio comes the Allegretto – a touch livelier, a touch more gripping. The Giachis have composed this oil for the kitchen: robust enough to withstand heat, full of character to add depth to dishes. The same Tuscan varieties from the hills of Mercatale Val di Pesa – Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino – are blended here in such a way that they do not lose their flavours when roasted and braised, but rather develop them. The low acidity ensures excellent digestibility, while the fuller body ensures presence on the palate.

Giovanni plus Olio equals Giolio – the name reveals what it's all about: the family's oil, its daily companion, its all-rounder. Not a specialist for one task, but a generalist for all. The cuvée combines the best of the Tuscan varieties: Frantoio as the backbone, Moraiolo for structure, plus Pendolino, Leccino and Maurino as subtle nuances. The result works just as well raw on a salad as it does in a hot pan – versatile without being arbitrary.

Long before Andrea Cortonesi bottled his first Brunello, his family cultivated the olive groves around Castelnuovo dell'Abate. The cultivation of olives is part of the very fabric of life here – rooted in the same soil from which his wines come. Classic Tuscan varieties: Frantoio brings structure and flavour, Moraiolo the dark fruit and depth, Leccino the smoothness on the finish. The grapes are harvested by hand in November when the fruit is still firmly attached to the branch – cold pressing immediately afterwards, without delay.

A small part of the olive groves around Podere Albereto is reserved exclusively for the production of this very special oil, which is only bottled in very limited quantities (5,000 bottles). The colour of Albereto extra virgin olive oil is an intense emerald green. It has an intense, herbaceous fragrance with notes of asparagus and aromatic herbs such as tarragon and sage. The flavour is intense and strong with a characteristic aftertaste reminiscent of the vegetables perceived by the nose. SUPERIORE.DE

What Felsina has achieved with Sangiovese in Chianti Classico has been transferred to the olive grove since 2002: uncompromising quality, respect for the terroir, traceability from the harvest to the bottle. The idea behind this has a famous name: "Olio secondo Veronelli", named after Luigi Veronelli, the legendary wine critic and close friend of the estate, who elevated the connection between oil and origin to a philosophy. The olive groves extend over three areas of the 400-hectare estate: Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi – each with its own microclimate and soils. Four varieties grow here: Leccino, Pendolino, Moraiolo and Raggiolo (also known as Correggiolo in Chianti). All four are combined for the cuvée – a reflection of the territory in an extra virgin. The olives are harvested by hand in October and November, when they are still green to purple and their polyphenol content is at its highest. They are pitted in the company's own mill – this method is called "denocciolato" and only the flesh is pressed, not the bitter stone. The result is an oil of remarkable purity.

The pure varietal selection from Fontodi. While the classic house olive oil convinces as a cuvée, the Correggiolo shows the old Tuscan variety in its purest form. Hand-picked, pressed on the day of harvest, biodynamic cultivation: the philosophy remains the same, but the result is more focussed. Correggiolo is considered one of the most characterful olive varieties in Tuscany: strong, flavourful, with rough edges.

Arneis means "little rascal" in Piedmontese – the little pain in the arse. Difficult to grow, prone to over-ripening, almost forgotten for decades. Bruno Giacosa was one of two producers who saved the grape variety from extinction in the late 1960s by bottling and marketing it as a single variety – at a time when hardly anyone understood why. Today, it is impossible to imagine the Roero without Arneis. And the Giacosa specimen remains the reference. The grapes come from selected vineyards in Vezza d'Alba, Monteu Roero, Santo Stefano Roero, Canale and Montà d'Alba – long-standing suppliers that Bruno Giacosa has personally selected. Foreign vineyards, own signature. 23 to 34-year-old vines on the sandy soils of the Roero, the ancient seabed north of the Tanaro, which gives the Arneis a natural lightness and aromatic strength that clay terroirs never achieve. Vinification purist: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, 25 to 30 days, without malolactic fermentation – the freshness and acidity remain intact. Four months sur lie, one month bottle ageing. Bottled in February 2025, no wood, no intervention that is not necessary.

While other olive growers have long since harvested, the Giachis wait. Only in December, when the fruit has reached full ripeness, does the harvest begin – by hand, olive by olive. This patience has a name: Dolciolio, the mild oil, dolce and olio merged into one word like the softness in the flavour itself. The late harvest changes everything. Instead of a green sharpness, a golden softness unfolds, allowing the oil to glide over the tongue like liquid velvet.

Primo is the name of the first – and that is exactly what this oil is: the first expression of the vintage, pressed from olives that have yet to reach full maturity. Where the Dolciolio focuses on December mildness, the Primolio chooses the other path: November harvest, green fruit, character instead of favour. The cuvée gives the Moraiolo the lead – more than half of the blend comes from this robust variety, which gives the oil its backbone. Frantoio contributes elegance, Leccino, Pendolino and Maurino the fine nuances. The resulting products have long since found their place on the tables of top restaurants in Florence.

The Moraiolo is the soul of Chianti oil. A variety with compact growth and modest vigour, it produces roundish olives with a strikingly large stone – and therefore benefits particularly from pit removal. Because without the bitter stone, the pure flesh of the fruit comes into its own, and in the Moraiolo this is of remarkable complexity. Felsina's oldest trees have been standing since the 1960s. The variety ripens medium-early, earlier than the Correggiolo, and is harvested when the polyphenol content is at its peak. The olives reach the mill within four hours, are pitted (denocciolato) and pressed at 25 degrees. The oil is stored under nitrogen, vacuum bottled only when ordered.

The Raggiolo – called Correggiolo in Tuscany – is one of the oldest and most widespread olive varieties in the region. A variety with character, it bears small, slightly asymmetrical fruit and ripens late, making harvest time a test of patience. Felsina's oldest trees have been standing since the 1960s, while the youngest were planted in the 1980s – all in the three groves of Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi, which together form the estate's terroir mosaic. Like all Felsina monocultivar oils, the Correggiolo is harvested separately when the variety has reached its optimum ripeness. Within four hours, the olives are taken to the in-house mill, pitted and pressed from the pulp only (denocciolato) – at a constant 25 degrees. The oil is then stored under exclusion of air in stainless steel tanks and is only vacuum-bottled when ordered: it couldn't be fresher.