Wine Enthusiast

Pergolaia consists mainly of Sangiovese with smaller proportions of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine opens with a medium-bodied attack and a bright bouquet characterised by notes of cherry, wild plum, ploughed earth and pressed blue flowers. This very Mediterranean-style red with a strong personality envelops the palate with a delicate, silky intensity. SUPERIORE.DE

Named after the "Seggio" stream, the largest watercourse in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, this elegant Bordeaux blend epitomises the accessibility and finesse of Bolgheri DOC. The historic watercourse rises in the Etruscan Colline Metallifere near Sassetta and flows through the entire Bolgheri area, its alluvial deposits enriching the characteristic clay soils with valuable pebbles. This harmonious cuvée comes from the privileged vineyards of Le Sondraie and Via Bolgherese. The vines, which are around 19 years old, thrive on well-drained, skeleton-rich soils with a clay layer and a high magnesium and iron content – ideal conditions for the international grape variety assemblage.

A wine like a Sardinian epic: Pentima bears the name of its place of origin, a tiny spot in the Surrau Valley, and also the soul of past generations. This Riserva is a broodinghomage to the terroir that has an impact far beyond the borders of Gallura. The 2021 vintage had long periods of sunshine with cool sea nights – ripening was therefore intense but never overheated. The grapes were harvested late and, as always, selectively, allowing them to ripen fully in terms of structure and flavour density. A vintage that allowed for both stature and finesse and significantly shaped the complexity of this great Riserva. Fermentation took place in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by 18 months of ageing.

Taurasi, undisputedly the great red wine of the South, rightly described as the "Barolo of the South", reveals its full power and nobility in Feudi di San Gregorio's interpretation. This single-varietal Aglianico comes from vineyards at altitudes of up to 700 metres, on volcanic soils comprising basalt, clay and tuff. The result is a brooding, long-lived red wine with distinct regional character and sophistication.

Praesulis Sauvignon Blanc unfolds in the glass with hints of aromatic herbs and lemon zest, accompanied by gooseberries, grapefruit and elderberries. Soothingly smooth and with a pleasant inner sweetness, it blends candied lemon with tart melon and lively acidity to create a robust yet juicy style on the palate. It finishes with vibrant tension and good length, leaving behind concentrated citrus fruit and lovely floral notes. Wonderfully elegant and well-balanced. SUPERIORE.DE

Produced in just 6,000 bottles per vintage, Godenza from the vineyard of the same name undergoes spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, followed by temperature-controlled maceration in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation, it then matures for 12 months in cement vats and at least 9 months in the bottle. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, it is characterised by its complex and open bouquet with aromas of small red berries and spices. On the palate, it is firm and clear with a wonderful balance between acidity and ripe flavours and has a very respectable, slightly salty and spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Paesi Tuoi is more than just a designation of origin. The name – borrowed from the novel "Among Peasants" by Cesare Pavese – evokes Piedmont not just as a landscape, but as a cultural space: rural, archaic, full of inner tensions. And so this Barolo is not an expression of a single cru, but a synthesis of the villages, hills and soils that together form the essence of this appellation. The grapes come from different, characterful vineyards around Barolo, Monforte and Serralunga, carefully selected and vinified separately. Long maceration periods, followed by around two years of ageing in traditional, large oak barrels – the result is a classic style with depth.

Grave di Stecca is Nino Franco's exposed single vineyard on the slopes of the Prealpi. The south-facing vineyard is planted exclusively with the Prosecco grape Glera. Brilliantly shining white gold, gently developing perlage, a bouquet of sage with fresh fruit flavours. Very pleasantly dry flavour, silky and long – the indisputably great top-quality wine from the renowned Prosecco producer. SUPERIORE.DE

In the heart of Alba, nestled within the Roman city walls of ancient Alba Pompeia, lies a winery that has been making history since 1881. Pio Cesare – founded by Cesare Pio, a man who believed in the potential of Nebbiolo when others were still focusing on mass production. Five generations later, Federica Boffa carries on the legacy of her father, Pio Boffa, who sadly passed away far too soon in 2021. Together with her cousin Cesare Benvenuto, she is responsible for one of the last active wineries in Alba's historic centre – a place where time seems to pass more slowly, where large oak casks allow the wines to mature just as they have for over 140 years.

Beneath the vineyard lie the old tunnels of the Miniere di Novare. What was once a mining site is now terroir: The 4-hectare vineyard, spread across two south-west-facing terraces above the tunnel system in Arbizzano di Negrar, forms one of the two cru selections with which Bertani has been redefining the original elegance of Valpolicella Classico since 1857. No appassimento, no ripasso, no oak ageing. Just the grape varieties of this area, the soil and time. Six to nine months in concrete tanks: a vessel that preserves freshness and imparts texture without influencing the final result. At least six months in bottle.

When Luciano Sandrone bought his first vineyard in Cannubi Boschis in 1977 – financed with all his savings – and vinified the first bottle in his parents' garage a year later, nobody could have guessed that this humble beginning would grow into one of Barolo's most iconic wineries. After his death in 2024, daughter Barbara, brother Luca as Oenologist and wife Mariuccia continue the legacy today: 27 hectares between Langa and Roero, six wines of uncompromising quality that combine tradition and modernity in equal measure. The Barbera d'Alba, vinified from grapes from various plots in Monforte d'Alba and Novello, is more than just an accompanying wine – it is a statement that Sandrone devotes the same attention to each grape variety as he does to his legendary Barolo.

Charismatic Negroamaro in an accessible and modern style without gimmickry. In the glass, dark lines of blackberries, plums and blackcurrants with generous background notes of chocolate, Indian spices, teriyaki and smoky barbecue sauce. Noble tannins and ripe fruit flavours form a wine that is both contoured and soft and yielding. Masseria Maime is ready to drink at a young age, but can safely mature for another five years or more. SUPERIORE.DE

Gaio Valerio Catullo came from Verona. He wrote in Latin, with passion and precision, about love and loss, about the transience and intensity of the moment. Bertani has dedicated this Ripasso to him – not by chance, but because the wine strives to embody the same character: intense, authentic, born of the deepest regional conviction. Catullo follows the historic Ripasso method in its most rigorous form. After the Amarone Classico has been produced, the pomace is put to use once more: the Valpolicella is passed over these residues, ferments a second time, and absorbs colour, tannins and complexity. The ratio is strict: for every bottle of Bertani Amarone Classico, exactly one bottle of Catullo is produced. No more is possible. The Ripasso is therefore inextricably linked to the Amarone.

A captivating Pinot Nero with a poetic expression of the Langhe terroir: strictly selected grapes from organically farmed vineyards are vinified with the utmost care. After manual harvesting and fermentation, the wine matures for 18 months in tonneaux, which give it structure without masking its freshness. The ageing process combines depth with elegant finesse – an art that Vajra has mastered for many years.

From the white earth of Noto, between stone walls, olive trees and orange blossom, rises Doppiozeta, a wine that doesn't illustrate south-eastern Sicily, but condenses it. It is one of the two flagships of the Mazzei family's Zisola project - a deep, finely constructed red that gives Nero d'Avola a voice that is rarely heard: concentrated, serious, supple. The vines grow on calcareous soil on a gentle slope just a few kilometres from the sea. Nero d'Avola is clearly in the foreground here, complemented by Syrah and Cabernet Franc - a precisely placed tension between fruit, flavour and structure. The grapes are harvested by hand with the utmost care, fermented in conical stainless steel tanks, after which the wine matures for around 16 months in French oak, with a small proportion in new wood.

Cavolo Amarone is a selection of the best grapes from all the estate's vineyards. It opens with aromas of raspberry jam, dried cherries dusted with cinnamon and cocoa, and wafting notes of cedar and tobacco. The flavours of tart plums and fresh blackberries combine with bay leaf, chia spice, liquorice root and white pepper. Elegant on the palate, with fine tannins and a lively acidity that gives the wine a good basis for ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta’s Chardonnay combines the tradition of French grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing one of Italy’s most distinctive white wines year after year. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 m and Maroccoli at 415 m above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, fried fish, poultry in butter sauce, or on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

Syrah in Sicily - this is no longer a surprise. But Achilles, Zisola's top single-varietal wine, gives the grape variety on the chalky hills near Noto a new expressiveness: powerful, deep and at the same time controlled, with that polished precision that does not seek to imitate, but to shape independently. The grapes come from small plots with a high proportion of limestone in the soil, close to the coast. The warm climate is tempered by constant air circulation - ideal conditions for even ripening. After selective manual harvesting, spontaneous fermentation takes place in conical tanks, followed by ageing for around 16 months in French barriques.

At some point in the history of Nals Margreid, the Gambero Rosso even declared Sirmian to be the best white wine in Italy. We are not surprised. Above Nals, in the Sirmian district, the slopes lie between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. South-east facing, alpine climate: mild summers, cool autumns, a long growing season that ends in mid-October with the harvest. The soil is a geological archive: Permeable glacial moraine of limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble, deposited millions of years ago by glaciers in the Western Alps, resting on porphyry, the volcanic bedrock of the bedrock.

Not far from the Cortese vineyards lies Libarna, an ancient Roman settlement. A bronze disc from the 1st century BC was found there – an astronomical calendar for measuring Roman cities. Today, this Libarna disc adorns the label of the "Poggio della Rupe" line and connects millennia: Wine was grown here even before the Romans. The Monterotondo comes from a single vineyard in the heart of Gavi, where gypsum-rich, sulphurous soils give the Cortese an unrivalled complexity. Thirty-five-year-old vines yield grapes for just 2,500 bottles. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine matures for six to seven months on the fine lees – an ageing process that gives it depth and structure without sacrificing freshness.

At the foot of the hills below Söll, the hamlet of Tramin, lies the Steinraffler – a single, precisely defined vineyard that gives the Lagrein exactly what it needs: sandy, gravelly moraine soils with limestone deposits and volcanic deposits. Dry, airy, heat-conducting. Ideal for a grape variety that requires concentration. The speciality of the microclimate: the exchange between the cool mountain winds from the Alps and the warm Ora, the wind from Lake Garda, which blows up from the south every day. This tension – coolness and warmth in the rhythm of the day – is the invisible winemaker of the Steinraffler. The Vigna label, which Hofstätter was the first house in Alto Adige to put on a label, stands for a single parcel, a single voice. The Steinraffler is the highest expression of Lagrein in the portfolio. 15 months in small oak barriques, then 7 months in large barrels – the wood provides structure and depth without overpowering the typical varietal fruit. Then at least twelve months in the bottle before the wine leaves the winery.

In the dizzying heights of Lamole, one of the highest appellations in Chianti Classico, the Sangiovese grapes for this exceptional Riserva grow at 470 to 655 metres. The historic terraces of local Macigno del Chianti – the characteristic sandstone that stores the sun's heat during the day and releases it again at night – create a unique microclimate for this organically certified wine. Lareale combines grapes from two of Lamole's best vineyards: "Il Prato" and "Le Masse". 95 per cent Sangiovese, supplemented by five per cent Canaiolo Nero, produce a Chianti Classico of remarkable elegance and oysteriness after optical berry selection and two weeks of maceration. Maturation in oak barrels for over two years gives the wine additional complexity and structure.

Limited anniversary edition with a special label to mark the birthday of the icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: 30 years of Planeta Chardonnay – and to mark the anniversary, the label is on fire. Not literally, but almost: ‘On Fire’ is the title of the work by Claire Fontaine that adorns the 2024 vintage in a limited edition. The artist collective, founded in Paris in 2004 and based in Palermo since 2017, – whose work “Foreigners Everywhere” gave its name to the 2024 Venice Biennale – has transformed the flame emoji into a light sculpture: extracted from the digital realm, made physical, strikingly beautiful. The original hangs in Ulmo’s Studiolo, just a few steps away from the Chardonnay vines. The special edition is available in 300 jeroboams – and only one of the six 0.75l bottles per case bears the art label. The proceeds go towards "A Long and Magnificent Walk", a greening project in the archaeological park of Selinunte: a symbolic act against the fires that threaten Sicily every summer. Thus, an anniversary becomes a statement – and a Chardonnay into a manifesto.

Brilliant, rich yellow with silver-green reflections. The bouquet has pronounced smoky, mineral notes, full flavours of mango, citrus fruit, sage and asparagus. It shows its true class on the palate: wonderfully complex structure, lots of naturally sweet flavour, refreshing acidity and a juiciness, strength and length that can only be achieved through long contact with the lees and simultaneous agitation. Very convincing, downright captivating! SUPERIORE.DE