Wine

Vernatsch (Schiava) is the oldest everyday red wine in South Tyrol. For centuries, it was the most widely planted grape variety in the region – the wine of mountain farms, snacks and long evenings after the harvest. Light, fruity and easy to drink. Not a wine that builds itself up – one that invites you in. Hofstätter presses it under the name of Kolbenhof, one of their traditional vineyards near Tramin. The vineyard gives the Vernatsch the care that has characterised the house since 1907: a clear varietal profile, no distractions.

Moscato d'Asti is one of the oldest aromatic wines in Piedmont – and Fontanile, north of Nizza Monferrato, has been one of its best vineyards for centuries. When Giovanni Agostino Bertolino acquired the Tenuta Bauda in 1961 and later the Cascina Centive in this very village, he followed a simple conviction: Where the soil is right, the wine needs little more than careful hands. 100% Moscato Bianco from organically farmed vineyards. Hand-picked, gentle pressing, short maceration time, fermentation in autoclaves at low temperatures for 20 to 30 days – the fine effervescence is created during fermentation. Fermentation is interrupted by cooling, microfiltration, bottling as early as November – two months after the harvest. It could hardly be fresher.

In the local dialect, Melacce means "apple orchard". Anyone who knows the vineyards of Collemassari will understand the choice: those windy slopes near Cinigiano that greet the Tyrrhenian Sea with every breeze and give the grapes a salty freshness that no cellar in the world can invent. The vineyards lie at 320 metres above sea level, the sea is thirty kilometres away – close enough to taste. 100% Vermentino, temperature-controlled stainless steel ageing. No wood, no intervention – everything that happens here happens in the vineyard.

The lily in the name is no coincidence: Flordelis – fleur-de-lis – refers to the coat of arms of the Hohenstaufen family, to whom the winery owes its name. The Rosato comes from a six-hectare vineyard in Maschito at an altitude of 550 metres and shows the modern side of Aglianico. After brief contact with the skins, the noblest must is drawn off by saignée as soon as the typical coral colour is reached. This is followed by cold decanting like a white wine and fermentation at low temperatures with selected yeasts.

Munfrina – that's what they called the woman from Monferrato who once farmed this plot with a strict hand. Her Piedmontese nickname stuck to the location long after she herself had disappeared. Today, at 300 to 400 metres in the Sottozona Ferrere of Treiso, Dolcetto vines have been planted here in Guyot since 1980 – on soils that are actually famous for Nebbiolo and Barbaresco. This is precisely what makes this Dolcetto special: the chalky soils with their red sand veins give it a tannin structure that is sweet and smooth rather than angular. Giorgio Pelissero favours short maceration of just four to five days and pure stainless steel ageing for six months – all in the service of the fruit.

1943: General Charles Poletti, responsible for supplying the Allies in southern Italy, orders five bottles of Rosato – with an American accent. This is how Five Roses became the first bottled rosato in Italy. Over eighty years later, it is still here, still itself. Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera, hand-picked at the beginning of September, cold maceration at 10°C, gentle must extraction, fermentation in steel.

Deep ruby red with a violet rim. Red fruit on the nose, especially cherry and raspberry, accompanied by subtle spicy notes and a hint of liquorice. Dry, fruity and smooth on the palate, with mild acidity and light tannins that give the wine structure. The wine is matured classically in stainless steel to preserve the primary fruit flavours. A charming and accessible Montepulciano – ideal for spontaneous enjoyment or as an accompaniment to medium-weight dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Felsina's rare white wine from the heart of Chianti Classico. pep, made from 70% Trebbiano, 15% Chardonnay and 15% Sauvignon Bianco, thrives in south-west facing vineyards at an altitude of 350 metres. After manual harvesting, the wine is fermented and matured exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Shows floral and fruity aromas on the nose. Light and very refreshing on the palate with a natural salinity. An extremely versatile white wine for everyday enjoyment – perfect as an aperitif or with tasty fish dishes such as fritto misto or baked fish. SUPERIORE.DE

Salice Salentino is one of the oldest denominazioni in Apulia, recognised in 1976, and is still synonymous with the power of Negroamaro today. The Conti Zecca family, based in Leverano since 1580, cultivate the Tenuta Cantalupi here with its calcareous, iron oxide-rich soils. For the Riserva, 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera are matured in wooden barrels. Deep ruby red in the glass with the first garnet reflections. The bouquet opens with red berries, cloves and a hint of forest floor. Soft and harmonious on the palate, with a dense body, well-integrated tannins and a warm, lingering final. Classic Salice Salentino in its most mature form – structured, but never heavy. SUPERIORE.DE

Sardinia's great red wine grape in an elegant interpretation: as a rosato, Cannonau shows a surprisingly delicate side, which the renowned Argiolas winery masterfully stages. The hand-picked grapes from the sun-drenched vineyards around Serdiana grow on clay and limestone soils, which give the wine its characteristic minerality. A short maceration period extracts just enough colour and structure for a delicate salmon pink with silver reflections. The nose combines juicy red berries – strawberry, raspberry – with floral notes and a hint of Mediterranean scrub. The palate is surprisingly full-bodied, with lively acidity and a subtly spicy finish typical of Cannonau. Perfect with grilled seafood, pasta with light sauces or Sardinian cream cheese. SUPERIORE.DE

Pale straw yellow in colour. Jasmine and lavender on the nose, a fine note of nutmeg and elderberry and a hint of apple and lemon. Precise, dry and fresh on the palate, with good acidity, flanked by citrus notes and the flavour of light peaches and green apple. This is how piquant and aromatic Sicily tastes, expressive and mineral-fresh! SUPERIORE.DE