Wine

There are stories that the volcano itself has written – with fire, time and the inexorable force of geological eras. Feudo di Mezzo is one such story: once a coherent contrada, it was torn in two by Etna's explosive fury and has borne its name ever since, like a reminder of that night when glowing lava flows divided the land and "di Mezzo" – in the centre – a place between two worlds. Giuseppe Russo has created his most complex and ambitious red wine from this dramatic testimony to the terroir. He selected just 0.76 hectares of the very best plot for this extraordinary wine, where hundred-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines sink their gnarled trunks into the volcanic earth like sculptures. Here, at an altitude of 670 metres in Castiglione di Sicilia, the unique microclimate that prompted the ancient Greeks to plant their first vines here prevails. A terroir so extraordinary that history itself has chosen it as a wine-growing region.

Here is another outstanding 2019 Brunello from a winery that is still considered an insider tip given its small size and limited annual production. Medium, bright ruby red colour. Exotic aromas of minerals and citrus fruits, reminiscent of red cherries, blood oranges and Asian spices, with a floral nuance that gains strength with air. The palate is supple and expansive, with sweet flavours of red cherries and dark plums carried by a powerful acidity. Densely packed, at once fleshy and broad, but also lively and precise. On the strikingly long finish, it shows excellent power and cut, characterised by youthful, dusty tannins and a hint of candied violets. As is so often the case, this is one of the best Brunellos of the vintage and still completely under the radar of many Sangiovese lovers. SUPERIORE.DE

The "25 Anni" from Caprai has been THE ambassador for Umbria's top wines for many years. It captivates with a beguiling bouquet that combines black fruits with citrus fruits, exotic spices, a hint of oregano, menthol and a hint of cocoa. The texture is more like pure silk, delicately lapping the palate, leaving a satisfying mix of intense dark fruits, minerals and fine-grained tannin. There is so much depth and concentration to work with that even when it finishes youthfully structured and dry, it lingers for well over a minute with notes of redcurrant, sage and dark chocolate. This exceptional Sagrantino is undisputedly not only Caprai's top wine, but also one of Italy's most characterful wines, which, with a little more ageing, will give incredible pleasure and should therefore definitely be aerated for 3-4 hours when young. SUPERIORE.DE

The world-famous Caiarossa is an extremely exciting blend of the Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Grenache varieties, with the rich, dark fruit flavours of the Cabernet grapes taking centre stage. On the nose, a beautiful first wave of dark fruits that never appear too ripe, which greatly benefits the elegance of the wine. The palate is very balanced and focussed with blackberries, cassis and slight hints of salty or rusty minerals. Caiarossa displays a good degree of elegance, not least due to its fine and taut tannins, and despite its density and complexity never comes across as opulent or even overloaded. SUPERIORE.DE

Also from Bruttrio, like the Friulano Buri Bellaria, comes the almost pure top Merlot from the Palazzolo family. The vines of the vineyard, which was formerly cultivated by Miani, are almost 100 years old and regularly produce grapes of great complexity and very fine tannins, which, however, require at least two years of ageing and refinement before the wine is bottled unfiltered. But then the wine embarks on a journey that could not be more exciting and rewarding. On the nose, we find violet flowers and lots of blue and black berries, rounded off with savoury herbs and spices. A remarkably silky, almost floating red that leads into a never-ending, fusiose final with fleshy berries, minerals and herbs. SUPERIORE.DE

Capitel Monte Olmi 2018 takes things to another level. It coats the glass with a deep purple glow and exudes a dark and seductive bouquet of redcurrants, sultanas, black liquorice and a hint of spiced citrus. The brooding, velvety texture is complemented by juicy acids and tart red fruits that drench everything they touch, leaving a complex layer of savoury spices, minerals and fine tannins. This wine is structured, long and full of character, but with a balance that will carry it for many years in the cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

1993 – marco Caprai stood in his vineyards and looked back on a quarter of a century that his father Arnaldo had begun in 1971 with a dream: to create a world wine from a forgotten Umbrian vine. Ten years of research lay behind him: collaboration with the University of Milan, clone selection, the risk of vinifying the Sagrantino dry instead of sweet. For the 25th anniversary, he wanted to make a statement: the ultimate Sagrantino, the essence of everything he and his father had learnt. The 25 Anni was born – and the wine world held its breath. What followed is legend. In 2000, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones chose this wine for their wedding. Luigi Veronelli proclaimed Sagrantino as one of Italy's greatest red wines. Montefalco was transformed from a sleepy village into a Mecca for wine tourism. And the 25 Anni remained – year after year, vintage after vintage – the flagship of this Umbrian revolution. It comes from the best vineyards in the Val di Maggio, a meticulous clone selection of pure Sagrantino from vines rooted with six to eight thousand plants per hectare.

Named after the estate's founder, "Dottore Palazzolo" is Ronco del Gnemiz's rarest and most characterful red wine - a cuvée with a high proportion of Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Franc, which is only produced in selected years. The grapes come from the estate's oldest plots around San Giovanni al Natisone, whose Ponca soils with their marl-sandstone structure provide depth and structure. The 2021 vintage offered an almost ideal growing season: A cool spring was followed by a stable summer with moderate temperatures and perfectly pronounced day-night fluctuations. The grapes were harvest very late and selectively in order to bring in fully ripe, aromatically dense harvest. The wine was matured traditionally with spontaneous fermentation and 24 months of ageing in French barriques, which frame the wine without dominating it.

San Leolino was already considered a cru site 200 years ago. Above the thousand-year-old Pieve, the Romanesque chapel that has been documented since 982, terraces run through the upper part of the Conca d'Oro. In the 15th century, Giovanni Manetti found drawings in the University of Florence that proved that this slope was once completely planted with vines. What followed was a rebirth: the terraces were renewed, 4.5 hectares at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres, on Alberese limestone. These soils are fundamentally different from the slatey Galestro of the Vigna del Sorbo – here, hard limestone dominates, giving freshness, brightness and mineral precision. The pandemic years gave Giovanni the leisure to walk through his vineyards, to reflect. He realised that this parcel has its own identity, a terroir that calls for separate vinification. The first vintage was 2019, the fourth now 2022. Production remains small: only 5,000 bottles.

Here is another outstanding 2020 Brunello from a winery that is still considered an insider tip given its small size and limited annual production. Medium, bright ruby red colour. Exotic aromas of minerals and citrus fruits reminiscent of red cherries, blood oranges and Asian spices, with a floral nuance that gains strength with air. The palate is supple and expansive, with sweet flavours of red cherries and dark plums carried by a powerful acidity. Densely packed, at once fleshy and broad, but also lively and precise. On the strikingly long finish, it shows excellent power and cut, characterised by youthful, dusty tannins and a hint of candied violets. As is so often the case, this is one of the best Brunellos of the vintage and still completely under the radar of many Sangiovese lovers. SUPERIORE.DE

A Sicilian Cabernet Franc that can only be produced by Planeta – inspired by the elegance of great Bordeaux, yet deeply rooted in the terroir of the Menfi Hills. Didacus is a tribute to the family, named after Diego Planeta, the visionary founder of the winery. The grapes come from carefully tended plots on chalky soils, where they develop their aromatic ripeness and structure under the Mediterranean sun and fresh winds from the nearby coast. After fermentation, the wine matured for 21 months in French barriques before being left to rest for two years in the bottle.

Didacus Chardonnay comes from the first vines planted on the shores of Lake Ulmo in 1985. It is dedicated to the founder of the winery, Diego Planeta, and represents the history of the winery as well as elegance, tradition, family and the future. It also embodies Planeta's vision of Sicilian viticulture at the highest level.

An icon of Friuli: "Vigna Dominin" Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso comes from a single vineyard with old vines that are deeply rooted in the typical Ponca soil. Paolo Meroi brings out the best in this demanding, indigenous grape variety with a precision that few winegrowers have mastered. After strict manual harvesting, the wine is matured for 24 months in French barriques and a further year in the bottle before being released in very small quantities.

At an altitude of 750 metres, where the boundaries of the Etna DOC end in the cold north-west of the volcano, lies a hidden geological secret that only three of the hundreds of contrade on Etna can lay claim to. In its sandy soils, San Lorenzo bears the pure legacy of the Ellittico volcano – the ancient eruption centre whose explosive activity 60,000 years ago created a terroir purity that is now one of Sicily's rarest treasures. Giuseppe Russo is aware of this peculiarity when he cultivates the precious white vines that have been sinking their roots into these elliptical volcanic sands for eighty years among the centuries-old Nerello vines of his red Contrada wines. Here, where Etna sends its coldest winds over the vineyards and time is measured in geological epochs, white wines are produced with a minerality that only this unique combination of ancient lava and extreme altitude can produce.

A classically composed and perfect introduction to Altare Nebbiolo from its own vineyards in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba. With its modern character (use of barriques), the Elio Altare winery has always been one of those producers whose Barolo wines appear less hard and brittle when young and rarely beg for more than 10 years of further ageing in the bottle.