Wine

South Tyrol's soul in a glass. The Vernatsch – italian Schiava – is the most widely cultivated red wine variety in the region and is currently experiencing a renaissance in quality. Peter Zemmer grows this autochthonous grape variety on the calcareous clay and gravel soils of the sun-drenched slopes around Kurtatsch, traditionally cultivated on the pergola – the typical pergola shape that has characterised the South Tyrolean landscape for centuries.

Pagis" becomes "Fallwind". The Fallwind wines are ambassadors of their terroir and reflect the strengths of the growing region in a unique way. Most of them are selected sites where viticulture has been practised for centuries. Strict quality guidelines, low yields, intensive manual work in the vineyard as well as gentle and individual maturation in the cellar make them what they are: Wines full of character, precise and unique, which convince every connoisseur with their varietal characteristics.

An everyday Sicilian red with a fine soul: La Bella Sedàra is a harmonious cuvée made from 90% Nero d'Avola and other grape varieties, grown on hilly, chalky soils near Contessa Entellina. The terroir brings warm fruit, clear structure and a natural drinking pleasure to the wine. Bright ruby red colour with lively purple reflections. Fragrant bouquet of blackcurrant, cherry, a pinch of tobacco and fine minerality – as dense as a whisper from the stone. Fresh and round on the palate at the same time: soft tannins, ripe fruit and a smooth flow that whets the appetite for the next sip. The ageing in a cement vat contributes to the fine texture and preserves freshness and varietal character. A fine red for every day. SUPERIORE.DE

The name Rifugio – refuge – tells of underground hiding places where the inhabitants of Salento once protected themselves from danger. Today, an entire area near Veglie bears this name, where particularly high-quality Primitivo grapes thrive on alluvial, clayey soils with limestone deposits. The traditional Conti Zecca winery, owned by the noble family since the 16th century and one of the icons of Apulia with 320 hectares of vineyards, vinifies this single-varietal Primitivo using tried and tested methods: manual harvesting with selection at the sorting table, gentle destemming and pressing, twelve-day maceration at 25 degrees, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Maturation takes place over twelve months in large oak barrels of 30 hectolitres and in resin-sealed concrete tanks, followed by a short period of maturation in the bottle.

Pinot Grigio has an image problem. Somewhere between mass-produced Veneto wine and an international run-of-the-mill wine, the impression has been created that it is a wine without ambition. If you want to correct this impression, look to South Tyrol. In the Alto Adige, the variety – originally from Burgundy – has found a terroir that gives it what it doesn't get elsewhere: cool nights, altitudes between 300 and 500 metres, calcareous soils, alpine precision. Cellar master Hans Terzer, who has been one of the defining figures of South Tyrolean white wine for decades, has clearly formulated the line: clean, varietally pure, clear in tonality. The St. Michael-Eppan winery, founded in 1907 and supported by 340 member families, has turned it into one of its best-selling wines – and rightly so. 100% Pinot Grigio, fermented and matured exclusively in steel.

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.

As an entry into the world of Vino Nobile, Federico Carletti's Rosso reveals all its directness without false modesty. Eighty per cent Sangiovese – here honourably called "Prugnolo Gentile" – are combined with twenty per cent Merlot to create a cuvée that expresses the character of the galestro-rich clay soils unfiltered. This organically produced composition matures only briefly in historic barriques, emphasising the youthful freshness of the Sangiovese grape. Intense ruby-coloured tones reveal the power of the Tuscan sun, while a seductive interplay of sour cherries and dark forest fruits with herbal and floral nuances unfolds on the nose. On the palate, this Rosso presents itself with the typical Poliziano balance: velvety, elegantly structured, with a subtle tannin structure that never dominates, but harmoniously envelops the fruity core. An authentic ambassador of its terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

This powerful blend of Nero d'Avola and Syrah comes from Tenuta Presti e Pegni in Monreale and impressively demonstrates the versatility of Sicilian winemaking. The vineyards thrive at an altitude of 250 metres in the hills behind Palermo, where loamy soils and the Mediterranean microclimate create ideal conditions for international grape varieties. Just ten kilometres from the coast, the vines benefit from the cooling sea breeze, which moderates the heat of the day and ensures balanced ripening. The name Benuara is derived from a small flower that grows near Syracuse – a poetic reference to the southernmost regions of Sicily.

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.

Nero di Troia was long the well-kept secret of northern Apulia – used in cuvées, rarely in its pure form. Torrevento changed this in 1993: the Vigna Pedale was the first single-varietal Nero di Troia in the world. Since then, it has been the flagship of the winery – and has left the Gambero Rosso with no choice but to award it the highest rating eight times in a row up to the current 2019 vintage.

The country dance (controdanza) is a typical dance in which man and woman face each other and unite in graceful movements - depending on their gender, the dancers interpret the music in their own way. This wine is exactly the same: Nero d'Aola and Merlot - opposites attract and, with the right sensitivity, can harmonise and contrast wonderfully.

A white wine with history and a mineral signature. Lacryma Christi Bianco comes from old vines on the fertile ash soils around Mount Vesuvius. Pale straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. The nose reveals white flowers, yellow apple, a hint of lemon and delicate herbal flavours. Fresh, clear and delicately salty on the palate, with lively acidity and a finely tart, cool mineral finish. The single-varietal Coda di Volpe was matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness and varietal character. A true southern Italian with a cool head and volcanic character – ideal with seafood, pasta alle vongole or fried antipasti. SUPERIORE.DE

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 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

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

After a break of thirty years, Federico Carletti has ventured a renaissance in recent years: Ambrae marks Poliziano's return to white grape varieties. This elegant cuvée made from ninety per cent Chardonnay and ten per cent Roussanne thrives on the clay-rich slopes around Montepulciano – a name that, like the winery itself, pays homage to the great Renaissance humanist Angelo Ambrogini. This composition matures exclusively in stainless steel without the influence of wood, allowing the mineral depth of the Pliocene soils to express itself unfiltered.

A light straw yellow colour with a greenish tinge in the glass, "Grivò" visually signals freshness and lightness. The nose has a straightforward, delicately fruity aroma of Williams pear, green apple, white peach skin and a hint of bread. Juicy and lean on the palate with a clear texture, fine acidity and a subtle flinty finish. Maturation in stainless steel tanks preserves the purity of the variety and emphasises the typical Friulian straightforwardness. An uncomplicated, but by no means banal Pinot Grigio with a signature style – charming, accessible and stylish at the same time. A crowd favourite with provenance, a perfect companion for light meals and convivial evenings. 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.