Wine

Here comes one of the best Cabernet Franc wines in Italy: bluish nuances mingle with ruby red. Blackberries and hints of roasted coffee in the deep bouquet, seaweed, balsamic and minty notes as the wine opens. Full and silky tannins on the palate with hints of violets and mint, flavour and freshness. All of this is carried by a noble excellence into a harmonious and persistent finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Toren is the only red cru from Tiefenbrunner's rare Vigna line and comes from a 0.6 ha micro-location with clay and limestone gravel soils: sparkling garnet red with a slight violet tinge. Very intense and appealing nose, with aromas of cassis, blackberry, tobacco and mint. Rich, concise fruit on the palate, mountains of cassis and cranberries, juicy and dense, builds beautifully with ripe tannins, long final. The name suffix "Secundo" was chosen for this vintage as there was unfortunately only a tiny harvest in 2021 and, unlike its predecessors, the wine is characterised by more finesse and elegance than the usual unbridled power and opulence. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes the third vintage of Stefano Frascolla's heart project from the Alta Maremma. Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

There comes a moment in the history of every small winery when it stops having to prove itself – and begins to remember. Clelia Romano started out in Arianello di Lapio in 1994, with just a few hectares and one firm belief: that Fiano, grown on these volcanic limestone-marl soils, at altitudes of between 480 and 620 metres, in the Apennine hills of Irpinia, could be one of Italy's great white wines. The critics proved her right – swiftly and unequivocally. Today, she runs the estate together with her daughter Carmela. The wine, which bears the founder's name, is a testament to both generations.

At the southern foot of the Margreider Schuttkegel is a vineyard with the dialect name "Punggl", which has been known and coveted for viticulture since time immemorial. In the mid-1950s, the former owners of the Hirschprunn estate planted a vineyard there with Merlot, as it had already produced very good results in previous decades. In 1995, the grapes from this vineyard proved to be of such first-class quality that they inspired Luis von Dellemann, the Oenologistresponsible at the time, to vinify these grapes as a single variety - since then, and only in the best years, this strictly selected grape material has formed the basis for the MCM.

From the oldest Merlot plot in the Le Sondraie vineyards comes Bell'Aja’s flagship wine – a wine that impressively demonstrates the ambition of the San Felice project in Bolgheri. Since 2016, this estate has rounded off the historic group’s interpretation of Tuscan wine: from the hills of Chianti Classico, through the prestigious vineyards of Montalcino, to this shining jewel on the Etruscan coast. Bell’Aja Superiore embodies the pure essence of a unique terroir: 95% Merlot from the estate’s most venerable vines blends with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon to create a wine of impressive power and opulence. The sandy-clay soils of the Le Sondraie area, just five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, lend this Bordeaux-inspired blend the maritime minerality that makes Bolgheri one of the most fascinating terroirs in the wine world.

The Montepulciano vines for this powerful and terroir-rich Montepulciano grow on the Campo San Giorgio vineyard at an altitude of about 150 m on deep, chalky clay soils. The wine is unfiltered and unfined and matures for 12 months in small and large wooden barrels. The label represents the historic design of the Rosso Conero of the 1970s and the impressive result is the calling card of a long family tradition and expertise in viticulture.

The Paesaggio Inatteso selection comes from Camigliano's 3.5-hectare "La Magia" vineyard, which has mineral and calcareous soils. Only just under 3,000 bottles are bottled. It offers a more robust style and a stronger aromatic intensity than the Annata. Bright red with an amber-coloured rim. On the nose, round notes of walnut shells, roasted hazelnuts and linseed, as well as red plums, pomegranate seeds and green olives. Traces of incense and cardamom in the background. Full-bodied, lively tannins on the palate, with hints of red berries and flowers leading to an intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for six months in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

A characterful expression of southern elegance, characterised by the terroir of the Maremma and a cuvée that ingeniously combines Syrah and Grenache. The vines for the Tinata grow on clay and limestone soils on a hillside not far from the Tyrrhenian coast near Capalbio. The 2021 vintage was balanced and almost ideal: a moderately warm summer, without drought stress, followed by a long, sunny autumn - the best conditions for fully ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE

At the very top of the Serradenari parcel, the fruit grows for an exceptional Barolo, with which the young winemaker Giulia Negri has truly created a monument to herself. Marassio clearly benefits from the cool climate of Piedmont's high altitudes and will therefore hardly change its character even if the climate continues to change.

Duemani has just 7,000 Syrah vines – the estate's smallest plot, yet perhaps the most precious. Suisassi, this enigmatic name, which evokes the sound of the nearby surf, embodies Elena's very own vision: to create a Syrah that imitates neither the Rhône nor South Australia, but captures the Tuscan coast in all its wild beauty. Luca D'Attoma, who helped create Le Macchiole's legendary Scrio as a consultant, applies the same philosophy here: 30% of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches to enhance the aromatic complexity, spontaneous yeast fermentation in conical oak vats and small 1,Liters preserves the fruit's vibrancy, before the wine is left to rest for 20 months in French barriques.

For us, the pure Cabernet Franc from Duemani is one of the best representatives of the grape variety and the western Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet has an extraordinary clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with a perfectly integrated woody note on the palate, its strength, structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

Suisassi is rich and expressive. The bouquet convinces with aromas of sage, rosemary, wild flowers, liquorice, violets and plums. Very full and round on the palate with memories of berries, chocolate and nuts. Elegant and intellectual, still needs time. SUPERIORE.DE

When the world-famous Oenologist Carlo Ferrini makes his own wine, you can't help but be excited. Here, he has succeeded in creating an interpretation of Sangiovese that brings all his experience from decades of working with this grape variety to the fore as if through a burning glass. The moderate use of wood through ageing in 700-litre tonneaux expresses the clarity and personality of the grape and the unique terroir (there are just 1.5 hectares of the best Brunello sites) in an archetypal way. A great harmony of dark cherries, black fruits, spices, leather and tobacco, ideally integrated tannins and great persistence will quickly make the few thousand bottles a sought-after collector's item. SUPERIORE.DE

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

Tasting the different lots of Il Marroneto from the barrel is a fascinating task. The vines are all similarly situated at high altitude, on coarse sand of marine origin, and predominantly north-facing. While they have subtle differences, the distinct character of Madonna delle Grazie often merits a separate bottling - as the 2018 proves. The aromas take on the darkest, most heady purple florals, tangled in allspice and smoky incense. The wine is muscular with firm tannins that grip it tightly and don't let go, though it is never beefy, heavy or angular. At the moment it is still developing, but the finish already reveals a refined balsamic core and a spicy, salted plum. SUPERIORE.DE

A masterpiece of depth, tradition and elegance! This Amarone matures for around six years in the barrel before it sees the light of day in the bottle. The archetype of the Venetian royal wine presents itself as multi-layered and dense and of a masterly complexity. On the nose, dried fruit, dates, nuts, earthy notes and the fine flavours of dried sultanas. On the palate, this infinite depth is paired with an elegance and finesse that only the Quintarelli family can master. A red wine from a better world, where you want to linger longer! SUPERIORE.DE