Wine

The Cotarellas dedicate a second Verdeluce to the "green heart of Italy": pure Vermentino from the hills around Montecchio near Orvieto. While the Bianco blend emphasises complexity and depth, the Vermentino plays the card of freshness and immediacy. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. The nose is clean and delicate: camomile, kumquat, yellow peach, a hint of Mediterranean herbs. Slender and light-footed on the palate, with lively acidity and that salty undertone that characterises good Vermentino. Uncomplicated in the best sense of the word – a wine for an aperitif, for seafood, for summer evenings. SUPERIORE.DE

At the Ebnerhof farm in Atzwang, the Unterthiner family works on sandy marl at an altitude of 500 to 550 metres. The eastern slopes benefit from warm winds from the Bolzano valley basin, while cool downdraughts provide freshness at night – ideal conditions for a Pinot Blanc with substance. After temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine matures on the fine lees, part of it in acacia wood barrels, which gives it additional depth.

On the south-facing slopes between 260 and 380 metres above the Adige Valley, South Tyrol's most aromatic white wine unfolds its full seductive power. The unique terroir of Andriano – reddish-loamy limestone soils interspersed with angular dolomite rock – gives Movado its characteristic mineral base. Here, where the continental climate meets Mediterranean influences, the reddish-grey berries of the famous Traminer grape ripen to aromatic perfection. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, followed by six months of refinement on the fine lees, which gives Movado its characteristic texture and complexity.

Clean and refined white wine (Riesling & Durella) from volcanic soils with aromas of ripe yellow grapefruit, melon and a hint of wet straw. Medium-bodied with a silky texture that becomes slightly phenolic towards the end. A note of bitter lemon on the finish is exciting. Lots of crisp flavour, good freshness and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Grandiose Cannonau with a clear will: Sincaru ("serious") has a beautiful dialectic in its name and the sunny elegance of the Gallura terraces in the glass. 100% Cannonau from sun-drenched vineyards near Arzachena, on calcareous-sandy granite soil, clear mineral depth. The sea breeze with its cool nights ensures lively freshness and varietal typicity. In the glass, Sincaru has a dark ruby red colour with a subtle garnet rim. The aroma is open and aromatic: blackcurrant, ripe sour cherry, Mediterranean herbal notes and a hint of bergamot, carried by a fine, salty minerality. On the palate, the wine is round and supple, with lively acidity and softly coated tannins. The finish is clear, persistent and savoury-mineral – typically Gallura, elegant and full-bodied. A masterful Cannonau with a charming, contemplative character that makes you want to discover it. SUPERIORE.DE

Dusty rose and lavender tones complement wild strawberries. On the palate, it is characterised by juicy textures and ripe wild berries, complemented by a hint of orange zest and noticeable mineral notes. The Meczan rejuvenates with a fresh, almost crisp finish. A South Tyrolean Pinot Noir could hardly be more harmonious. SUPERIORE.DE

The Eloro DOC in south-east Sicily stands for Rosati with character, structure and regional typicity. Soft salmon pink with copper reflections. The nose has a complex aroma of wild strawberries, blood orange and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, the 2024 is precise, fresh and delicately flavoured with delicate fruit, lively acidity and salty minerality. The Rosato is made exclusively from Nero d'Avola from the San Lorenzo vineyard, fermented spontaneously in stainless steel and matured on the fine lees – in the spirit of Gulfi: natural, purist and with a clear terroir expression. An elegant, authentic wine with a Mediterranean soul and energising freshness. Ideal with antipasti, grilled fish or on its own. SUPERIORE.DE

A Chianti Classico that is created when centuries-old tradition meets contemporary winemaking: organically farmed since the 1980s, the vineyards of Monti-in-Chianti and Vitignano (located slightly below) strive for expression and balance from clay-loam and limestone soils. The vines (90% Sangiovese supplemented by some Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo) are rooted at altitudes between 250 metres and 330 metres above sea level.

The name ennobles: Baron Carl Josef Eyrl von und zu Waldgries und Liebenaich – is the full title of the patron, whose vineyards are located in the heart of the classic Lagrein growing area of Gries. The "Collection" line of the Bolzano winery stands for wines from selected vineyards that combine complexity with straightforwardness. After controlled fermentation in stainless steel, the wine matures for twelve months in large oak barrels – an ageing process that preserves the varietal character and gives the Lagrein a gentle polish.

From the heartland of Lagrein, the warm porphyry soils of Bolzano-Gries at 250 metres, comes this classic from the Bolzano winery. Formed in 2001 from the merger of the traditional Gries and St. Magdalena co-operatives, the Cantina is now one of the leading addresses for indigenous South Tyrolean grape varieties – not least thanks to the fine instinct of cellar master Stephan Filippi, who has been vinifying here for over three decades.

Col Fondo has been part of the Adami product family since the early 1900s. Initially, grandfather Abele and later father Adriano bottled the wine in spring. This then began to ferment again in the warmer months of May and June, producing what is known in Veneto as "vin col fondo". The origin of the name is easy to explain: it is due to the yeasts that settle at the bottom of the bottle after all the residual sugar has been consumed, causing the wine to develop in an exciting way over time. It always comes onto the market about a year later.

The name is the programme – and a promise. "Tre Filer": three rows, three grape varieties, one idea. Turbiana, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grow on the chalky, clayey soils of Lugana di Sirmione, the southern shore of Lake Garda, which Ca' dei Frati has understood like no other winery in the region for generations. What is made from these grapes follows an old logic with modern self-confidence. The harvest takes place late – deliberately too late, one might say. What is left over goes into the fruttaio, the drying room, and rests there for at least ninety days. During this time, the berries shrink and everything concentrates: sugar, flavours, character. Then comes the surprise: no wooden barrels, no barriques – instead, twelve to fourteen months in steel on the fine lees, followed by a year of ageing in the bottle. A sweet wine that dispenses with any opulent wood flavour and instead focuses on purity.

San Pietro di Barbozza is not an unknown name in the Denominazione. Anyone who knows the hills knows that Cartizze is also located here. This legendary 107-hectare slope, the grand cru of the entire Valdobbiadene, borders directly on the municipality of San Pietro di Barbozza – the same steep limestone cliffs, the same heroic slope, the same "Biancone", the fine-grained limestone that has been erupting from the mountain for thousands of years and charges the soils of this zone with sharp minerality. Andreola only began cultivating this parcel for the 2024 harvest – just two hectares, exposed from east to west, with slopes of up to 80%. The soils become thinner with increasing altitude until the roots reach directly into the Biancone. No buffer, no reservoir – only rock and freshness.

When a princess decided to bottle wine in 1958, she didn't do it just like that, but with ambition. Eleonora Ruspoli Berlingieri, who brought the historic Lilliano estate near Castellina in Chianti into family ownership back in 1920, was the first to recognise the oenological potential of this location. At her side: Giulio Gambelli, legendary Sangiovese guru and one of the great interpreters of Tuscan wines. Today, the brothers Giulio and Pietro Ruspoli carry on the legacy – the family still resides in the historic Palazzo Ruspoli in the heart of Rome. The Chianti Classico, which is named after them, comes from around 40 hectares of vineyards on calcareous, stony Alberese soils, which delay the ripening of the grapes at an altitude of around 300 metres and thus preserve acidity and aromatic freshness. The organically farmed vineyards produce a cuvée of 90 per cent Sangiovese, supplemented by five per cent each of Colorino and Merlot – a classic blend that complies with the DOCG statute and emphasises the typicality of the zone.

In May, when the iris – tuscan "giaggiolo" – the vineyards of Lamole are bathed in violet light, the soul of this wine is revealed. The name Maggiolo was born from the fusion of flower and month: a Chianti Classico that expresses the sunny generosity of the altitudes between 420 and 655 metres in liquid form. Unlike the purist Duelame, Maggiolo is a blend of 80% Sangiovese with 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. After visual berry selection, the grapes ferment separately in stainless steel. The Sangiovese matures for 18 months in large oak barrels, the international varieties in barriques – a marriage that combines structure and suppleness.

Refrontolo lies on the eastern edge of the denominazione – quieter, warmer, a half tone lower than the steep slopes of the core zone. The Col del Forno vineyard is a natural amphitheatre of around four hectares at 250 metres, nestled between forests and terraced slopes. Andreola acquired the plot in 2016 – and the wine was one of the most convincing of the entire Rive line right from the start. What distinguishes Refrontolo from Col San Martino is not quality, but character. The clayey, marly soils with karst formations dating back to before the last ice age reliably retain moisture – providing a stable water supply for the vines even in dry years. Temperatures are slightly higher than in the west of the denomination and ripening begins earlier. The result is not intense floral wines, but Glera with ripe fruit: hawthorn, wisteria, apple, peach and yellow citrus fruits – a warmer, more complex spectrum of flavours.

Rive di Rolle lies in the shelter of the Trevigian Prealps – warmer than the more open sites of the Denominazione, with higher average annual temperatures and deep, fine-grained clay-marl soils that retain moisture and ensure a consistent water balance for the vines even in dry years. The result is a Glera that matures differently than elsewhere: more opulent, more fruit-driven, with an aromatic spectrum that goes far beyond the floral notes of the limestone vineyards. The Vigna Ochera is the most perfect representative of this terroir logic in the Andreola portfolio.