Wine

Originating from a single parcel in Dogliani, facing south-west and grown on a chalky-clay medium soil, Quass Pecchenino is a concentrated Barbera signature characterised by its terroir. The vines are over 35 years old, trained in Guyot with around 5,000 vines/ha – a classic Dogliani setting that combines density, freshness and a distinctive mineral line. The first release in 1994 also makes Quass a piece of house history.

Graziano Merotto has named wines after parcels of land, after decades of experience, and also after himself. This one, however, he named after his daughter. La Primavera di Barbara – barbara's spring. What at first sounds like a gesture of affection is also a precise description of the wine: bright, blooming, with a vibrancy that can only be found in the best season.

The evening fall winds of the Mendel Mountains characterise the entire terroir of the St. Michael-Eppan winery. They ensure cool nights and give the grapes the extraordinary characteristics that characterise the aromas, unmistakable freshness and longevity of the wines. The fall wind is the natural force that blows over the vineyard every day, positively influencing the climate and supporting the valuable work of the winegrowers at the cooperative winery.

The name refers to an ancient coin of the Genoese lords who once owned the vineyards around Gavi. Today, the Cortese grapes come from the heart of the appellation: the Comune di Gavi itself, where calcareous marl soils and pronounced day-night differences give the wine its characteristic freshness and floral aromas. After being harvested by hand, the grapes are cooled with carbon dioxide snow and pressed particularly gently. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, followed by three months of bottle ageing.

Il Poggiones Rosso di Montalcino is dark and youthful, with nuances of blackcurrant and liquorice balanced by ashy rock. Silky and enveloping on the palate with a savoury core of minerality and bright acids, followed by tart red berries. The wine finishes long and lightly structured, but is always fresh and asks for a short stay in the cellar before it can unfold its full charm. A truly straightforward and captivating Rosso in the style of the house. SUPERIORE.DE

Lezér means "light" and so it is – in the most delicate sense. Light ruby red in colour, red berries and an interesting hint of violets on the nose. Smoke, freshly cut wood and a fine creaminess on the palate. A thoroughly fresh red wine right through to the finish, which goes well with warm weather and uncomplicated Mediterranean cuisine, especially when slightly chilled. The ageing in different containers such as amphora, cement tank and wooden barrel gives it an additional appeal and an unmistakable profile. SUPERIORE.DE

Vino nero – is what the Tuscans once called their red wines. With this name, the Rivetti family takes up an old tradition and makes it the flagship of their Casanova estate in Terricciola. Twenty-year-old Sangiovese vines are rooted in sandy soils of marine origin, whose oceanic sediments give the wine its characteristic minerality. After two weeks of maceration, it matures for twelve months in French barriques that have already been filled – subtle enough not to mask the fruit.

The first alcoholic fermentation of the must takes place in steel tanks on the fine lees at a controlled temperature and after a waiting period of at least six months, the wine is bottled. The bottles remain at a constant temperature of 12°C so that the wine can undergo its second fermentation and mature on its own yeasts, which remain at the bottom of the bottle as a light sediment (note: it is not filtered!).

An international white wine in a region that is world-famous for its great red wines? Pecchenino dared to try this experiment in Bossolasco at an altitude of 700 metres, and the challenge was mastered with flying colours. Here, where one would expect to find Arneis or Cortese, Riesling Renano thrives on calcareous soils with marl and white clay. The south-easterly exposure and the cool, high-altitude climate of the Alta Langa create ideal conditions for the crystalline acidity and aromatic precision that characterise great Rieslings from France and Germany. The grapes are harvested in mid-September when perfectly ripe, cooled to 12°C in the cellar and gently pressed. This is followed by ten months of ageing on the fine lees with repeated bâtonnage and a further six months of bottle ageing.

At the heart of the north-eastern Etna amphitheatre, where Silvia Maestrelli's vision turned to stone, lies Fessina: a name that sounds like a whisper through the volcanic winds. Here, in the Frazione Rovittello of Castiglione di Sicilia, between two ancient lava flows from 1809 and 1911, a dream came true in 2007. Silvia, the pioneer – a Tuscan with a Milanese soul and a Sicilian heart – was the first woman on the volcano to recognise the extraordinary potential of this difficult, masculine earth. With the tenacity of a visionary and the sensitivity of a "female oenological vision", she created a refuge of excellence after long negotiations with the countless owners of the fragmented plots.

Mario Schiopetto's father ran the "Ai Pompieri" osteria in Udine – directly in front of the fire station. His son did not become a landlord, but the founder of modern Friulian white wine. Years ago, the new owners, the Rotolo family, incorporated the name of their father's restaurant into their younger wine line as a nod and a promise: accessible, direct, straightforward. Since 1986, the Blanc des Rosis has brought together the four leading white grape varieties of the Collio in a single wine: Friulano as the aromatic backbone, Pinot Bianco for volume and elegance, Sauvignon for freshness and tension, Pinot Grigio for the mineral bite. The soils under Capriva del Friuli – eocene clay and marl – give the wine its characteristic cool precision. Gentle pressing, decanting without sulphur, eight months on the lees in steel. And from the 2025 vintage, the Blanc des Rosis will appear in the glass earlier than ever before without the previous two-year retention period – in the glass earlier than ever before.

Since the 2015 vintage, Piancornello has been producing a Ciliegiolo in small quantities of 4,000 bottles, which is solid, deep and very distinctive. Intense ruby red colour. The nose reveals very pure, straightforward aromas of ripe cherries and sour cherries, rounded off with spicy notes and hints of medicinal herbs. In the mouth it is rich, with noticeable tannins, but well integrated into the structure, with a solid body and a flavourful, long finish of good complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

La Sabla is the red entry-level classic from Les Crêtes - an independent cuvée made from indigenous grapes: Petit Rouge, Fumin, Mayolet and Barbera from old plots around Aymavilles. It is lively and elegant, vinified in stainless steel with controlled mash fermentation and matured on the fine lees for around eight months. Intense ruby red in colour with a violet hue. The nose opens with aromas of redcurrant, fresh raspberry, forest blossom and delicate spice. Fresh, juicy and clear on the palate with soft tannins and striking mineral tension - a salty bite on the finish ensures precision and length. A pure expression of unmistakable Alpine elegance that combines origin and style with youthful clarity. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: the vineyard is located on an elongated, plateau-like ridge in the historic Classico region of the Castelli di Jesi – a ridge reminiscent of a podium. It is therefore no coincidence that Garofoli harvests its best Verdicchio cuvée right here. 100% Verdicchio from the vineyard that the estate has cultivated as its flagship for decades – and with which Carlo Garofoli was one of the first to prove that Verdicchio can and should age. The vinification remains true to the wine: steel, precision, long ageing on the lees, which gives the podium the fullness and texture that clearly distinguishes it from the fresh entry-level wine. No wood, no distractions – just Verdicchio in its most concentrated form.

The Goldmuskateller (moscato giallo) is one of South Tyrol's aromatic rarities. At Tiefenbrunner, it thrives at altitudes between 220 and 650 metres, with the best lots coming from the Penon, Hofstatt and Rain vineyards: 400 to 650 metres high, on calcareous dolomite soils that give the wine its fine mineral structure. Vinification takes place exclusively in concrete tanks – a deliberate decision to preserve the varietal flavours unadulterated.

When the Antinori family founded their Apulian branch Tormaresca in 1998, they set an example: Southern Italy could deliver more than quantity. Torcicoda became proof of this vision – the first wine from Apulia to make it into the Wine Spectator Top 100. Its name refers to the historic grooming tool for horse manes, but also to the lush, twisting growth of the Primitivo vines, which were once called the "vine of three harvests".

A Rosato with a name that has a person behind it. Rosy Pio was the granddaughter of the founder – and the grandmother of Federica and Cesare, the fifth generation of the house. The Pio Cesare family carries its history in its wines. This one bears it in its name. The decision to vinify Nebbiolo as a rosé was a matter of the heart: a small addition of Syrah, their own vineyards in Treiso in the Barbaresco region, various exposures and locations. Early harvest in small crates after strict selection in the vineyard, gentle pressing with short maceration. Fermentation partly in stainless steel, partly in non-new French oak barriques. One month on the lees.

This masterful Vernaccia matures for 4 years in small Caratello barrels, whose natural shrinkage is never topped up so that the yeast flora, which is very characteristic of this Vernaccia, forms on the surface and not only produces the characteristic flavours, but also gives it its name.

Tenuta San Leonardo is a name that stands for red wine. For generations, the Guerrieri Gonzaga family in Avio, in southern Trentino, has been cultivating a Bordeaux blend that is considered by connoisseurs to be among the best wines in Italy. The fact that the house also makes white wine (and rosato) – and with the same precision – far fewer people know. Vette di San Leonardo owes its name to the peaks that surround the vineyards. Vette – summits, peaks – is the image San Leonardo has chosen for this Sauvignon Blanc: high, clear, unmistakable. The grapes come from Roveré della Luna, a village on the border between Trentino and Alto Adige, which is one of the best Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in northern Italy. The Dolomites as a backdrop, cool nights, a long ripening process on the vine. Hand-picked in September. Only steel, no wood. Five months sur lie on the fine lees – for texture and depth without external ageing.

A real insider tip for lovers of elegant white wines: This Trebbiano shows what this grape variety can do outside the classic norm. It comes from biodynamic vineyards in a coastal location near Scansano, characterised by the influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The 2023 vintage was characterised by alternating sunny days and cool nights - ideal for aromatic clarity and finely balanced acidity. The wine was fermented cold in stainless steel and matured briefly to preserve varietal typicity and freshness.

A white wine with Mediterranean lightness and a Friulian signature: Shàris is the charming combination of Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla – two varieties that show their finest profile here on the marl and sandstone soils of the Collio. Pale straw yellow in the glass with a greenish tinge. The nose is fresh and expressive at the same time: white flowers, ripe pear, citrus fruit, a little honeydew melon and a hint of almond. Smooth and clear on the palate, with well-balanced acidity, fine minerality and a pleasantly dry finish. A cleverly composed bianco with character that is not overwhelming, but at no stage is it banal – it is a true flagship for the modern white wine culture of Friuli and the winery's bestseller. SUPERIORE.DE

Valpolicella Superiore Case Vecie is made mainly from Corvina and Corvinone grapes. It takes its name from the vineyard of the same name in Grezzana, where the ripening of the grapes is subject to strong temperature fluctuations between day and night: a climatic peculiarity that gives the wine a special spiciness on the nose and a completely unique polyphenol profile. Bright ruby red in colour with notes of cherries, vanilla and spices. Beautiful fruit and acidity on the palate, wonderfully balanced body. Juicy and long. SUPERIORE.DE