Wine

A Nero d'Avola with juice and vigour: Nerojbleo comes from the high altitudes of the Iblei mountains around Chiaramonte Gulfi. The vines are rooted there in calcareous clay soils at an altitude of around 450 metres. The temperate microclimate and careful organic cultivation characterise a wine with structure, freshness and a distinct identity. The wine is matured for around 12 months in used barriques and tonneaux. Dark ruby colour with a purple core in the glass. Black cherry, ripe plum, liquorice and a hint of Mediterranean scrub on the nose. On the palate, the Nerojbleo is juicy and harmonious, with well-integrated acidity, fine-grained tannins and supple fruit. The subtle hint of wood adds depth without masking the varietal character. A multi-layered and complex Nero d'Avola with both power and elegance – ideal with grilled meat, savoury pasta dishes or mature cheese. SUPERIORE.DE

"Fruit that bears richly" ... the meaning of the name. Sciala evokes images of golden grapes in the warm light of the Gallura autumn. Here, millennia-old memories and modern precision come together to create a Vermentino that is considered the style-defining work (not only) of Surrau. The 2024 vintage in Gallura was strong in character and balanced at the same time – characterised by plenty of warmth from the sun, yet plenty of cooling sea air and the exposed altitude ensured concentrated fruit and aromatic elegance. In combination with a late, selective harvest, this beautiful vintage marks a highly lively expression between strength and finesse.

Here the name becomes the programme: Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg gave this wine its title because it tastes like Manincor itself. The essence of the hills that surround the estate, the view over Lake Kaltern, the strength and warmth of the warmest vineyards in South Tyrol – all come together in this glass. Grapes from Manincor and Panholzerhof, both at 250 metres, south-eastern slopes with sandy clay soils full of limestone gravel and glacial deposits. Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon – three grape varieties, one home. Each batch is vinified separately, partly spontaneously with wild yeasts in wooden, concrete and stainless steel vats. Ten days of gentle maceration, only dipped once a day for fine-grained tannins. Matured for twelve months in used wooden barrels of various sizes.

La Contessa is a South Tyrolean white wine with soul and origin, produced from biodynamically farmed vineyards near Kaltern. Grown on loamy-sandy soils at an altitude of 300-400 metres, the cuvée of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc combines alpine freshness with southern charm. The 2024 vintage was characterised by a cool spring and a balanced ripening phase, which allowed for aromatic clarity and fine structure.

"Zero Infinito" stands for zero chemical intervention and infinity. Years of research and experimentation have led to this extraordinary project, in which the grapes of the fungus-resistant Solaris grape variety are transformed into wine without any additives: no treatment in the vineyard, no use of sulphur dioxide, no commercial yeasts, no clarifying agents, no filtering and no antioxidants! The grapes for this sparkling wine made according to the Méthode Ancestrale (Pet Nat) with yeast lees come from the south-west facing Maso Rella vineyard, which lies at an altitude of 800 to 900 metres.

Monte Carbonare comes from red volcanic iron soils with plenty of black basalt in the centre. Six hectares of 60-70 year old vines in cooler sites, which continue to rise to the crème de la crème of the top sites as the climate warms. A richer wine than the younger Classico, but without the same cheeky vitality. While the Classico is an unbeatable everyday wine, the Monte Carbonare is a complex wine that demands food and a little more contemplation. Mirabelle plum, apricot pit, a hint of dried mango and plenty of smoky, sharp mineral grip, with dutiful freshness that brings wonderful length. SUPERIORE.DE

Buchholz – in the Austrian land register of 1858, the name already referred to the valley slopes above Salurn, where terraced vineyards lie on dolomite sedimentary rock between 400 and 800 metres above sea level. Peter Zemmer, whose family has been making wine in Kurtinig an der Weinstraße since 1928, has chosen this heterogeneous location for his Chardonnay: A mosaic of microclimates and soils that combines alpine freshness with southern ripeness. In the morning, the breeze from the north cools, in the afternoon the "Ora" from the south warms: a daily breathing space that gives the grapes time. The vinification remains deliberately restrained: short cold maceration to preserve the fruit, fermentation at 19°C in large wooden barrels.

Watch out, or even better - don't be afraid of the wolf: Attenti al Lupo is the exciting result of a new project by Podere le Ripi, which is specifically exploring new possibilities in the vineyard and cellar to find solutions to climate change, which is now putting all farmers and winegrowers to the test.

Bright garnet red colour. Delicate, dark bouquet of raspberry and violet, with fine notes of rose petals and damp forest soil after further aeration. Full and rich on the palate, good harmony of power and elegance, paired with fresh acidity and length. Good ageing potential. Goes wonderfully with savoury sausage and meat dishes – you simply have to love it! SUPERIORE.DE

La Braccesca is a special place where Tuscany and Umbria almost meet. Once a hunting ground for the noble Counts of Bracci, it is now the setting for a contemporary interpretation of Vino Nobile – a classic that has found an ideal place here, between rolling hills and fragrant cypress trees. The 2021 vintage spoils with clear, balanced fruit. Rich ruby red in the glass with a subtle garnet rim. A multi-layered aroma on the nose: black cherry, plum, some violets and fine spice, accompanied by elegant roasted notes. The wine is round on the palate, with fine tannins and harmonious freshness – while remaining approachable, supple and yet with a classic structure. A wine that tells a story and interprets it in a modern and perfect way: timeless, elegant and full of character – in the spirit of its noble origins. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the family's own plots in the Barolo and Barbaresco zone (including La Morra and Serralunga). Il Nebbio is deliberately vinified as a young, elegant interpretation of Langhe: predominantly Nebbiolo with a small proportion of Pinot Nero (authorised as part of the Langhe DOC). Cool, parcel-by-parcel harvest, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with short maceration, followed by malolactic fermentation and ageing in steel tanks until early bottling – for maximum freshness and finely polished tannins.

Owner Leonardo Pinzolo cultivates 52 hectares of biodynamically certified vineyards on his family farms in Popoli and Capestrano. The soils here differ from those in the rest of Abruzzo. Combined with the higher altitude of the vineyards and the proximity to the Gran Sasso mountains, these wines have a decidedly cooler expression than is usually found in Abruzzo. In the winery, fermentations are spontaneous and without temperature control. With the exception of a few single-vineyard wines, most of the wines are matured in stainless steel.

Deeply rooted in the Molise terroir since time immemorial, the Tintilia grape variety was long threatened with disappearance – until dedicated winegrowers revived it as an autochthonous treasure. This red wine in Riserva quality today represents the prestige of this once almost forgotten grape variety: 100% Tintilia, finely selected and with very low yields at high altitudes, where calcareous clay soils and fresh mountain air characterise its distinctive profile.

Fine Sauvignon Blanc from grapes grown on limestone gravel soils in Kurtatsch and loamy sandy soils in Völser Aicha. Rich flavours of elderflower, gooseberry, green pepper, sage and mint. An elegant wine, pleasantly mineral, fresh and juicy with well-balanced acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

The Petit Rouge grape variety is the backbone of the Aosta Valley. Those who know it only ever know it as Torrette DOC – the oldest and largest appellation in the region. A red wine that has been served for generations as naturally as the mountain cheese fondue next to it. The Charrère family knows this tradition better than most. And yet they made a different decision in 2019. Not a Torrette DOC. Instead, a Valle d'Aosta DOC rosé. The idea: the same indigenous variety, different clones, old vines – but read differently. Not as a red wine, but as something that the mountain can tell in its lightest, freshest form.

Ca' Brione is Nino Negri's top white wine and was first produced in 1986. The geological origins of the soil date back to the time when the African and European plates collided to form the Alps. The resulting variety of rocks gives the wine minerality and elegance. Fresh yellow colour with greenish reflections. Balsamic, elegant, slightly reductive bouquet with hints of apple, pear and spices, delicate nuances of strawberries and almond blossom. Deep and rich in flavour, yet fresh and harmonious, with an elegant, very pleasant bitter note and fresh acidity paired with minerality in the long final. Ca' Brione is one of Italy's greatest white wines, and not just for us! SUPERIORE.DE

Il Randagio (the stray) is wonderfully complex and nuanced. Initially quite closed, the delicately spicy nose creeps up with increasing aeration and opens up further into a wonderfully complex bouquet of dark red to black berries. Rising floral, savoury and spicy accents point to a wine that says more about the style of the house than anything else. The palate is wide-ranging with delicate wild berry flavours, perfectly polished tannins and a fresh, very invigorating acid wire that uninhibitedly enhances the drinkability of this once again typically different red. The best days of this wine still lie in the future. SUPERIORE.DE

Santo Stefano Belbo and Calosso, 400 metres above sea level, on the marly soils of the Langhe: here grows the Moscato Bianco from which I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano – the joint project of the Ceretto family and local winegrowers since 1976 – to produce this Asti Spumante. 41 hectares, harvested by hand. A wine that comes from one of the most precise Moscato terroirs in Piedmont. The second fermentation in pressurised tanks gives the wine its lively, finely sparkling mousseux and raises the alcohol content to 7%. Five atmospheres of pressure during bottling: this is complete sparkling wine character that brings the Moscato flavours to the fore.

Three thousand years of winegrowing history are condensed into one street name: Strada Provinciale 68 near Vittoria, the route along which generations of Sicilian farmers carried their amphorae and later barrels to market. Arianna Occhipinti, a pioneer of Sicilian natural wine, has created a liquid monument to this country road. Albanello and Zibibbo, two indigenous islanders, grow here on red sand over limestone. The grapes ferment together with wild yeasts in concrete, and two weeks of maceration give the Bianco its characteristic texture. Bottled unfiltered, it retains its lively cloudiness.

Gentle in flavour, powerful in body. La Casa in Collina is Vite Colte's charming statement on Barbaresco. Created from traditional grape variety assemblages from old terroirs in a light southern exposure, this wine combines nuance with poise: around 20 days of slow fermentation and a year in large oak barrels create a balance that allows depth without sacrificing elegance. In the glass, the colour is a rich ruby red that thickens to a fine garnet at the edges. The nose opens with a refined profile: ripe plum, red berry and violet, accompanied by coffee powder, tobacco leaf and a hint of fine woody spices, subtly intense but never overwhelming. Lively and carefully structured on the palate, with well-embedded tannins, fresh acidity and dense fruit. The big wood is noticeable, but nuanced. The finish is long, savoury and pleasantly round, with a hint of subtle vanilla and juicy cherry. This Barbaresco is confident and expressive, yet approachable enough to enjoy today. Optimal value for money – good potential available. SUPERIORE.DE

Demesse Vecchie is named after the village where Olivini has its family seat. The historic part of the vineyard was home to a nunnery in the late 17th century. The addition "vecchie" promises that the grapes for this very complex Lugana come from the estate's oldest vines, some of which are over 50 years old. They are also harvested late and carefully selected, after which they are matured on the fine lees for several months.