Wine

A Pinot Grigio with ambition and from one of the estate's best vineyards. The wine comes from the eponymous Zuc di Volpe hill in Togliano, whose clay and limestone soils, combined with consistent manual harvesting and low yields, provide the basis for this cru-worthy Pinot Grigio. Matured in stainless steel with extended maturation on the fine lees, the wine is light golden yellow in colour with a slightly coppery sheen in the glass – a subtle hint of the natural pigmentation of the grape variety. Yellow pear, some ripe quince, white almonds and a hint of hay flower on the nose. Surprisingly structured on the palate, with mineral tension, good depth and a fine salty vein. A delicate phenolic note on the finish gives the wine grip and length.

One of Piedmont's most enigmatic grape varieties grows in a plot in the centre of the legendary Bricco Boschis: Freisa – nebbiolo's wild relative and, according to DNA studies, possibly even its genetic mother. Its name is derived from the Latin "fresia" for strawberry, which already hints at its aromatic signature. Native to the Piedmont hills since the Middle Ages, it was long considered too rustic – until producers like Cavallotto discovered its true elegance. The 2023 undergoes traditional vinification with indigenous yeasts and 3–5-day skin maceration, followed by 12 months–15 months of ageing in Slavonian oak barrels and six months of bottle ageing.

Sauvignon Blanc Praesulis unfolds in the glass with hints of spicy herbs and lemon peel, accompanied by gooseberries, grapefruit and elderberries. Soothingly smooth and with a pleasant inner sweetness, it blends candied lemon with sour melon and lively acidity to create a bold but juicy style on the palate. It finishes with vibrant tension and decent length, leaving behind concentrated citrus and pretty inner flowers. Wonderfully elegant and balanced. SUPERIORE.DE

Two names characterise this Riserva: Il Corno and Poggio Selvale. The Sangiovese grapes from which Castello di Radda creates its classic Riserva style come from these two top vineyards, situated between 350 and 450 metres above sea level. The clayey-calcareous soils with their high proportion of Galestro and Alberese – the characteristic limestone slate of the region – give the wine mineral depth and structural complexity. In this coolest zone of the Chianti Classico, where dense forests surround the vineyards and the temperature fluctuations between day and night are particularly pronounced, the Sangiovese reveals its most elegant side. After manual harvesting, the grapes are destemmed and fermented in 50-hectolitre stainless steel tanks. Maceration on the skins lasts three to four weeks – a luxury that only fully ripe grapes from top vineyards allow. Malolactic fermentation takes place in wood before the wine begins its 20-month maturation: in French second and third passage tonneaux and in 20-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels. A nine-month bottle maturation completes the development.

In Roman-medieval times, they called this sweet wine monument Acinatium – from the Latin "acinus", the grape berry. A name that encapsulates the essence of this extraordinary wine: made only from the very best and ripest individual Garganega berries, a selection of such precision that it borders on obsession. For the Tessari sisters, this rare Recioto is more than just a wine. It is the centrepiece of their family history, the wine of holidays and family gatherings, the first drop you would give a child to taste, if it were allowed and appropriate ...

One month separates the first harvest from the last: 18 September in Margreid, 18 October in the high altitudes of Teis and Sarns in the Eisack Valley. The fact that Alois Lageder harvests his Riesling over such a long period of time is methodical. The warm limestone slopes of Margreid at 230 metres ripen earlier and give the Surmont substance and fruit. The cool steep slopes in the Isarco Valley, on volcanic bedrock up to 900 metres, provide the opposite: freshness, tension and mineral depth. Both extremes need their own time. The name Surmont – "the mountain above" – is the programme. Riesling finds conditions at these altitudes that it rarely gets elsewhere: a long growing season, cool nights, slow ripening without stressful events. Temperature-controlled fermentation in steel, six months maturation on the fine lees.

Chardonnay doesn't really need an origin. The world drinks it everywhere, it adapts, it works. This is precisely its problem – and this is exactly where it so often fails. Those who grow it in the Aosta Valley, on granite moraine between 600 and 800 metres above sea level, with short summers, long winters and temperatures that drop to extremes at night, ask a different question: what happens to this variety when the mountain has the last word?

In 2017, Stefano Pola was proposed to plant a vineyard in the heart of the beautiful area of the Belluno Dolomites, more precisely about 9 hectares in the Valbelluna area on a well-exposed high plateau at about 650 metres above sea level. The soil here is medium-heavy with calcareous deposits typical of mountain regions. Some layers contain solidified sands that form sandstone, and in other areas marls, i.e. old clays, are exposed. The soil structure is very stony, which provides good drainage and aeration conditions. The high lime content gives the wines a distinct olfactory finesse.

This single-varietal Malvasia is a reference in the Collio every year. Elegant aromas of white peach, jasmine, magnolia, crushed rock and fresh herbs pour from the glass with every sip. On the palate, pine and fresh herbs combine with fresh apples and apricots, with layers upon layers of ever-evolving flavours. Great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

In addition to his Friulano vineyards, Dario Raccaro has been cultivating a small vineyard planted with 100% Guyot Pinot Gris vines for many years. Since the 2022 vintage, he has been selling just 2,000 bottles of this fine wine and we are delighted to have received an allocation. Pale straw yellow in colour, with a fine, floral bouquet with traces of flint and white smoke. Well-structured on the fresh palate, soft and flowing, very velvety and deep at the same time, a masterful interpretation of Pinot Gris! SUPERIORE.DE

Probably the most precise expression of Sauvignon Bianco, which Volpe Pasini vinifies year after year, comes from the privileged single vineyard Zuc di Volpe. At high altitude near Togliano, on marl and calcareous flysch soils, the grape variety achieves a rare balance of aromatic richness, vibrant freshness and elegant texture. 2023 was a challenging but ultimately harmonious vintage: a cool spring and changeable weather until July demanded a great deal of sensitivity, but the stable, mild late summer produced concentrated, expressive grapes with a perfect acid structure. The wine is aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks and matures for several months on the fine lees, which gives it additional depth and balance.

Friuli is white wine country. We know that. What is easy to forget: Schiopetto has also been making red wines since 1968 – and with a consistency that excludes any chance. Rivarossa is the name of a cadastral parcel on the company's own vineyards, whose clayey, loamy soil is fundamentally different from the Ponca hills of the whites. Different soil, different logic, different wine. 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – separate vinification of both varieties, fermentation in wooden barrels for ten to fifteen days at 25 degrees, followed by fourteen months of ageing in barriques and Liters oak barrels.

There are wines whose labels do not tell the whole truth. Bricco Ravera is labelled "Langhe Nebbiolo", but in reality it is Barolo in every respect – except for the name. The grapes come from the Ravera vineyard in Monforte d'Alba, one of the most prestigious single vineyards in the Barolo region, where Pecchenino has owned plots since the early 2000s. A complicated dispute over appellation rights meant that this wine had to be marketed under the less restrictive Langhe DOC – a bureaucratic detail that nevertheless works in the favour of the connoisseur: Barolo quality at a Langhe price. The vineyards are located in the hamlet of San Giuseppe near the Pecchenino family's Barolo winery. The chalky, clayey soils with a southern and south-western exposure offer ideal conditions for Nebbiolo, the capricious, late-ripening grape variety that develops its full aromatic complexity here. After alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine remains in contact with the skins for a prolonged post-maceration before being racked. Once malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is transferred to oak barrels, where it develops the structure and depth that distinguishes it from simpler Langhe wines.

Trebianco is a golden yellow "natural/orange wine" made from Chardonnay, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Trebbiano and matured in clay barrels. The initially reductive bouquet has hints of sweet tobacco, nutmeg, leather, honey, orange peel and spicy herbs. Fresh on the palate with vibrant acidity. Note: The wine is unsulphurised, unfiltered and fascinatingly special. An oxidative note and lees in the wine do not represent a lack of quality. SUPERIORE.DE

Copper-coloured with light brown reflections. The bouquet is floral, sweet and complex. On the palate, its typical Moscato flavours are carried by honey, dried fruit, caramel and a hint of musk. Creamy and dense on the palate with a well-balanced acidity that gives it plenty of freshness. Overall, Aestas Passito is a dessert wine for us that is hard to beat in terms of excitement and speciality and where you can feel the dedication and certain wine craziness with every sip. SUPERIORE.DE

The name Manna evokes biblical associations, but the true story is even more beautiful: Franz Haas dedicated this extraordinary wine to his wife Maria Luisa Manna in 1995 – a token of love in bottle form that unites the philosophy of the winery in a single cuvée. What began as an assemblage of Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc was expanded to include Kerner from 2013 onwards – five grape varieties, five personalities that merge into a harmonious symbiosis. The vineyards are located between 350 and 800 metres above sea level in a south-westerly direction on geologically highly diverse soils: dolomite, porphyry, sand and marl give each plot its own character. The grapes ripen at different times and are harvested and vinified separately – chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc ferment in barriques, while Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Kerner ferment in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation, the young wines are blended and left to rest on the fine lees for around ten months, followed by further months of bottle ageing. This patient approach results in a wine of exceptional complexity.

Bernardina is a wine with an interesting history. The Bernardina vineyard was once part of a 600-hectare estate belonging to a noble family who did not care much for wine. When the appellation boundaries for Barolo were established, this family never lobbied to become part of the area now registered for the production of Barolo DOCG. Today, the vineyard is managed by the Ceretto family, who have instead focussed on the production of Nebbiolo d'Alba. Nebbiolo d'Alba is an appellation in which the grapes from the Barolo and Barbaresco wine regions have been declassified and which is becoming increasingly popular.

Produced in just 6,000 bottles per vintage, Godenza from the vineyard of the same name undergoes spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, followed by temperature-controlled maceration in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation, it then matures for 12 months in cement vats and at least 9 months in the bottle. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, it is characterised by its complex and open bouquet with aromas of small red berries and spices. On the palate, it is firm and clear with a wonderful balance between acidity and ripe flavours and has a very respectable, slightly salty and spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come mainly from the historic Russeghine vineyard above the town of Ranzo Borgo. The character of the Pigato here is of particular depth and minerality, which is due to the exceptional terroir and the long maturation on the fine lees. Bright straw yellow in colour with light green reflections. Fragrant nose of herbs, yellow fruit and traces of pine resin. Full and long-lasting flavour with beautiful spiciness and aromas of citrus and almond, then again this beguiling, deep minerality at the end. SUPERIORE.DE

The year is 1773 and a storm drives the English merchant ship "Elizabeth" into the harbour of Marsala. John Woodhouse, a merchant from Liverpool, seeks shelter – and finds a wine in an osteria that won't let him go. To stabilise it for the long journey home, he fortifies it with Acquavite. A makeshift solution that establishes the history of an entire wine. Pellegrino, the centrepiece of the Marsala tradition since 1880, has dedicated its own cuvée to this far-sighted Englishman. "Old John" – respect in two words. Grillo, Catarratto and Inzolia, harvested in the hinterland between Marsala and Mazara del Vallo, are fortified with neutral alcohol after fermentation has stopped and topped with mosto cotto – grape must – flavoured and slightly sweetened. Then comes the time: at least 48 months in large oak barrels and a further six months in barriques. The 1998 is a true Riserva – not a vintage for the impatient.

Famous, single-varietal Fiano from calcareous, clayey-sandy soils in the Contrada Dispensa near Menfi. Bright straw yellow in colour with a greenish tinge. The bouquet is complex and full of finesse: white flowers, Williams pear, ripe citrus fruit and a hint of exotic notes such as passion fruit and guava, underpinned by a salty, almost chalky nuance. Silky and broad on the palate, with polished fruit, lively acidity and a cool minerality. The texture appears creamy, but remains clearly contoured and convincingly expresses its origin.

Cuvée Real epitomises the elegant signature of Antica Fratta and shows just how fine Franciacorta can be. It is based on Chardonnay and a small proportion of Pinot Nero from the gentle moraine hills of Lombardy. After gentle whole-cluster pressing, the first fermentation takes place partly in stainless steel and partly in small wooden barrels before the wine matures for at least 24 months on the fine lees in the bottle. Delicate straw yellow in the glass with a fine, persistent perlage. The bouquet opens with notes of fresh lemon, yellow apple, some white peach and a hint of roasted hazelnut. The palate is fresh and precise, with an elegant creaminess, fine citrus flavour and balanced structure. The finish is clear, mineral-accentuated and persistent. A stylish, versatile Franciacorta that shines both as an aperitif and as an accompaniment to fine cuisine – classic, precise and charming. SUPERIORE.DE