Wine

Not far from the Cortese vineyards lies Libarna, an ancient Roman settlement. A bronze disc from the 1st century BC was found there – an astronomical calendar for measuring Roman cities. Today, this Libarna disc adorns the label of the "Poggio della Rupe" line and connects millennia: Wine was grown here even before the Romans. The Monterotondo comes from a single vineyard in the heart of Gavi, where gypsum-rich, sulphurous soils give the Cortese an unrivalled complexity. Thirty-five-year-old vines yield grapes for just 2,500 bottles. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine matures for six to seven months on the fine lees – an ageing process that gives it depth and structure without sacrificing freshness.

A vineyard like a time capsule: Replanted around 1900 after the phylloxera epidemic, the oldest vines have been growing here for 120 years on calcareous sandy loam soils between 290 and 320 metres above sea level. With MAX XIX, Alois Lageder is preserving one of these rare South Tyrolean treasures – an authentic "mixed set" of different Vernatsch varieties such as Tschaggelevernatsch, Edelvernatsch and Grauvernatsch, complemented by Lagrein, Teroldego and other indigenous varieties. The special thing about this heterogeneity: at harvest time, some grapes are perfectly ripe, others are already overripe and others are still unripe – a natural interplay between sugar and acidity that gives each vintage its own tension.

A commitment, not a compromise: while other Chianti producers have long favoured international varieties, Castellare di Castellina sticks to the authentic formula. No Cabernet, no Merlot – only Sangioveto and Canaiolo, as tradition demands. The grapes for this Riserva ripen in a natural amphitheatre near Castellina, on limestone and galestro between 350 and 400 metres above sea level. Fifteen months in French oak, a further fifteen in the bottle – time enough to mould character without disguising origin.

Eichhorn vineyard – the name sounds like South Tyrol, like centuries-old vines rooted in sandy loam soils on volcanic porphyry weathered rock. As with the Sauvignon, this parcel is also located within the Tenuta Lieben Aich in Terlan, 300 metres above sea level, south-west exposed to the mild breeze. But where Tannenberg aims for maximum mineral tension, Eichhorn seeks a balance between Alpine clarity and Mediterranean fullness. This is where Pinot Bianco – pinot Bianco, as South Tyroleans call it – a variety that oscillates between restraint and expression. After a wet spring and hot summer, 2024 brought a golden autumn that allowed for physiologically perfectly ripe grapes. The grapes were harvested by hand at the end of September, striking an ideal balance between ripeness, freshness and moderate alcohol – a vintage that combines cool character with ripe fruit. The yield was 50 hectolitres per hectare. The destemmed berries remain in the press for eight hours for maceration – this is shorter than for Sauvignons because Pinot Blanc is more subtle in its use of structure. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden barrels, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees.

Since 1986, Gewürztraminer has been one of the founding wines of the legendary Sanct Valentin line – the top collection with which cellar master Hans Terzer once raised the bar for South Tyrolean premium wines. The winery selects only the best grapes for this wine from carefully chosen vineyards in the municipality of Eppan, where the grape variety finds ideal conditions on calcareous gravel between 450 and 600 metres above sea level. What characterises it, apart from its aromatic intensity, is its remarkable longevity – a characteristic that sets it apart from many other Gewürztraminer wines and promises a great drinking experience even after years of ageing in the bottle. The grapes are harvested by hand with rigorous selection. A short maceration is followed by gentle pressing before temperature-controlled fermentation begins. The wine is matured in stainless steel tanks – a deliberate decision to preserve the varietal aromas in all their splendour.

Maso Michei is located high up in a secluded mountain world in southern Trentino. There, the vines thrive at an altitude of 790 to 850 metres on a sun-drenched south-facing slope in unspoilt nature. In this remarkable location for viticulture, the vines grow slowly and the grapes ripen late. With the acquisition of the 13-hectare Maso Michei vineyard in the Valle dei Ronchi above Ala, Martin Foradori Hofstätter has returned to the roots of his ancestors in Trentino.

The four wines resulting from the collaboration between Dolce & Gabbana and Donnafugata show attention to detail and unconditional love for Sicily. They are the perfect expression of two top companies "Made in Italy". They represent the aesthetic fusion of craftsmanship, creativity and Sicilian passion. Together, they have created a unique collection of wines and packaging that emotionally capture Sicilian culture and lifestyle and express a clear commitment to the beauty and tradition of Sicily.

The Per Lui line does not begin in the cellar, but already on the vine. Before the harvest begins, the berry stalk of each bunch is tied off on the plant – the flow of juice is interrupted and the berry dries in a controlled manner on the living vine. An old Salento trick, here refined into a method: maximum concentration without a drying room, without intervention, just sun and time. 100% Primitivo, Alberello pugliese, argillo-limoso – loamy-silty soil that stores heat and releases it evenly. Vines around 35 years old, harvested in the second decade of September. Maceration for at least 20 days at a controlled 26–28°C, followed by several years in the bottle – no wood, only fruit.

A rosé full of finesse and freshness, in which the signs of tradition and modern harmony come together perfectly. A delicate peach-pink colour with a light mousse in the glass. The bouquet seduces with notes of ripe strawberry, raspberry, exotic flowers and light brioche spice. Juicy, dry and finely structured on the palate: the subtle acidity carries ripe fruit, the yeasty character lends creaminess, while the finish is clear and persistent – with fine minerality and inner tension. A rosé with personality that can be both an aperitif and an accompaniment to food – charming, vertical and stylish in expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Carmignano is Italy's best-kept secret: a DOCG of just 110 hectares – smaller than some Bordeaux châteaux. It was here, just outside Florence, that Caterina de' Medici brought Cabernet vines from France in the 16th century. While the rest of Tuscany invented the Super Tuscans centuries later, Carmignano had long since reached its goal. Il Sasso comes from the cru of the same name in Santa Cristina a Mezzana: two and a half hectares, thirty-year-old vines, clay and galestro at an altitude of 250 metres. Seventy per cent Sangiovese, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc – the classic Carmignano formula in Silvia Vannucci's signature style. Fermented with natural yeasts, almost three weeks on the skins, then twelve months in used French barriques – no new wood, nothing should distract from the terroir. Bottled unfiltered and matured in the bottle for a further six months.

Some wines are named after vineyards, others after grape varieties. This one bears the name of a person: Domenico Staropoli, known as Mimmo, who cultivated the vineyards of Le Piane for many years. When he died, Christoph Künzli dedicated this wine to him – to him, not as a sentimental gesture, but as a tribute to the quiet labour without which no great wine is made. The Mimmo is more than just a "little Boca". His Nebbiolo parcels come from the same plots, are vinified according to the same standards, and only after two years of barrel ageing does the tasting decide which parcels will become Boca and which will become Mimmo. The Nebbiolo is complemented by Croatina and Vespolina from century-old vines on Montalbano and Santuario. Twelve months in tonneau, then twelve months in large Slavonian vats – time that you can taste.

Feudi di San Gregorio's DUBL project was born in 2004 from an awareness of the great richness of the autochthonous vines of the Irpinia region and the desire to open up new horizons for them: as a Metodo Classico Spumante or by means of the famous Méthode Champenoise. An advisor was quickly found for this - none other than Anselme Selosse, who is known for his champagnes and his feeling for the particularities of the vines and vineyards.

Syrah in Sicily - this is no longer a surprise. But Achilles, Zisola's top single-varietal wine, gives the grape variety on the chalky hills near Noto a new expressiveness: powerful, deep and at the same time controlled, with that polished precision that does not seek to imitate, but to shape independently. The grapes come from small plots with a high proportion of limestone in the soil, close to the coast. The warm climate is tempered by constant air circulation - ideal conditions for even ripening. After selective manual harvesting, spontaneous fermentation takes place in conical tanks, followed by ageing for around 16 months in French barriques.

At some point in the history of Nals Margreid, the Gambero Rosso even declared Sirmian to be the best white wine in Italy. We are not surprised. Above Nals, in the Sirmian district, the slopes lie between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. South-east facing, alpine climate: mild summers, cool autumns, a long growing season that ends in mid-October with the harvest. The soil is a geological archive: Permeable glacial moraine of limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble, deposited millions of years ago by glaciers in the Western Alps, resting on porphyry, the volcanic bedrock of the bedrock.

In 1986, Hans Terzer dared to take the step of vinifying a Chardonnay modelled on Burgundy, which was to set international standards. The grapes for this wine, which has been the flagship of the Sanct Valentin line ever since, come from the best single vineyards in the municipality of Eppan, situated between 450 and 550 metres above sea level on calcareous gravel soils. Warm September days, cool nights – the microclimate of the South Tyrolean mountain vineyards gives the Chardonnay the aromatic depth and structure that allow it to mature from year to year. Each parcel is vinified separately. Fermentation begins in barriques, where malolactic fermentation also takes place, followed by eleven months on the fine lees – followed by a further eight months of ageing in steel tanks to perfect the balance between fruit, wood and minerality.

"Many individuals" – is the motto of this extraordinary comet, named after Rainer Zierock, the late viticulture professor and friend of the Lageder family. Over 25 years ago, Zierock planted over 200 grape varieties from all over the world in Casòn Hirschprunn in Margreid, between 230 and 360 metres above sea level on sandy, stony dolomitic limestone soil. What began as an ampelographic experiment became a vinological statement: a blended set not of three, but of around 200 different varieties – white and red grapes together. "Out of chaos, movement ultimately creates form," said Joseph Beuys.

A clockwork that ticks once a year and strikes once a millennium – designed for 10,000 years. Brian Eno and a group of thinkers founded the Long Now Foundation in 1996 to broaden the view: away from the immediate and towards the long now. Giorgio Pelissero recognised this as the essence of his profession – because there is time in wine. In 1999, he acquired Cascina Tolino between Treiso and Neviglie, steep terrain divided by a municipal border: Only the Nebbiolo on the Treiso side is allowed to become Barbaresco. He combined the rest with Barbera to create perhaps the oldest assemblaggio in Piedmont – only rethought. Vinified separately, ten days of maceration for the Nebbiolo, up to twenty-five for the Barbera, then fifteen months in small oak barrels.

Pinot Blanc has been part of the Sanct Valentin line since 2001 – born out of the realisation that this long underestimated variety is capable of achieving extraordinary things at the high altitudes of Eppan-Berg. Between 450 and 600 metres, where limestone gravel and clay form the foundation, ten to thirty-two year old vines grow facing south-southeast. Extremely low yields from meticulously selected plots. Hand-picked at the end of September, then two different methods: one half fermented with malolactic fermentation and yeast storage in barriques and tonneaux, the other in large oak barrels. After just under a year, the wine is blended when it is clear what belongs together – then a further eight months of maturation in steel tanks to finalise the balance.

Medium ruby red. Opens with ripe fruit notes of redcurrants, wild cherries and dried raspberries, then grilled herbs and liquorice in the background. This Rosso is more powerful and opulent than many of its competitors, almost reaching the intensity of a Brunello. Nevertheless, the aromas are more precise than one would expect from a young red wine. The delicate tannin has reached a certain stage of maturity and finds a lively ally in the well-proportioned acidity, which keeps the flavour development going for all eternity. SUPERIORE.DE

Castellares dessert wine matures for five long years in chestnut wood caratelli, with just 3,500 bottles going on sale each year. Deep honey yellow in colour. The bouquet is reminiscent of wild porcini mushrooms, candied fruit with honey and caramel. Seductive and soft on the palate, the well-developed acidity not only ensures a wonderfully fresh drinking flow, but also gives this fine wine a great future. SUPERIORE.DE

When Andrea Franchetti arrived on the northern slope of Mount Etna in 2000, he found an abandoned volcanic landscape – dilapidated vineyards, overgrown terraces, the gloom of a forgotten wine region. But he recognised the potential of these extreme altitudes. Passobianco, first vinified in 2007, is his white answer to the volcanic terroir: pure Chardonnay from the Contrada Guardiola, planted between 850 and 1,000 metres on steep terraces, where the powdery lava soil glistens black like the night. Fermented in steel tanks at cool temperatures, matured partly in concrete and partly in large wooden barrels – a vinification that preserves purity and creates complexity.

The 2022 marks a significant transition: it is the last vintage that Paolo de Marchi characterised before Emanuele Reolon took over as technical director. But the signature remains unmistakable. Since the 1980s, de Marchi was one of the first in Chianti Classico to plant high-density vineyards with low-yielding Sangiovese clones on poor Galestro soils at an altitude of 400 metres – a revolution in quality. The cuvée of 90% Sangiovese, supplemented by 10% Canaiolo, ferments for twelve days in stainless steel using the characteristic délestage method, which de Marchi has been refining since 1996. Seven months of ageing in barriques of different sizes give the wine complexity without dominance.

Tannenberg – a parcel within the Lieben Aich vineyard that stands alone. While the Lieben Aich represents the entire Tenuta, this Sauvignon concentrates on a specific parcel: the one with the most pronounced mineral structure. South-western slope, 300 metres above sea level, warm and breezy microclimate. The soils of sandy loam over porphyry weathered rock are water-permeable and low in nutrients – conditions that require concentration. 2024 was a challenging vintage: a wet spring, then a hot and dry summer, followed by a golden autumn that allowed for perfect physiological ripeness. In mid-September, the grapes showed ripe fruit, cool character and moderate alcohol – ideal conditions for long-lasting wines with tension. The yield per hectare was 43 hectolitres. Vinification follows Manincor's biodynamic philosophy: the destemmed berries macerate on the press for twelve hours to extract flavour and structure from the skins. Spontaneous fermentation with the grapes' own yeasts takes place in wooden barrels, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees. The phases of the moon determine sowing, cultivation and harvesting: Rudolf Steiner's principles, consistently implemented. 11,900 bottles and 217 magnums were filled.