Wine

Bright ruby colour with a purple shimmer. The bouquet is fresh and youthful: red cherries, crisp plums, a hint of cranberry and subtle floral nuances. Straightforward on the palate, with clear fruit, present, animating acidity and a fine spicy finish. Thanks to its maturation in stainless steel, it is particularly appealing to drink and shows the unadorned, fruit-emphasised character of the grape variety. A juicy and serious Barbera that clearly expresses its origins and is great fun even when young. SUPERIORE.DE

The Conca d'Oro – the golden basin. This is what the winegrowers of Panzano call the natural depression in the terrain south of Greve, where the sun arrives earlier and stays longer than elsewhere in Chianti Classico. The slope, the Galestro-Alberese soil, the air circulation between the hills: everything comes together to create a microclimate that gives the Sangiovese the depth and fruit ripeness that is exceptional elsewhere, year after year. Gagliole lies at the centre of it all – a small, carefully managed winery that has been showing what Panzano can achieve in this price range since the Riserva première in the 2018 vintage. 100% Sangiovese from vines over twenty years old, organically farmed, hand-picked, fermented in steel. What follows is a well thought-out ageing process: ten months in small used oak barrels, then five months in cement tanks – a combination that gives the wine structure without over-moulding it. Only 11,000 bottles.

From Vittoria to Chiaramonte Gulfi, following the limestone path all the way. Along the Iblean Mountains, the ancient sea, the flint – and the Grillo. This is how Arianna Occhipinti describes the journey that gave rise to this wine. She wanted to see how Grillo would fare at 240 metres, on the limestone hills of her homeland, where the subsoil consists of ancient marine sediment rather than the red sand on which her other wines are grown. The vineyard lies on the Promontorio Serra San Bartolo, a rocky ridge that separates two geological worlds: on one side, the historic contrade with red sand and tuff, Occhipinti's familiar terrain since the very first vintage. On the other side, compact limestone. Serracalcara lies exactly in between. The soil reveals both facets: white sand with iron inclusions on the surface; beneath this, at a depth of 30 to 40 centimetres, layers of marine limestone that are seabeds millions of years old. Cultivated biodynamically, using the Guyot basso system with double branching, at a density of 5,291 vines per hectare.

In the annals of Sardinian wine history, Angialis marks a turning point – the moment when Antonio Argiolas realised that the island could not only produce great dry wines, but also sweet wines of exceptional complexity. The name Angialis, derived from the mystical angelic figures of Sardinian folklore, refers to the almost supernatural quality of this wine, which is made from late harvested grapes of the autochthonous Nasco and Malvasia di Sardegna grape varieties. The vineyards of Serdiana offer ideal conditions for this delicate vinification: the warm autumn days and cool nights promote the natural concentration of the grapes, while the proximity to the sea provides the necessary humidity that favours the controlled development of botrytis. The grapes ripen here until November, developing the unique balance between sweetness and acidity that characterises Sardinian sweet wines. Vinification is carried out with the utmost care: hand-picked grapes are gently pressed and the must ferments slowly at controlled temperatures. The wine then matures for over two years in small oak barrels, where it develops its characteristic golden colour and complex aromatic structure. This long maturation gives Angialis the depth and elegance that distinguishes it from simple dessert wines.

The name carries three thousand years of history: the Etruscans called this land "Fèlsina" long before it was called Tuscany. When the shipowner Domenico Poggiali acquired the estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga in 1966, it was primarily known for its olive oil – there were just two and a half hectares of vines on the 400 hectares. The Vin Santo epitomises the philosophy of the estate: respect for tradition, but no fear of the unconventional. Unlike most producers, Felsina not only uses Trebbiano and Malvasia, but also adds a proportion of Sangiovese – the grape variety that made the estate world-famous with Rancia and Fontalloro. The Sangiovese gives the sweet wine structure and colour, a hint of tannin and the elegance that characterises Felsina's wines.

A great Friulano from small plots: Paolo Meroi vinifies his single-varietal white wine from vines over 40 years old on barren flysch soils around Buttrio and Rosazzo – a terroir that provides depth and precision. The wine is matured traditionally in barriques with long lees contact, which gives the wine structure and subtle maturity. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with golden reflections. The nose is complex and finely interwoven: ripe pear, white peach, candied citrus fruit, lime blossom and a hint of herbal honey. Delicate hints of hazelnut, beeswax and wet stone in the background. Powerful, silky and elegantly textured on the palate. The acidity is well integrated and the salty minerality characterises the long, powerful finish. A Friulano of a special calibre – dense, complex and with an unmistakable character of origin. Paolo Merois' signature is palpable: authentic, precise, fully committed to Friuli. SUPERIORE.DE

"Querciabella" – beautiful oak. The name says it all for a winery that has been one of the leading producers shaping the style of Chianti Classico since 1974. Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni was one of the first to switch to organic viticulture here – as early as 1988, when the word "organic" still raised eyebrows in the wine industry. Since 2000, Querciabella has been practising biodynamic viticulture and today manages the largest certified biodynamic vineyard in Italy. The fact that Daniele Cernilli (Dr Wine) named the estate "Cantina dell'Anno" in 2024 came as no surprise to anyone familiar with these wines. The Riserva blends Sangiovese from three of the finest vineyards in Chianti Classico: Greve brings vibrancy and bright fruit, Radda firm tannins and dark berry notes, and Gaiole riper fruit and distinctive limestone minerality. The altitudes of between 350 and 550 metres ensure cool nights and slow ripening. In the cellar, each plot is vinified and matured separately – a process of micro-vinification that preserves the terroir of each vineyard and only brings them together into a multi-layered whole during the final blend. Sixteen months in French barriques and tonneaux lend structure without overpowering the wine.

The Colline Metallifere – the Metalliferous Hills – take their name from what people have been extracting from the ground here for thousands of years: copper, iron and silver. An ancient mining landscape, part of the UNESCO Geopark since 2024, set amongst volcanic and limestone soils that bear witness to three million years of geological history. 500 metres above sea level, in the Alta Maremma, Demeter biodynamic. Elisabetta Foradori – the woman who brought Teroldego back to life in Trentino – founded Ampeleia together with Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann, because they believed that this place, with Cabernet Franc, could express something it has never expressed elsewhere.

Like a precious legacy, this wine rests in the history of the patrician Serristori family, who acquired the land of Donoratico in 1512 and built the magnificent villa in 1660. Today, from the shadow of these historic walls springs a wine that bears the soul of the Tuscan Maremma – where the salty whisper of the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the warm hills of Bolgheri. In the vineyards of Argentiera, the DOC Bolgheri estate closest to the coast and at the same time the highest, the grapes ripen between the Mediterranean scrub and the endless blue of the archipelago. Here, on just twelve hectares of the Villa Donoratico site, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot take root in sandy and rocky soils, while the subsoil is criss-crossed by marine flysch rock, a geological memory of seas long past.

In 1969, five years after the first Barolos and Barbarescos – , Bruno Giacosa bottled a Barbera for the first time. Not as a by-product, not as a clearance item, but as a statement in its own right: that Barbera, the everyday grape variety of the Langhe, is capable of more than its reputation suggests when treated with the right care. Today, this wine is one of the estate’s longest-standing labels. The grapes come from trusted vineyards in Neive and Alba – 30 to 38-year-old vines, facing south-west, from farmers with whom the estate has been working for decades. The vinification is rigorous and demonstrates just how seriously Giacosa takes this wine: 20 days of maceration in steel, full malolactic fermentation, followed by 14 months’ ageing in wood. For a Barbera d’Alba DOC, this is exceptional. The result is a wine that takes the grape variety far beyond its usual accessibility.

From the historic Mosconi cru hillside in Monforte d'Alba: Fides is Pio Cesare's clear commitment to the Barbera grape – for years from a singular parcel, with the strictest yield limits and tiny production. Hand-picked, followed by fermentation in stainless steel with around 30 days of maceration; malolactic fermentation takes place gently in tanks. Ageing: around 20 months in large oak barrels (botti), a small proportion in French barriques – enough to anchor depth and texture without masking the origin.

Illivio is a subtle bridge between Friuli's autochthonous self-image and international nobility – a cuvée of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Picolit, named after the charismatic founder of the estate, Livio Felluga, who sadly passed away in 2017. The vines grow on the characteristic Ponca soils of the Collio – marly, limestone-rich layers that lend the wines tension, minerality and depth. The 2022 vintage brought ideal conditions: a warm, sunny summer without extreme heat and a dry autumn ensured perfectly ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Mauritius – a name that evokes dreams of tropical islands, but here it embodies the ancient Latin name for the small village of Moritzing, where one of South Tyrol's most successful red wine cuvées is produced on warm alluvial soils. At an altitude of just 250 metres, the vineyards in Moritzing and Gries benefit from the Mediterranean microclimate, which offers both the autochthonous Lagrein and the international Merlot optimal ripening conditions. This symbiosis of two grape variety worlds – the alpine vigour of Lagrein with the Burgundian elegance of Merlot – creates a wine of exceptional complexity.

Named after Cassian, the son of Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg, who was born in 1996, the same year that Manincor opened its own winery. A name that stands for new beginnings, for the future, for the next generation. The cuvée combines six international grape varieties from the estate's best red wine sites: Manincor, Seehof and Panholzerhof, between 250 and 280 metres above sea level. Exposed to the south-east with a view of the lake, the vines are rooted in strong sandy loam soils interspersed with limestone gravel and glacial rock deposits – these plots are among the warmest sites in South Tyrol. Each grape variety is vinified separately. Mash fermentation takes place spontaneously in wooden vats with wild yeasts. The 16-month maturation in barriques (one third new wood) refines the structure without dominating the fruit. Blending only takes place shortly before bottling – the art of composition, in which character and individuality merge with solemnity and elegance.

Gianfranco Gallo has a phrase that he always repeats: "Wine needs time to show what it is." This is not modesty – it is an attitude that characterises his entire winery. Since 1992, all Vie di Romans wines have only been released on the market two years after the harvest. The Chardonnay that bears his name is the most personal expression of this conviction. The vineyard is located in Mariano del Friuli on glacial gravel soils deposited by the Isonzo over thousands of years – gravel-rich, mineral-rich, aerated. The bora winds from the east create pronounced temperature fluctuations between day and night, keeping Mediterranean ripeness and Alpine freshness in a rare combination. Late harvest to achieve maximum aromatic ripeness. Control over oxidation from the first moment. Fermentation at a controlled temperature, nine months on the lees in barriques, then bottle ageing.

The same triad – calcarole, Pojega, Rovereti – and yet a completely different wine. Where the 2019 offered warmth and richness, the 2021 is more about precision and classic contours. The April frost noticeably reduced yields, but what followed was a gift: a summer in which temperatures never exceeded the critical 33-degree threshold for Corvina. The vines ripened steadily, without heat stress, with cool nights that preserved acidity and flavour. The subsequent appassimento in the historic drying rooms of Pojega took place under ideal conditions – dry, cool and even. The winemakers of Valpolicella simply call 2021 "l'annata perfetta".

Sì. One word, no compromises. The most direct promise a wine can make. Elena Celli and winemaker Luca D'Attoma founded Duemani in 2000 in Riparbella, on hills between 200 and 300 metres above sea level overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Biodynamic according to Demeter standards, uncompromising in its philosophy: Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot grown on soil with up to 40% clay content, limestone outcrops and pronounced salinity, stemming from the proximity to the coast and the sea breezes. A terroir that speaks for itself in the glass. Sì is 100% Syrah vinified as a rosé. Spontaneous fermentation takes place inLiters, in which the wine also spends its entire ageing period. No fining, no filtration.

1172 – the year in which Volpaia is first mentioned in documents. A small, fortified borgo on a hill north of Radda in Chianti, built as a border fortress between Florence and Siena. Today it is a jewel of peace and beauty and one of the most historic wine villages in Tuscany. Here, where soldiers once stood guard, the Stianti-Mascheroni families now press their grapes within the medieval walls. The bottles mature in the vaults of old churches and almost every cellar contains a tank of organic wine. An entire village dedicated to viticulture. So complete that it becomes poetic again. The Riserva is made from 100% Sangiovese from vineyards between 400 and 600 metres above sea level. One of the highest wineries in the region. Up here, where the air is thin and the nights are cool, Sangiovese develops the elegance and minerality that makes Volpaia so distinctive. Sandstone, clay and sandy-loamy soils with a high proportion of skeleton. Manual harvest in the second half of September, temperature-controlled vinification, then 24 months in French and Slovenian oak barrels.

A very special wine made from overripe and strictly selected Aglianico grapes that thrive in Mastroberardino's south-facing vineyards. The Taurasi is aged for two years in oak barrels and one year in the bottle. A wine with a fascinating personality, power and extremely high Storage potential.

The name says it all: Marne means marl soil, on which the vines for this marvellous Amarone grow. They are over 20 years old and lie in an ideal 180° direction, from south-west to south-east. Rich, shiny ruby red colour, compact bouquet with intense aromas of plum, black cherry, green tea and tobacco, with a fine chocolate note in the background. The body, coated in fine berry fruit, develops a dynamic flavour experience on the palate with a sweet fruit melt, firm tannins and a long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Elena Fucci's exceptional wine, Titolo, is built to last. It will continue to develop steadily for at least the next 20 years, which is why it is a real delight when fully matured, particularly in magnum format. Dark ruby red in colour, with aromas of ripe red fruits and a subtle woody spice on the nose. Blended with remarkable precision, the wine offers balanced intensity and a lovely degree of fruit purity, which speaks both for the Aglianico grape and for the extreme terroir from which it originates. Titolo impresses with its fine texture and elegantly integrated tannins. This is a masterful expression of Aglianico, just as we love it. SUPERIORE.DE

Eneo is supposed to be the "Grand Vin" of Montepesolo, the Italian answer to the globalisation of wines. And Eneo can do that. The blend of indigenous grape varieties, with Sangiovese and Montepulciano clearly in the foreground, unmistakably expresses its terroir and is understood worldwide in the process. SUPERIORE.DE