Wine

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 estate's bestseller. SUPERIORE.DE

Anadûron – this is the Celtic name for Naturns. Translated, it means "settlement on the marsh". A strange name for a village that lies on dry primary rock, criss-crossed by porphyry, granite and slate, on steep south-facing slopes between 600 and 900 metres. Not a trace of the swamp. Instead, thousands of years of geology speak through every glass of this wine. Franz Pratzner has created Anadûron as a tribute to Naturns and the entire Adige Valley – a selection of the estate's best Riesling parcels, which differs from regular Riesling not only in the selection, but in every step of the vinification process. Grapes of hand-picked quality, spontaneous fermentation in French tonneaux – not in large acacia wood barrels – followed by twelve months of ageing in tonneaux, five months in steel and finally 31 months in the bottle. Around four years from harvestto glass. No other wine from the estate is given more time.

In a winery that is world-famous for its monumental Amarone and Recioto, a dry white wine seems like a quiet provocation. But Giuseppe Quintarelli would not be Quintarelli if this Bianco Secco was not vinified with the same uncompromising dedication. The exceptional blend combines 70 per cent of the indigenous Garganega with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano and the rare Saorin – a white grape variety that only survives in a few vineyards in Valpolicella. The vines, which are at least thirty years old, are rooted in the characteristic limestone and basalt soils of Negrar, which give the wine that volcanic smokiness that distinguishes it from other Venetian white wines. After the harvest, a twelve-hour cold maceration takes place, followed by temperature-controlled fermentation. Ageing takes place in stainless steel on the fine lees, with regular bâtonnage for added texture and complexity.

The year was 1090, the year in which Leif Erikson discovered North America, the Chinese discovered gunpowder and Pope Urban II conquered Jerusalem. On that day, the notary Bellundo recorded a contract in the Siena state archives: two capons, three loaves of bread and six coins of good silver as an annual lease for a vineyard in the divine valley of Dievole. "Dio vuole" – god wants it. This is the etymological root of this name, which has symbolised the special connection between man and nature in this corner of Tuscany for over nine centuries.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

"Il ritorno alle origini." This is how Matteo Ascheri describes his new Barolo. In an appellation that has been increasingly focussing on single vineyards for decades, this is a deliberate approach: not a single parcel, but a careful selection from the best vineyards of the house. Thoroughness and uncompromisingness, not in the vineyard alone, but continued with the same meticulousness in the cellar. Seven generations of experience, a clear statement. 100% Nebbiolo, hand-picked between 5 and 20 October – when the Nebbiolo in the Langhe reaches its ripening point, not earlier. Fermentation for 14 days at 28°C. What follows takes time: Storage potential of 20 to 25 years. 2021 was a year of great elegance in the Langhe – even ripeness, cool nights, precise phenolic structure. Wine Spectator has included the 2021 in its Top 100. The wine explains why.

Animanaturale from vines over 60 years old is the lightest and freshest wine from the new Animaetna line of the small garage winery Contrada Santa Spirito, which belongs to Feudo Maccari. Matured almost entirely in amphorae, the Nerello Mascalese grape presents itself here in all its fruitiness and freshness, completely unadulterated and pure. The grapes are foot-pressed, spontaneous fermentation is carried out using the grapes' own yeasts, racking and bottling take place according to the phases of the moon. On the palate, the flavours of red fruits and berries are tangy and vibrant with a precise and very mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red in colour. Pinot Nero Case Via exudes a typical varietal bouquet of wild berries and pipe tobacco, which blends harmoniously with the barrel spice. The soft, characterful flavour is based on the strength of the tannins and the excellent aromatic structure of Pinot Noir. SUPERIORE.DE

On the Colli Berici near Lonigo, where the clay-limestone soils give the international grape varieties a Venetian home, the harvest always starts last. At the end of September, beginning of October – when most other vineyards have long since harvested. For Celestino Gaspari, this is no coincidence: "Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc need their time on these soils. Merlot even more so – although it leaves the vineyard at the same time, it then spends 20 to 30 days in shallow crates in the Fruttaio. Appassimento for a Bordeaux blend: a decidedly Venetian decision. After a cool, unsettled spring, 2021 brought a summer of distinct elegance in the Veneto – moderate warmth, good temperature fluctuations, healthy grapes. The manual harvest yielded aromatically clear, structured fruit. 40 days of fermentation in cement with indigenous yeasts, at least 24 months in new French barriques, one year in the bottle.

50 years of Grande Annata! The Grande Annata by Mattia Vezzola seduces you with a beautiful blend of ripe apples, pears, candied ginger and subtle nuances of blood oranges. This outstanding Metodo Classico from Lake Garda is both round and perfectly structured as well as vibrant with its bright acidity and salty minerals clearly taking centre stage. A hint of raw almonds and sour apples lingers on the final, along with a subtle hint of lime that literally tickles the cheeks. Every year, Grande Annata brut is a top sparkling wine of great complexity and with a wonderful arc of tension! SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red colour, lush notes of cherries, strawberries and sweet oak spice, vanilla and black pepper. The Sangiovese gives the blend great freshness and is in perfect balance with the silky and soft tannins of the Merlot. Overall rich, but always elegant and with great persistence. A complex, excellently structured red wine in absolute Super Tuscan quality and produced in a limited edition of just under 3,000 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

A Burgundian soul in the Tuscan terroir: Giovanni Manetti vinifies this single-varietal Pinot Nero from the west-facing Case Via vineyard in the heart of the Conca d'Oro. The hand-picked grapes from 4,000 to 6,000 vines per hectare undergo a two-week spontaneous fermentation in cone-shaped Allier wooden vats with indigenous yeasts and manual racking. Twelve months of ageing in French Troncais barriques give the organically certified Pinot Noir its characteristic elegance.

2022 was a vintage of concentration: dry winter, hot summer – small yields, but outstanding quality. The Tiefenbrunner family demonstrates this intensity in the Linticlarus cuvée in an impressive way. The classic Bordeaux assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in equal parts grows on the south-southeast-facing slopes of Entiklar, at an altitude of 260 to 300 metres. The broodingmoraine soil – loamy sand with a high lime content – stores the heat of the day and slowly releases it at night. The result: perfect phenolic ripeness with preserved freshness. Mash fermentation in concrete is followed by 12 months in barriques, 6 months in large wooden barrels and a further year of bottle ageing.

The same Contrada, a completely different wine: whilst the Bianco from Cavaliere captivates with its freshness and salinity, the Rosso reveals the other side of this exceptional terroir: Burgundian elegance, volcanic depth and a tannin structure of silky precision. At an altitude of 900 metres on the south-western slope of Mount Etna – higher than most Etna vineyards – 50-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines are trained using the Guyot system. The skeletal volcanic sands, with their sub-acidic profile and excellent drainage, force the roots deep into the soil. Low rainfall, abundant sunshine and dramatic day-night temperature fluctuations characterise a microclimate that endows the grapes with exceptional aromatic complexity. Hand-harvested in mid-October, destemmed, then 21 days of maceration at a controlled temperature using the estate's own Etna yeasts – the result of years of research. The wine matures for twelve months in French tonneaux, then in stainless steel, followed by ten months of bottle ageing.

Giovanni Allegrini had a way of assessing the skills of Oenologist: he had them make Recioto. No other wine from Valpolicella demands so much patience, sensitivity and intuition – and no other reveals so relentlessly whether someone truly understands what this landscape is capable of. Since 1990, his children have dedicated this very wine to their father, the man who shaped Valpolicella like no other. Recioto is one of the oldest wines in the world, known since Roman times. It shares the appassimento technique with Amarone – but differs in one crucial decision: fermentation is naturally halted before all the sugar has been converted into alcohol. Sweetness remains. What was stopped too late in Recioto became Amarone – bitter, dry, great. Recioto is the father. The best grapes from the highest slopes, hand-harvested, then dried for five months on wooden racks in the Fruttaio. After gentle pressing, fermentation in steel, then 14 months’ ageing in new barriques, a further two months in large casks, and approximately two years’ bottle ageing.

Filippo Fanti bottled his first Brunello in 1980. He had taken over the winery in the early 1970s, replanted the vineyards, studied the soil in detail and then waited for the first harvest that he considered worthy – and then waited for the first harvest that he deemed worthy. This first vintage was not a test run. It was a commitment. Since then, Tenuta Fanti has not missed a single vintage. Castelnuovo dell'Abate is the southernmost part of Montalcino – closer to the sea, warmer, more Mediterranean than the northern sites, watched over by the Abbey of Sant'Antimo like a silent witness to centuries of history. Fanti owns 10 hectares of Sangiovese here, spread over various slopes between 350 and 430 metres above sea level. Slate, galestro, clay, tuff – the soils change from plot to plot and give the Brunello the complexity that has always characterised the estate. Elisa Fanti, on board since 2007, has fine-tuned the style: less intrusive wood, clearer fruit, more transparency. 2021 was a year of great harmony in Montalcino: even ripeness, pronounced structure, elegant tannins.

"In 2012, I bought the small vineyard Le Gonnare and began to cultivate it. It represents the excellence of the Bolgheri terroir. The soil is clayey and rich in skeleton, which allows for very gradual ripening, a particularly important aspect for Merlot. The character of the wine is therefore Mediterranean, but balanced." Fabio Motta

Pietra nera – black stone. This is the name of the introduction to the world of Piaggia, the small winery in Carmignano founded by Mauro Vannucci in the 1970s and now run by his daughter Silvia. Carmignano, the forgotten DOCG at the gates of Florence, where Cabernet has been permitted in blends since the Medici era – centuries before the Super Tuscans were invented. Pietranera shows this tradition in small format: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Franc. Fermented with natural yeasts, eighteen to twenty days on the skins, then only three months in used barriques – just enough to smooth the edges, not enough to let the wood taste.

The strong ruby-red Pinot Nero Schweizer, which is only produced in the best vintages, is a masterpiece. Its bouquet is large, complex and reminiscent of very ripe small wild berries. These special flavours are also found in the mouth, in combination with ripe, candied dark cherry and delicate floral and red berry notes. Juicy, wide-ranging palate, mouth-filling and with delicate, sveltenuances and an inviting and slightly tannic body which, together with the well-proportioned acidity, gives the wine a long life. SUPERIORE.DE