Wine

Contrada Sciaranuova Bianco delivers an expressive portrait of the volcano – a white wine of crystalline clarity, grown at an altitude of 850 metres on the northern flanks of Mount Etna in the Contrada of the same name near Passopisciaro. The vines – almost exclusively Carricante – are deeply rooted in layers of lava rich in iron and ash, characterised by a strong day-night amplitude and a cool microclimate. The 2022 vintage was phenomenal in Sicily: a fresh spring, a moderate summer and a long ripening phase until October allowed for a precise harvest with excellent freshness and mineral expression.

Angelo Ambrogini was born in Montepulciano in 1454. As a humanist, poet and confidant of Lorenzo de' Medici, he wrote some of the most beautiful stanzas of the Renaissance under the name "Il Poliziano". Le Stanze, his most famous work, is a poem about beauty, transience and the power of the moment. Federico Carletti has named his winery after the great poet. And this wine the title of his masterpiece. This is no coincidence. Le Stanze is Poliziano outside its borders – no Prugnolo Gentile, no DOCG obligation, no looking back. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, certified organic since 2021: a Super Tuscan. The grapes grow on the best plots around Montepulciano, on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, fermentation in stainless steel tanks with a long maceration period of 20 to 25 days, 16 months in French barriques – precise, without exaggeration.

Matan Pinot Nero Riserva is one of the two red flagships of the family winery, the grapes come from the most valuable Pinot Noir vineyards in Montan. Deep ruby red in colour. The multi-layered and complex bouquet has aromas of dried cherries, lavender, orange zest, porcini mushrooms, cedar wood and cloves. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with supple, grainy tannins and fresh acidity. Concentrated, flavoursome and deliciously spiced, with a beguiling juiciness and plenty of potential. One of the great Pinot Noirs of South Tyrol! SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that make history. Enrico Serafino's Zero is one of them: when the 2004 vintage was launched on the market in 2011, it was the first Pas Dosé in the history of the Alta Langa DOCG – a pioneering achievement that was to shape the self-image of an entire denomination. Three years later, Gambero Rosso named Zero the best Italian sparkling wine of the year. No coincidence, but the logical consequence of an uncompromising philosophy. Zero – the name says it all. Zero grams of dosage, no liqueur d'expédition, no concession to favour. What remains is the pure terroir of the Alta Langa: 100% Pinot Nero from altitudes of over 400 metres, where calcareous soils and alpine influences give the wine its mineral tension. After manual harvesting and whole bunch pressing under nitrogen, the must ferments at a controlled temperature in stainless steel. The wine is aged on the lees for at least 60 months – five years, during which time unfolds its magic. The late sboccatura marks the final act before release.

I Viaggiatori is a particularly finely woven Aglianico. Its grapes come from almost 200-year-old open-air vineyards with vines that are already over a hundred years old. The Paternopoli area, one of the highest areas of the Taurasi Valley, lies in the green heart of Irpina. The cool, continental climate here allows the Aglianico to ripen very slowly and thus retain its fresh and extremely elegant profile.

A bold experiment that became a success story: In 2000, Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini ventured into international grape varieties and created Camalaione, a Supertuscan that expresses the special terroir of Panzano in every bottle. This organically certified cuvée of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 15% Merlot impressively demonstrates the Orsinis' conviction that the unique interplay of soil and climate can be found in every wine, regardless of the grape variety. The grapes come from the estate's oldest vineyards, where an extreme vine density of 9,000 vines per hectare ensures natural competition and each plant produces no more than 500 grams of grapes. This concentration is also reflected in the exceptional quality of the vintage. Vinification is carried out using traditional methods: spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in Liters oak barrels, which act as small open fermentation vats and allow regular hand pressing. After fermentation, the wine matures for around 24 months in French barriques, followed by at least twelve months of bottle ageing.

1919 is the undisputed top product among Kettmeir's sparkling wines. This is where all the expertise of the South Tyrolean company, which produces using the traditional bottle fermentation method, comes to the fore. The Chardonnay base wine matures in wood, the Pinot Nero in stainless steel tanks. Both base wines are then blended and matured for at least 60 months in the bottle on the fine lees.The result is a concert for the senses: a complex, multi-layered bouquet of citrus fruit, dried fruit and spices. Bread, smoke and minerals round off the exciting picture. On the palate, we are delighted by the freshness and depth, which never give the impression that there is too much of anything here, but that everything is precisely in its place. Tight tension on the palate, a lively and vibrant personality, flavour, spice and sensuality are combined with a seriousness and room-filling presence that rightly places the 1919 among Italy's great Spumanti. SUPERIORE.DE

Generous Brunello made from grapes from different vineyards in various sub-zones in Montalcino with the classic aura of its vintage. The aromatically intense bouquet opens with a scent of violets and then develops flavours of wild berries, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate. The flavour is characterised by a good balance between a full, juicy body, soft tannins and well-integrated alcohol. SUPERIORE.DE

Altesino has undoubtedly helped write the history of Brunello. The house was the first to introduce the cru concept in Montalcino, the first to introduce barrique ageing for IGT wines – and was the first to offer its Brunello for subscription. And yet the Annata Brunello is the most honest proof of what Altesino stands for: a style that aims for elegance and finesse, not power for its own sake. Four parcels – altesino, Castelnuovo dell'Abate, Macina and Pianezzine – give the wine its foundation: 100% Sangiovese Grosso from older vines on pliocenic, clay-sandy soils in the eastern hills of Montalcino, at 220 to 280 metres.

"This is the wine with which my experience as a winemaker was born. A wine from a single vineyard in which I frankly find all the characteristics of Bolgheri that I love: clear and juicy fruit, balance. The Merlot brings volume and softness, the Cabernet Sauvignon structure. I give a lot of space to the very Tuscan Sangiovese, which adds complexity and drinkability." Fabio Motta

When Sergio Rossi took over Podere Colombaio from the Biondi-Santi family in 1976, nobody could have guessed that the Milanese advertising expert would become one of the architects of modern Montalcino. He was one of the 24 founders of the Consorzio, one of the first 35 Brunello bottlers of an appellation that will number over 250 by 2024. What he brought with him: the legendary Sangiovese clones of Biondi-Santi, planted on marl and limestone in Canalicchio – vines that are now over forty years old. Brunello 2020 unites two souls: the cool elegance of the north from the historic Canalicchio parcels and the sun-kissed vigour of Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the south. The wine rests for three years in large Slavonian barrels and a further eight months in the bottle – time that you can taste.

Volpaia – the foxhole. High above Radda in Chianti, at 450 to 650 metres above sea level, the vineyards of Castello di Volpaia are located on the highest slopes of the appellation. The medieval borgo, first mentioned in a document in 1172, has belonged to the Mascheroni-Stianti family since 1966, who consistently farm organically here. The altitude shapes the character: sandstone soils, cool nights and long ripening periods give the Sangiovese (supplemented by 10% Merlot) a freshness and elegance that would be hard to achieve in warmer locations. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured for twelve months in large oak barrels.

The relatively young DOC Colli Tortonesi is probably still one of the least known wine regions in Piedmont. The term Derthona is already used as a generic term. It is the old name for Tortona, a small village in the centre of the DOC. The indigenous white grape variety Timorasso led a shadowy existence for many years, but today some winegrowers are already calling it the "white Barolo". This is due to its great complexity and finesse on the one hand and the excellent ageing potential of the wines on the other. In addition, the grapes often vary in size and ripeness during the harvest, which makes selection a major challenge, just as with the great Nebbiolo crus.

Brilliant, dark ruby colour. Deep bouquet of rich blackberry and cherry flavours with mentholated herbal notes that give it lift, while notes of cedar and clove develop in the glass. On the palate, the wine is a pure silk that slowly lays over the palate, with an admirable density and weight balanced by bright acidity and minerality. This still very young wine is full of potential with a core of dark primary fruit that already offers a good foretaste of the charm of later years. A finely woven tannin structure on the long final. Wonderful ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

"San Zuan" is one of the great interpretations of Friulano every year – and in the 2023 vintage it shows a slightly different facet. The single vineyard site above San Giovanni al Natisone, characterised by barren Ponca soils, benefits from a microclimate that combines warmth and alpine freshness. 2023 brought a rather unsettled spring with variable rainfall and later a hot, dry summer that put the vines to the test. However, cool September nights preserved the acidity and lent the grapes precision and flavour. The grapes were harvested in several stages at the end of September, gently pressed and traditionally matured in large, used wooden barrels. The prolonged contact with the lees gave the wine depth and a creamy but never opulent texture.

Riccardo Bruna was U Baccan – the boss, the patron, the head. That's what the people in Ranzo called him. He was the one who started bottling his family's pigato in 1970, when nobody else was doing it. He was the one who managed the terraces, repaired the walls and brought up the daughters. Francesca gave up her career as an engineer, Annamaria as a pharmacist – both returned to continue running the estate. The estate bears his name, this wine bears his nickname. The grapes for the U Baccan come exclusively from the oldest plots above Ranzo – vines over fifty years old, on soils with iron oxide and manganese inclusions, which give the soil its characteristic red colour and the wine its depth. The result, says Ian d'Agata in "Native Wine Grapes of Italy", is the paradigmatic Pigato of all: balsamic and rich. Fermentation in steel, ageing in large wooden barrels – the wood as a resting pole, not as a flavour carrier. The wine opens slowly, needs air and time.

Amarone Case Vecie takes its name from the vineyard of the same name in the municipality of Grezzana in Valpantena. An exceptional plot of land where the grapes ripen slowly and consistently even in the most difficult years thanks to the altitude and exposure. The late harvest makes it possible to store the grapes in a cooler season and to carry out a slow and long drying process that develops the characteristic flavours. A wine that emphasises the natural characteristics of the high mountain climate: a true Amarone "delle vigne alte".

Livio Felluga's new crus are the result of massalselection. For this purpose, selected vines are reproduced in particularly favourable locations in order to renew vineyards with particularly high-quality vines and to further improve the quality of individual varietal wines. The Pinot Grigio named after the Curubella vineyard expresses the unique and very expressive terroir in a very special way.

Sansonina (Lugana and Merlot) is a strictly limited and very ambitious project by the Zenato family, in which only the best grapes from their own vineyards are used. Only a small number of these are sold in numbered bottles each year.

On the hill of Rosazzo, where Augustinian monks were already making wine in the year 1000, lies a vineyard that understands Sauvignon like few others in Italy. Ronco del Gnemiz treats every parcel like a Grand Cru – not as a marketing slogan, but as a working philosophy. Serena Palazzolo and her husband Christian Patat, an Oenologist with a steady hand and a clear eye, have created something here that has become rare: wines that let their place speak for itself. Salici comes from a vineyard planted in 1997 on the lower slope, where lighter soils give the Sauvignon a different voice than on the heavy Ponca marls further up. The grapes are pressed as whole bunches, then the must ferments exclusively in wood – partly in barriques, partly in Liters barrels. No malolactic fermentation, no bâtonnage. Christian Patat leaves the wine alone for twelve months until it shows what it can do on its own.

Marciliano is a truly ambitious Cabernet cuvée from the Sangiovese-dominated Montecchio/Orvieto region and reflects uncompromising quality and craftsmanship. The 2019 vintage was characterised by mild but structure-enhancing weather conditions: cool nights during the harvest phase and warm days that perfectly balanced the ripeness of the aromas. In the glass, it has a dense ruby red colour with a garnet red hue. The nose intones ripe sour cherry, stewed plums, ripe wild berries, and further develops smoke, leather, hints of white truffle and a touch of vanilla and cedar wood. Powerful yet polished on the palate – clearly structured, with fine-grained, ripe tannins, lively acidity and a substrate-rich, spicy texture. The ageing in barriques was selectively dosed and supports the spiciness without masking the varietal typicity. Marciliano is a serious, mature red wine with depth and potential. Expressive, focussed and with a lasting finish – a lasting ambassador of modern Umbria. SUPERIORE.DE