Wines from Veneto

In the gentle hills of Mezzane di Sotto, where the Monti Garbi rise majestically over the eastern Valpolicella, lies the centrepiece of the Tenuta Sant'Antonio: Campo dei Gigli – the field of lilies. The oldest vines of the brothers Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi are rooted here, on calcareous white soils with sandy-loamy inclusions at an altitude of 300 metres. A single vineyard that produces a unique wine. Since 1989, the Castagnedi family has embodied the revolution that changed Valpolicella forever: quality instead of quantity, while everyone else was still focussing on quantity. Forty-year-old vines, trained on the traditional Pergola Veronese with only 3,300 vines per hectare, bear the cuvée of 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 5% each of Croatina and the rare Oseleta. The appassimento – the mystical drying period of at least three months – transforms the hand-picked grapes into concentrated essence.

When Celestino Gaspari talks about Oseleta, it sounds like a love conversation with a difficult person. The grape variety does not reveal itself – it needs to be persuaded, understood and respected. In a small year, it responds with elegance. In a great year, it responds with power. 2016 was a great year. The summer in the Veneto was warm and dry, the nights cooled down and the harvestremained low. Oseleta ripened in the October window that Gaspari favours: slowly, evenly, completely. What followed was the same vinification as always – but in a year that allowed the grape variety to realise its full potential.

In 1886, Carlo Campagnola founded his winery in the Marano Valley, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. In 1907, he won the first gold medal for the best Recioto at the Verona Wine Fair – since then, the family, now in its fifth generation, has continued what began as a small farm. The vineyards for this Amarone are located on calcareous slopes between 200 and 350 metres above sea level, where Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella are harvested by hand at the end of September. The traditional appassimento drying process takes around 100 days until the grapes have lost 35–40% of their weight. Gentle pressing in December, 30 days of maceration, then ageing: 60% matures for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, 40% for 18 months in new Allier oak barriques.

Very noble Vespaiolo brandy from the best vintage marc from Breganze with an intense summery fruit bouquet of gooseberry, apricot, raspberry, fig and peach. Vinous on the palate, with accents of bitter chocolate, marzipan and raspberry on the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Characterful distillate made from the pomace of Torcolato dessert wine with a rich flavour of berries and fruit, wonderfully round and fresh in the mouth, with fine acidity and a slightly peppery bitter note. An extremely successful grappa! SUPERIORE.DE

"My personal challenge is to bring Amarone back to the table. A wonderful food companion that combines power and complexity with a crisp, soft sip." Graziano Prà

Every year, Fratta is a groundbreaking blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that you can't help but love. Fratta proved the Veneto's potential for winemaking when it was first produced in 1977, the year Angela Maculan (a second daughter) was born. Deep, complex fruit bouquet, rounded off with fine sweet spices, tobacco and coffee. On the palate, beautiful lines and a sharp focus with dry mineral tones framing dark fruits, dried cherries and exotic spices. Fratta is a bold and big wine and there is no doubting the broodingelegance of this highly personalised expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Bright ruby colour with a light rim. Finely herbal bouquet with dark berries and delicately sweet cherry compote, plus slightly smoky notes. The very elegant tannins flank the fleshy, red berry flavour with finesse and velvety texture in a complex, long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The Allegrini family has been contributing to the history of Valpolicella since the 16th century. Giovanni Allegrini, the visionary, is considered the architect of its rebirth. A man they called "il ragno delle botti", the cellar master spider, because he wandered restlessly between his barrels, always in search of perfection. His son Franco carried on the legacy, revolutionising the Appassimento with the construction of the Terre di Fumane – a state-of-the-art drying facility that precisely controls temperature, humidity and air circulation. Since 2022, the winery has been in the hands of the third generation: Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo and Silvia. The Amarone comes from vines that have been rooted for over 30 years on the hills of Fumane, between 450 and 520 metres above sea level, on clay and limestone soils of volcanic origin. Corvina Veronese and Corvinone each make up 45 per cent of the cuvée, supplemented by Rondinella and Oseleta. After the manual harvest in September, the transformation begins: the grapes rest for four months in the fruttaio, losing 40 to 45 per cent of their weight, concentrating sugar and aromas. Gentle pressing in January, followed by 25 days of maceration at a controlled temperature. Ageing: 18 months in new barriques, a further seven months in large barrels and finally 14 months in the bottle – a total of over three years before the wine leaves the winery.

Venice, 1967: Charles de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne are guests at the Hotel Gritti, invited to the Biennale. A red wine is served at the state dinner, which the president considers to be a great Bordeaux – and publicly praises. When the sommelier reveals that it is a Venegazzù from Montello, just fifty kilometres away, the surprise is perfect. Conte Piero Loredan, descendant of the Venetian Doge Leonardo Loredan, then commissioned the artist Tono Zancanaro to design two labels: Dionysus with the dedication "des roses pour Madame" for the president's wife, the goddess of wine with "...et pour Monsieur la Bombe" for de Gaulle himself. The Capo di Stato was born – a wine for heads of state. To this day, bottles are sent to the Élysée Palace every time a new French president is elected.

The Greeks knew two types of time. Chronos: the measurable, constant, inexorable one. And kairós: the right moment – the moment that cannot be forced, but must be recognised. Celestino Gaspari has dedicated his wine to this concept – and chose the name carefully: Kairós is created in those years when Gaspari decides that the moment is not ripe for his great Harlequin. No second choice – another decision.

Capitel Monte Olmi 2018 takes things to another level. It coats the glass with a deep purple glow and exudes a dark and seductive bouquet of redcurrants, sultanas, black liquorice and a hint of spiced citrus. The brooding, velvety texture is complemented by juicy acids and tart red fruits that drench everything they touch, leaving a complex layer of savoury spices, minerals and fine tannins. This wine is structured, long and full of character, but with a balance that will carry it for many years in the cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

Basically, Calcarole is not a vineyard. It is a limestone rock. A terraced massif above the Villa di Rovereti in Negrar, exposed to the south-west, rising to 230 metres – the warmest single vineyard in Valpolicella Classica and at the same time the origin of the most elegant Amarone produced by Guerrieri Rizzardi. The secret lies in this contradiction. Six parcels, planted between 1986 and 2000, are predominantly planted with Corvina, supplemented by Barbera and Sangiovese – varieties that hardly thrive in Valpolicella, but on the hot limestone of Calcarole contribute precisely the freshness that counterbalances the solar concentration. It was this vineyard that produced the first Amarone ever to be honoured as Gambero Rosso's "Vino Rosso dell'Anno" in 2009. Since then, Calcarole has received the Tre Bicchieri in nine out of eleven vintages.

Brigaldara's Amarone Riserva is a wine born from the desire to interpret Valpolicella in its most original form. The strictly selected grapes that form its basis are chosen from the best vineyards in order to maximise the potential of the estate's own vineyards in Valpolicella.

Crosara Breganze 2017 is a textbook Merlot: full of ripe dark fruits, blackberry pie, liquorice, chocolate, toasted oak and grilled herbs. Offering superb inner sweetness, it is both powerful and elegant, with a lush, super-soft mouthfeel. Pleasingly, a wonderfully focused mineral component saves the wine from ever being overdone. SUPERIORE.DE

A wine of remarkable aromatic complexity. Amarone aficionados know how many allusions these wines are capable of evoking, and it is not difficult to discern mushrooms, forest undergrowth, truffles, Havana leaves and even wild violets in this wine's aromatic profile, as well as the usual confit cherries and plums. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably concentrated yet elegant, carrying this bundle of allusions effortlessly and seamlessly through the palate. The fine pearly tannins give it support and the concentration of fruit is so great that the acidity almost fades into the background. A dense, polished and stately wine of the highest calibre. SUPERIORE.DE

Maternigo means "mother's land" and is also the name of one of the Tedeschi family's vineyards. The vineyards cover around 33 hectares in two municipalities, Tregnago and Mezzane di Sotto. The new Cru-Amarone Riserva Maternigo is only produced in the best years and its grapes come exclusively from the Barila vineyard. This single vineyard was selected after careful zoning and characterisation of the soil, which is characterised by very low vigour and consequently produces grapes rich in structure.

Strong ruby red. Opulent aromas of dark berries, mint, spices, forest floor and undergrowth. In the balanced, powerful drink very clear, juicy and tight. Spreads comfortably with notes of plum, raspberry compote and chocolate. This great Amarone captivates from the first sip - its long, silky finish leaves nothing to be desired. SUPERIORE.DE

The Andreola family winery in Col San Martino was founded in 1984 by Nazzareno Pola in the heart of the Valdobbiadene wine-growing region. In his honour, a wonderful Prosecco Superiore is produced here every year in small batches, which once again received the highest award in the Gambero Rosso for the 2024 vintage. For Stefano Pola, the Etichetta del Fondatore represents the highest expression of finesse and olfactory elegance that the Glera grape can give in the core zone of Prosecco Superiore – combined with the verticality and juiciness that the soils give it, without ever losing its lightness and drinkability.

1997 saw the birth of Bradisismo, named after the geological event that led to the formation of the Colli Berici. It is a successful symbiosis of the intense, concentrated flavour of ripe Cabernet cherries and the lively, spicy notes of Carménère. With its bouquet of small dark berries, spices, pepper and chocolate, it is a wonderfully inexpensive alternative to the great Bordeaux blends or Supertuscans. On the palate, it has a velvety texture, with a mix of dark fruits, cherries, floral notes and fine tannins that glide seamlessly over the palate. Deep, long finish and very good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE