wines

The sparkling classic from Italy's leading Prosecco winery is now certified organic. Radiant in the glass, with the scent of white flowers and fruit, extremely fine and elegant in flavour. Clean, delicate finish. SUPERIORE.DE

This is the epitome of a trattoria or bistro wine with an unmistakable Alpine flavour. The Carménère and Merlot grapes are matured separately for 12 months, 80% in third and fourth passage barriques and 20% in stainless steel. This is followed by the blending of the "Carménère Più", which then matures for four months in stainless steel before being bottled. Before being released for sale, it is left to refine in the bottle for at least six months. Deep red colour with blue-violet reflections. Elegant aroma of small dark berries, cocoa and black pepper. Balanced on the palate with optimum freshness, fruity with well-integrated tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Santo Stefano Belbo is a small town in the Langhe, at the transition to the Asti zone – known as the birthplace of Cesare Pavese and the heart of Moscato cultivation. It is also the home of the Ceretto family. A second story began here in 1976, when Bruno and Marcello Ceretto had long been regarded as the reformers of Barolo and Barbaresco: together with four local winegrowing families, they founded I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano – out of a desire to restore the dignity of Moscato d'Asti. At the time, the grape variety had sunk into mass production and the name had been eroded. In contrast, they set 41 hectares, hand-picked grapes and a clear attitude. Today, almost fifty years later, the principle remains unchanged: 100% Moscato Bianco from marble-rich hillside terrain at around 400 metres above Santo Stefano Belbo and neighbouring Calosso. Fermented exclusively in steel. The freshness and varietal character of Moscato should speak for themselves, and they do so extremely well.

Pinot Blanc is not a fad in Terlan. It is the foundation. The grape variety around which cellar master Rudi Kofler has been thinking for decades is Pinot Bianco – and no other place in Italy produces it as clearly, as long-lived, as unmistakably as these slopes. The vineyards lie at 350 to 900 metres, on steep to very steep slopes on Monte Tschöggl – higher and cooler than most other Terlan parcels. Quartz porphyry, hand-picked, gentle pressing, slow fermentation in steel, 6–7 months on the fine lees.

When an artist founds a winery, the spirit of this artist wafts right into the last cellar room. The Brio label shows a detail from a fresco by Sandro Chia: chessboard, violin, clock. Existence, soul, time. An unusually serious statement for an entry-level wine. The wine behind it lives up to it. Sangiovese from the Scansano vineyards of Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte – young vines on volcanic soils, close to the sea, cool nights. A few months in wooden barrels, then bottle ageing.

Nascetta, indigenous to the Langhe region and particularly rooted in Novello, is considered the "forgotten queen of Piedmont's white wines". Once almost disappeared, it was revitalised by dedicated winegrowers and today shows its full potential: aromatically nuanced, elegantly matured and with natural tension. For La Regina, the grapes are carefully harvested and matured in stainless steel tanks to allow the fruit and origin to be clearly experienced. An authentic, rare white wine with character – and a shining example of the diversity of Piedmont.

The evening fall winds of the Mendel Mountains characterise the entire terroir of the St. Michael-Eppan winery. They ensure cool nights and give the grapes the extraordinary characteristics that characterise the aromas, unmistakable freshness and longevity of the wines. The fall wind is the natural force that blows over the vineyard every day, positively influencing the climate and supporting the valuable work of the winegrowers at the cooperative winery.

Originating from a single parcel in Dogliani, facing south-west and grown on a chalky-clay medium soil, Quass Pecchenino is a concentrated Barbera signature characterised by its terroir. The vines are over 35 years old, trained in Guyot with around 5,000 vines/ha – a classic Dogliani setting that combines density, freshness and a distinctive mineral line. The first release in 1994 also makes Quass a piece of house history.

Graziano Merotto has named wines after parcels of land, after decades of experience, and also after himself. This one, however, he named after his daughter. La Primavera di Barbara – barbara's spring. What at first sounds like a gesture of affection is also a precise description of the wine: bright, blooming, with a vibrancy that can only be found in the best season.

Chardonnay is a world grape variety – and that is precisely the problem from time to time. Too often it tastes like a desire to be somewhere else: Burgundy, Napa, some ideal. Terlaner Chardonnay does not have this problem. It tastes like Terlan. The vineyards are located on the characteristic quartz porphyry soils on the slopes of Monte Tschöggl, where volcanic primary rock gives the grapes mineral tension and natural freshness. Hand-picked, gentle pressing, slow fermentation in steel, 5–7 months on the fine lees – no wood to over-mould, no butter to smooth.

Il Poggiones Rosso di Montalcino is dark and youthful, with nuances of blackcurrant and liquorice balanced by ashy rock. Silky and enveloping on the palate with a savoury core of minerality and bright acids, followed by tart red berries. The wine finishes long and lightly structured, but is always fresh and asks for a short stay in the cellar before it can unfold its full charm. A truly straightforward and captivating Rosso in the style of the house. SUPERIORE.DE

The name refers to an ancient coin of the Genoese lords who once owned the vineyards around Gavi. Today, the Cortese grapes come from the heart of the appellation: the Comune di Gavi itself, where calcareous marl soils and pronounced day-night differences give the wine its characteristic freshness and floral aromas. After being harvested by hand, the grapes are cooled with carbon dioxide snow and pressed particularly gently. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, followed by three months of bottle ageing.

Lezér means "light" and so it is – in the most delicate sense. Light ruby red in colour, red berries and an interesting hint of violets on the nose. Smoke, freshly cut wood and a fine creaminess on the palate. A thoroughly fresh red wine right through to the finish, which goes well with warm weather and uncomplicated Mediterranean cuisine, especially when slightly chilled. The ageing in different containers such as amphora, cement tank and wooden barrel gives it an additional appeal and an unmistakable profile. SUPERIORE.DE

Vino nero – is what the Tuscans once called their red wines. With this name, the Rivetti family takes up an old tradition and makes it the flagship of their Casanova estate in Terricciola. Twenty-year-old Sangiovese vines are rooted in sandy soils of marine origin, whose oceanic sediments give the wine its characteristic minerality. After two weeks of maceration, it matures for twelve months in French barriques that have already been filled – subtle enough not to mask the fruit.

The first alcoholic fermentation of the must takes place in steel tanks on the fine lees at a controlled temperature and after a waiting period of at least six months, the wine is bottled. The bottles remain at a constant temperature of 12°C so that the wine can undergo its second fermentation and mature on its own yeasts, which remain at the bottom of the bottle as a light sediment (note: it is not filtered!).

An international white wine in a region that is world-famous for its great red wines? Pecchenino dared to try this experiment in Bossolasco at an altitude of 700 metres, and the challenge was mastered with flying colours. Here, where one would expect to find Arneis or Cortese, Riesling Renano thrives on calcareous soils with marl and white clay. The south-easterly exposure and the cool, high-altitude climate of the Alta Langa create ideal conditions for the crystalline acidity and aromatic precision that characterise great Rieslings from France and Germany. The grapes are harvested in mid-September when perfectly ripe, cooled to 12°C in the cellar and gently pressed. This is followed by ten months of ageing on the fine lees with repeated bâtonnage and a further six months of bottle ageing.

At the heart of the north-eastern Etna amphitheatre, where Silvia Maestrelli's vision turned to stone, lies Fessina: a name that sounds like a whisper through the volcanic winds. Here, in the Frazione Rovittello of Castiglione di Sicilia, between two ancient lava flows from 1809 and 1911, a dream came true in 2007. Silvia, the pioneer – a Tuscan with a Milanese soul and a Sicilian heart – was the first woman on the volcano to recognise the extraordinary potential of this difficult, masculine earth. With the tenacity of a visionary and the sensitivity of a "female oenological vision", she created a refuge of excellence after long negotiations with the countless owners of the fragmented plots.

Feudi’s Premium Rosato San Greg bursts from the glass with a lovely blend of sweet melon and white flowers. It offers a captivating balance between ripe stone fruits, candied citrus and a refreshing acidity. The finish is of medium length, leaving a tangy hint of lime and steely mineral notes. San Greg, made from 100% Aglianico, is a very sophisticated rosé and an absolute delight. SUPERIORE.DE

Mario Schiopetto's father ran the "Ai Pompieri" osteria in Udine – directly in front of the fire station. His son did not become a landlord, but the founder of modern Friulian white wine. Years ago, the new owners, the Rotolo family, incorporated the name of their father's restaurant into their younger wine line as a nod and a promise: accessible, direct, straightforward. Since 1986, the Blanc des Rosis has brought together the four leading white grape varieties of the Collio in a single wine: Friulano as the aromatic backbone, Pinot Bianco for volume and elegance, Sauvignon for freshness and tension, Pinot Grigio for the mineral bite. The soils under Capriva del Friuli – eocene clay and marl – give the wine its characteristic cool precision. Gentle pressing, decanting without sulphur, eight months on the lees in steel. And from the 2025 vintage, the Blanc des Rosis will appear in the glass earlier than ever before without the previous two-year retention period – in the glass earlier than ever before.