wines

Since the 2015 vintage, Piancornello has been producing a Ciliegiolo in small quantities of 4,000 bottles, which is solid, deep and very distinctive. Intense ruby red colour. The nose reveals very pure, straightforward aromas of ripe cherries and sour cherries, rounded off with spicy notes and hints of medicinal herbs. In the mouth it is rich, with noticeable tannins, but well integrated into the structure, with a solid body and a flavourful, long finish of good complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

La Sabla is the red entry-level classic from Les Crêtes - an independent cuvée made from indigenous grapes: Petit Rouge, Fumin, Mayolet and Barbera from old plots around Aymavilles. It is lively and elegant, vinified in stainless steel with controlled mash fermentation and matured on the fine lees for around eight months. Intense ruby red in colour with a violet hue. The nose opens with aromas of redcurrant, fresh raspberry, forest blossom and delicate spice. Fresh, juicy and clear on the palate with soft tannins and striking mineral tension - a salty bite on the finish ensures precision and length. A pure expression of unmistakable Alpine elegance that combines origin and style with youthful clarity. SUPERIORE.DE

The Lupo line from COS bears an animal in its name that in Sicily symbolises wildness, independence and the unspoilt nature of the island. The Nero di Lupo is the "black of the wolf". The Rosa di Lupo is its lighter, lighter counterpart – a rosato made from 100% Nero d'Avola, from the same terroir: Vittoria, south-eastern Sicily, 230 metres, sandy soil with limestone subsoil and silicon veins, biodynamically cultivated. 15-year-old vines, Guyot, 5,000 vines per hectare, hand-picked in September. Vinification follows the consistent COS philosophy: spontaneous fermentation on the skins in the press, a few hours of skin contact for colour and depth of aroma without tannin weight. Then seven months in concrete vats. Natural yeasts, no added sulphur.

A Rosato with a name that has a person behind it. Rosy Pio was the granddaughter of the founder – and the grandmother of Federica and Cesare, the fifth generation of the house. The Pio Cesare family carries its history in its wines. This one bears it in its name. The decision to vinify Nebbiolo as a rosé was a matter of the heart: a small addition of Syrah, their own vineyards in Treiso in the Barbaresco region, various exposures and locations. Early harvest in small crates after strict selection in the vineyard, gentle pressing with short maceration. Fermentation partly in stainless steel, partly in non-new French oak barriques. One month on the lees.

When the Antinori family founded their Apulian branch Tormaresca in 1998, they set an example: Southern Italy could deliver more than quantity. Torcicoda became proof of this vision – the first wine from Apulia to make it into the Wine Spectator Top 100. Its name refers to the historic grooming tool for horse manes, but also to the lush, twisting growth of the Primitivo vines, which were once called the "vine of three harvests".

A white wine with Mediterranean lightness and a Friulian character: Shàris is a charming blend of Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla – —two varieties that reveal their finest qualities here on the marl and sandstone soils of the Collio. A skilfully composed white wine with character that is never overwhelming, yet never seems mundane – but rather a true flagship of Friuli’s modern white wine culture and, incidentally, the winery’s bestseller.

Valpolicella Superiore Case Vecie is made mainly from Corvina and Corvinone grapes. It takes its name from the vineyard of the same name in Grezzana, where the ripening of the grapes is subject to strong temperature fluctuations between day and night: a climatic peculiarity that gives the wine a special spiciness on the nose and a completely unique polyphenol profile. Bright ruby red in colour with notes of cherries, vanilla and spices. Beautiful fruit and acidity on the palate, wonderfully balanced body. Juicy and long. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: the vineyard is located on an elongated, plateau-like ridge in the historic Classico region of the Castelli di Jesi – a ridge reminiscent of a podium. It is therefore no coincidence that Garofoli harvests its best Verdicchio cuvée right here. 100% Verdicchio from the vineyard that the estate has cultivated as its flagship for decades – and with which Carlo Garofoli was one of the first to prove that Verdicchio can and should age. The vinification remains true to the wine: steel, precision, long ageing on the lees, which gives the podium the fullness and texture that clearly distinguishes it from the fresh entry-level wine. No wood, no distractions – just Verdicchio in its most concentrated form.

The Goldmuskateller (moscato giallo) is one of South Tyrol's aromatic rarities. At Tiefenbrunner, it thrives at altitudes between 220 and 650 metres, with the best lots coming from the Penon, Hofstatt and Rain vineyards: 400 to 650 metres high, on calcareous dolomite soils that give the wine its fine mineral structure. Vinification takes place exclusively in concrete tanks – a deliberate decision to preserve the varietal flavours unadulterated.

This masterful Vernaccia matures for 4 years in small Caratello barrels, whose natural shrinkage is never topped up so that the yeast flora, which is very characteristic of this Vernaccia, forms on the surface and not only produces the characteristic flavours, but also gives it its name.

Tenuta San Leonardo is a name that stands for red wine. For generations, the Guerrieri Gonzaga family in Avio, in southern Trentino, has been cultivating a Bordeaux blend that is considered by connoisseurs to be among the best wines in Italy. The fact that the house also makes white wine (and rosato) – and with the same precision – far fewer people know. Vette di San Leonardo owes its name to the peaks that surround the vineyards. Vette – summits, peaks – is the image San Leonardo has chosen for this Sauvignon Blanc: high, clear, unmistakable. The grapes come from Roveré della Luna, a village on the border between Trentino and Alto Adige, which is one of the best Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in northern Italy. The Dolomites as a backdrop, cool nights, a long ripening process on the vine. Hand-picked in September. Only steel, no wood. Five months sur lie on the fine lees – for texture and depth without external ageing.

Mussels in the vineyard? Not uncommon in Valdarno di Sopra. Where today Chardonnay vines take root at the foot of the Pratomagno, millions of years ago there was a lake – the metamorphic soils are criss-crossed with fossilised evidence of that era. The name "Lamelle" honours these grooves in the fossilised shells, which give the wine its unmistakable minerality. After being harvested by hand, the grapes are left to rest overnight at 5°C before being gently pressed. Pure stainless steel vinification at 16°C, two months on the fine lees – that's all it takes to capture the freshness of this terroir.

A real insider tip for lovers of elegant white wines: This Trebbiano shows what this grape variety can do outside the classic norm. It comes from biodynamic vineyards in a coastal location near Scansano, characterised by the influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The 2023 vintage was characterised by alternating sunny days and cool nights - ideal for aromatic clarity and finely balanced acidity. The wine was fermented cold in stainless steel and matured briefly to preserve varietal typicity and freshness.

Antonio Bragato, born in Germany but with an absolutely Friulian identity, joined forces 20 years ago with Gianni Maccari, who was Livio Felluga's cellar master for many years and founded his own winery Ronco della Rocca at the beginning of the millennium. An agronomist and Oenologist by training, he is considered one of Friuli's best-trained winegrowing experts. The profound knowledge of his own 12 hectares of vineyards as well as the leased plots and the radical precision in the execution of every work step characterise the clear style and the reliable quality of the wines that Antonio Bragato creates there together with him.

Chardonnay only arrived in Piedmont in the 19th century – late for a region with such a deep winemaking tradition. But in the municipalities of Fontanile and Castel Boglione, north of Nizza Monferrato, the grape variety found a soil that took it seriously: Marne di Sant'Agata Fossili, an alternation of fossilised marl and sandstone with a good proportion of limestone. The Bertolino family discovered this potential in the 1950s and 60s – at a time when the region's sparkling wine production demanded a Chardonnay of exceptional quality. Today, Tenuta Olim Bauda only produces a few thousand bottles from these vineyards. The grapes are harvest in the first week of September. Gentle pressing, only pre-fermentation must. 36 hours of contact with the fine lees at 5°C with bâtonnage for aromatic extraction, followed by static clarification. Fermentation in large 50-hectolitre wooden vats for around 15 days. Maturation in tonneaux, 10% of which are new, for around one year.

Montessu is wild, sun-drenched and surprisingly polished. The result of a collaboration between big names in the Italian wine world, including legends such as Sebastiano Rosa and Giacomo Tachis, this red wine combines the best of Mediterranean vigour and French grape variety expertise. Carignano sets the tone, flanked by Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – all grown on the dry, mineral soils of the Sulcis, in the hot south-west of the island. The grapes are harvested by parcel, fermented separately and matured in small French barriques. The result is a dense but finely structured red wine with Sardinian character and international finesse.

Tolaini is reorganising its Chianti Classico line with the 2024 vintage: The previous Vallenuova Annata will be promoted to Riserva, to be replaced by this entry into the house – named after the winery itself. The grapes come from the vineyards around the estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost corner of Chianti Classico, where silty-clayey soils with limestone and stones characterise the Sangiovese.

Between the lava flows of Rovittello, a wine is created that reveals the delicate side of the volcano. Erse Rosato, made predominantly from Nerello Cappuccio and a smaller proportion of Nerello Mascalese from the only hectare of vineyards exposed to the north-east at an altitude of 700 metres. Here, where the morning breeze blows up from the Alcantara Valley and the afternoon heat is kept at bay by the ancient sciare, a rosato of exceptional personality develops. The two Nerello varieties are vinified separately with a cold maceration of 12 hours at 12-14°C to gently extract colour and aromas before being combined for alcoholic fermentation and subsequent refinement in stainless steel tanks.

Nero di Lupo is COS’s elegant take on Nero d’Avola – , interpreted as light, fruity and mineral. The vines are rooted in red, calcareous loam soils, interspersed with sandy deposits and layers of silicate that have shaped the character of Vittoria over thousands of years. At an altitude of around 230–300 metres, these soils bring freshness and vibrancy to the wine – a clearly defined reflection of the terroir.

Where the Lombards once built their fortress and Frederick II held court, Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi now cultivates his vines – a descendant of Bettino Ricasoli, who invented the Chianti formula in the 19th century. Monti in Chianti, situated at an altitude of 340 to 510 metres, is considered one of the best vineyards in the entire region. Limestone soils, organic farming and three-phase manual harvesting form the basis for this classic Chianti: 90% Sangiovese, supplemented by Canaiolo from our own selection. Matured for twelve months in Allier oak, bottled unfiltered.

The owner of Selvapiana, Francesco Giuntini, and the owner of the Petrognano winery, Cecilia Galeotti Ottieri, have enjoyed a long friendship. Their small winery on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna is located in the centre of the Pomino DOC, which was first mentioned in a document in 1716 and is one of the first four protected appellations in Tuscany (alongside Rufina Classico, Carmignano and Valdarno Superiore). For some years now, the two have been linked by the "Villa Petrognano" project, under which Selvapiana produces one of the most authentic and best Pomino Rosso wines in the region.

Flaminia Maremmana. The name tells of paths that are older than Rome itself. Along an ancient branch of the Via Flaminia, the consular road that connected Rome with the Adriatic Sea from 220 BC, shepherds travelled with their flocks century after century: From the green Umbrian hills down to the Maremma, to the Transumanza, the seasonal transhumance that characterised the life of this landscape until the 20th century. Here, where sheep and shepherds once rested, where history is inscribed in the earth, the vines for this special Montefalco Rosso grow today. First vinified in 2007, it carries the soul of this historic terroir. The cuvée of seventy per cent Sangiovese, fifteen per cent Sagrantino and fifteen per cent Canaiolo thrives on south-east-facing limestone-clay soils.

Erse Etna Rosso has a lively and spicy bouquet of sour cherries, dried roses, cloves and a hint of fresh mint. Round and juicy on the palate, yet pure, with mineral red berries that saturate, while the lively acidity retains a fantastic freshness. A subtle coating of fine tannins and a saline note define the final as it tapers gently and grippingly under a hint of red flowers. Wonderful value. SUPERIORE.DE