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Wineries & Estates

Col Vetoraz

San Stefano di Valdobbiadene (TV), Italy

All the excellence of a unique territory, in a glass "The only way to obtain the balance and the natural harmony that the vine is able to offer, is to follow a strict process that preserves the expressive integrity of the fruit". This is the credo of Loris Dall'Acqua, Col Vetoraz C.E.O. and oenologist, based in Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene (Treviso). Col Vetoraz follows every year the path marked by nature, fully respecting the perfection with which it gives birth to each grape contributing to this prestigious sparkling wine. Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, now officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are an expression of excellence and undisputed uniqueness bearing immense cultural and historical value. The method of production aims for the highest quality, following the criteria of extreme respect towards the land. All this from the magnificent slopes of the Valdobbiadene DOCG area, where the harvest is strictly performed by hand. The result is that the wines of  Valdobbiadene DOCG are of the highest quality of the entire denomination, obtaining over the years numerous awards, nationally and internationally. The absolute guarantee of excellence goes from the very first to the very last bottle: Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore di Cartizze, Valdobbiadene DOCG Dry Millesimato, Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Brut Ø, Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry, Valdobbiadene DOCG Brut, Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée 5 Extra Brut and Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée 13 Extra Dry, represent a single production line of the spectacular range of sparkling wines.

Komjanc

San Floriano del Collio (GO), Italy

Wine Craft, a family tradition The Komjanc winery is located on the Collio hills in a panoramic position. The hilly amphitheater protects Collio from the northern fall winds and proximity to the Adriatic coast ensures a mild microclimate. Climate and soil of sandstone and marl, called "ponca", make this area an ideal place for viticulture and olive growing. The family-run winery was founded by Alessio, whose grandparents were already producing wine in Collio at the end of the 18th century. Today Alessio has four of his sons at his side: Beniamin, Roberto, Patrik and Ivan. They are united by the values of tradition with the aim of producing high quality wine and oil in harmony with nature. The Komjanc vineyards cover 24 hectares. Only the highest quality grapes are processed and express the care that is applied every day in the vineyards. Collio is a vineyard area for excellent wthite wines, especially for the authocthonous Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Malvasia, Picolit as well as for international varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Characterful red wines such as Schioppettino, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are also produced. In 2015 started the important collaboration with the oenologist Gianni Menotti, who has signed the last vintages of the company.  

Medici Ermete

Reggio Emilia (RE), Italy

The long history of Medici Ermete begins in 1890 with Remigio Medici, owner of three successful taverns on the Via Emilia, the most important road in the region of Emilia-Romagna. The innkeeper decided to found a winery to enhance the family's vineyards unwittingly setting in motion a long path of success and progress. Now in its fifth generation, the company owns around 80 hectares (over 200 acres) of vineyard plots distributed among the areas of the region with the highest concentration of viticulture, and exports to 70 countries worldwide. OUR MISSION Our vineyards are cultivated following a wholly organic regime and we firmly believe in building a close link between the territory, the grapes and the wines produced. It all begins in the vineyards, with a strict selection of the grapes that guarantees a high and constant quality. A skilful vinification and modern machinery complete the production cycle. For us Lambrusco is an interpreter and ambassador of our territory: Emilia-Romagna. For some time now we have been strengthening our commitment to more sustainable and responsible development: environmental, ethical and economic sustainability. Roots in evolution: looking at the past with respect in order to build the future

Weingut Kurt und Beatrix Hummel

Niederschleinz, Austria

Step by step, Kurt and Beatrix Hummel have turned their small winery into a top operation. The small family-run estate is entirely focused on creating pure drinking pleasure for you, especially with their Grüner Veltliners. They now have also added a reserve line to their wine range. Their initial 3 hectares of vineyards have now grown to 9 hectares: this shows the family’s ambition for growth but still allows them to care for each vine individually. The humus-rich loess soils around tranquil Niederschleinz, together with the Pannonian climate, offer perfect conditions for viticulture. About 70 percent of their vineyards are planted to Grüner Veltliner, the rest is taken up by Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Zweigelt. Kurt Hummel bottles his Grüner Veltliner at five different stages of maturation. He says: "From light, spicy and peppery to full-bodied and powerful – every Veltliner lover will find his style of wine with us!"  Kurt Hummel's flair for wine clearly runs in the family. Daughter Laura graduated from the college for Viticulture and Pomology in Klosterneuburg and has already left her first mark on her parents' business. The new "BIG FLIGHT Reserve Line" is her creation.

Pasqua

Verona (VR), Italy

Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is a historic company producing quality Veneto and Italian wines and a leader in the Italian and international markets. A family passion. Almost a century of history. Founded in 1925 in Verona and born of the love of Famiglia Pasqua for Valpolicella, it tells a story of wine, vineyards and deep roots in the territory. Three generations have always been united by a great passion for viticulture and the production of fine wines, first in Valpolicella and then also on the east coast of Lake Garda and in the most prestigious hills of the Soave denomination. The love and care of the celebrated Amarone and Valpolicella wines, the appassimento technique of drying grapes, typical of the area, have made the company known throughout Italy, and later Europe and the world. If the winery places enormous strategic value to Italy, the drive towards foreign markets, culminating in the foundation of Pasqua USA and Pasqua China, has led the company to be present today in 65 markets. Umberto Pasqua leads the company with his sons Riccardo and Alessandro. The consolidated production value for 2020 amounted to 55 million Euro, with a total of 14 million bottles sold.

Contadi Castaldi - Terra Moretti

Adro (BS), Italy

Tradition at Contadi Castaldi is dynamic and deeply indebted to its roots contributing vivid and contemporary wine styles. The winery’s name refers to the ancient history of the Franciacorta area: during the Middle Ages, the contadi were small counties known for their outstanding agricultural products, while the castaldi were the lords who governed over these counties. Vittorio Moretti and his wife Mariella forged a bond with this noble legacy, initially by purchasing an old abandoned brickyard and the land around it. Contadi Castaldi was established in the late 80s, with the conversion of the brickyard into a winery. Its large spaces and long tunnels where the bricks were fired proved to be the perfect place for ageing Franciacorta vintages and welcoming wine lovers. The vineyards, are capable of providing a vast range of aromas and flavours, that dictate the Contadi Castaldi style. Nature’s gifts are abundant, but it is the human touch that translates the immense resources it provides into wine. Creating a cuvée is essential in order to bring out the very best from each vintage. It is like an orchestra in which each individual musician can give their best performance; the moment when all the ingredients are assembled to form the unmistakable Contadi Castaldi wine. This is how the winery’s Metodo Franciacorta wines receive their unmistakable hallmark, consisting of balance and freshness, vision and local spirit.

Weingut Friedrich Kiefer

Eichstetten, Germany

Helen and Martin Schmidt are currently celebrating an anniversary: ten years ago, they took over the historic Kiefer winery in Eichstetten. There was a lot of work to tackle in the winery, which was founded in 1851, but the Schmidts managed to preserve the best of the past - such as the stately wooden barrel cellar - and combine it with the most advanced modern technology, which is evident in the clear structure of their range. Terms like "tradition" and "three-star" are self-explanatory. The fact that the quality is also right is all the more remarkable given the size of the farm: 155 hectares!

Weingut Stefan Zehetbauer

Schützen am Gebirge, Austria

The Zwird Winery is run by Stefan Zehetbauer who is the the tenth generation. It is located in Schützen am Gebirge, in the middle of the Leithaberg region. The vineyards are located on and around the Schützner Stein and are characterised by the slate and limestone-rich soils of the region. Stefan Zehetbauer's aim is to produce wines with depth, a distinctive minerality and good ageing potential. The vineyards have top priority for the winemaker, because that is where the foundation for the quality is laid. The interventions in the cellar, on the other hand, are reduced to a necessary minimum. Selected yeasts and enzymes are not used, fermentation is spontaneous and the wines remain on the lees for a long time. The white reserves and all red wines do not require fining. The terroir concept always comes first. The Leithaberg varieties Blaufränkisch, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay make up the majority of the range. The top wines come from the Steinberg vineyard, which with its barren mica slate is one of the best sites in this region. However, the family has always thought outside the box. They have meanwhile made a name for themselves with their unique Cabernet Franc from Steinberg - which the Zehetbauers pioneered in Austria at the end of the 1980s.

Carpineta Fontalpino

Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI), Italy

Carpineta Fontalpino is a winery and farm located in the heart of Tuscany, near the splendid town of Siena. Not far from the winery’s land, the historic Montaperti hill welcomes us in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, southern outpost of the Chianti Classico denomination. The land we own extends for about 90 hectares (222 acres) that we cultivate with certified organic practices: we grow vines and “Senatore Cappelli” wheat. The vineyards cover an area of 30 hectares (74 acres), with parcels specialized in Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon – as well as other selected varietals, such as Petit Verdot and Alicante. Since we are blessed with a strategic position, near the border of different wine areas, we are able to produce both Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG, in addition to our Supertuscan IGT. The winery has been in the hands of the Cresti family since the 1960s. Traces of wine-making roots in the area date back up to the 19th century, but it was in 1967 that Italo Cresti, Gioia and Filippo’s father, decided to follow his vocation and turn it into a business, run with love and devotion. Nowadays, Gioia is the enologist of the winery, she takes care of all the aspects of wine-making, from harvest to maturation. She makes the most important choices, and you can find her personal touch on every phase of production. Her brother Filippo manages sales, communication and marketing.

Sella & Mosca

Alghero (SS), Italy

Sella & Mosca is an outburst of nature. Its home is in Alghero, an enchanted corner of Sardinia, where it was founded in 1899 by two adventurous men from Piedmont, from whom it takes its name: Sella, an engineer and the grandson of the prominent statesman Quintino Sella, and Mosca, a lawyer. Their exploits continue to possess a pioneering tinge, singular and exemplary. Naturally, large scale adaptation was required to transform what had been vast and uncultivated tracts of land into a winemaking concern: thousands of boulders of all sizes were removed and the wild scrub forest tamed to make room for the vineyards. Finally, a state-of-the-art wine cellar was methodically designed and constructed. Even today, the winery is characterised by this spirit of innovation, driven to express the characteristics of the Sardinian terroir in the best possible way, just as it was conceived by its founders. Sella & Mosca wines are a kaleidoscope of aromas, colours and flavours, see-sawing between past and future. The ultimate expression of a sun-drenched land, strong and well suited to forging unique, charismatic and expressive wines depicting heritage.

Il Marroneto

Montalcino (SI), Italy

In 1974, Giuseppe Mori, Alessandro’s father – the current owner of the wine estate – fell in love with the medieval village of Montalcino, in the province of Siena (the city where the Mori family has its roots) and, in particular, with a small thirteenth-century ancient tower (where ‘marroni’, a special kind of chestnut, were dried, hence the name of the building). He bought the small farm, which offered a wide, sweeping view over the city of Siena and the entire Val d’Orcia. The holding is situated beneath the thirteenth-century church dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace) – which gives its name to the small village where Giuseppe planted his first vineyard – on the north-facing side of the hamlet. It was a period of extensive vine growing and wine making had just started in Montalcino (the Wine Consortium had been established only seven years before), which is obviously very different from the vine-cloaked town that visitors see today. Giuseppe’s sons, Andrea and Alessandro, accompanied their father in this adventure and, despite the fact that they continue to follow in his footsteps in the legal profession, every weekend they work in the vineyard. The Mori family planted the first 3,000 square metres of vineyard in 1975, then a large area in 1979, followed by another 9,000 square metres in 1984. These were “trailblazing” years, as Alessandro – who at the time was still attending high school – likes to recall. “Our family did not come from the wine world and, initially, no one thought this ‘hobby’ would become the job of our lives.” explains Alessandro. But the meeting with an almost legendary duo of the Italian wine world, Mario Cortevesio and Giulio Gambelli, sparked off a unique passion in the Mori family and, in particular, in Alessandro. Right from the first meeting, Gambelli made it clear to the young Mori boys that wine is serious business, it’s not just a diversion, but rather a child you raise lovingly. Therefore, harvest after harvest, the passion for this world and the real love for Il Marroneto grew in the two youngsters, especially in Alessandro, who in the meantime graduated and started his professional career. He continues to follow the two activities, being a lawyer and a vigneron, but in the end, the latter prevails. From the first grape harvest in 1976, to the first wine bottling in 1980, right up to today, the history of Il Marroneto and Alessandro’s go hand in hand. Every vintage does not only represent a rainy summer or a windy, harsh winter, but it is also the indelible story of his life. Today, Alessandro, who continues to manage the wine estate’s entire production, is definitely an experienced vigneron, but, as he says, "With still a lot more to learn from my vineyards.", his daily teachers.

Ruggeri

Valdobbiadene (TV), Italy

Ruggeri in Valdobbiadene is a historic winery founded in 1950, in the heart of  Prosecco, the most evocative area of the entire Prosecco Superiore DOCG denomination. Ruggeri produces its sparkling wines from grapes grown in the “Golden Triangle”, a picturesque hilly area delimited by the hamlets of Santo Stefano, San Pietro di Barbozza and Saccol. These areas are known, in this denomination, for producing the best quality grapes. Right at the centre lies the precious Cartizze hill, the most famous cru in the entire area. The constant striving for quality has resulted in Ruggeri becoming one of the key producers in the Cartizze area, so much that the triangle used on the logo symbolizes the enduring bond between Ruggeri and the Golden Triangle itself. Ruggeri strongly believes in a collaboration with nature. The team of agronomists have set up an innovative and sustainable pruning training program for the grape suppliers. Furthermore, since 2019 Ruggeri has joined the SQNPI certification. This Quality System is recognized at European Community level and aims to use agronomic methods to minimise the use of chemicals, water and energy. Driven by its pioneering spirit, Ruggeri has supported for many years the promotion of a culture of time, to give Prosecco an evolutionary perspective, offering different vintages in the form of vertical tastings. Therefore, Ruggeri has been the first winery to produce a Prosecco using only the grapes of century-old vines. Journeying into the unknown and pushing the boundaries is the innate characteristic that inspires its enduring quest for quality.  

Teruzzi

San Gimignano (SI), Italy

Teruzzi was established in 1974 in a beautiful place of incomparable interest: San Gimignano, also known as the Manhattan of the Middle Ages because of its profusion of towers. The winery’s inspiration has always been modern, in search of the most innovative solutions to produce the best possible wines. A challenging quest initiated by its founder, whose name it bears, a vintner by passion but an engineer by profession, and now pursued by the Moretti family. Innovation, respect for the terroir and the Tuscan vinicultural traditions: such are the winery’s keywords, which mark the continuity between past, present and future. The bond with its place of origin is powerful, yet dynamic, rooted in history even as it looks ahead to its contemporary valorization. The unfolding of a journey that aims at exalting the heritage of nobility and personality of San Gimignano, along with its most precious resource: Vernaccia.

Weingut Hans Rottensteiner

Bozen (BZ), Italy

Winemaking on the red stone The history of the Rottensteiner family has always been closely linked to winegrowing in the city of Bolzano: the first records of winemaking on Rottensteiner lands go back to 1530. This is also reflected in the family name, which derives from the red-colored rock of the mountains around Bolzano, the porphyry. In 1956 Hans Rottensteiner founded the winery that bears his name, today run by the third generation in the person of his grandson, Hannes. “Interpreting the tradition of our winery in a modern way” is how Hannes describes the task that he and his wife Judith have set themselves for the coming years: their aim is to respect the achievements of the past and complement these with modern knowledge. Judith, who previously worked in the fields of classical music and culture and tourism marketing, tries in her own way to incorporate her experiences into her daily work at the winery. “We wish to follow our own clear path in running the winery and in producing our wine, remaining true to our own style without losing sight of the achievements of the past. We want to produce honest, down-to-earth South Tyrolean wines that have nothing to fear from international comparison. It is therefore vital that we all work as a team, complementing and comparing ourselves with each other, but never losing sight of our common goal.” The philosophy of the winery is to produce wines characterized by their clarity, elegance and freshness. The wines are intended for drinking pleasure and their typical nature should be clearly expressed, both in terms of variety and terroir. The range of varieties is wide and the majority of the wines from conviction mono-varietal, with a clear focus on the Schiava and Lagrein grapes that are so typical of the area. Minerally white wines are also gaining more and more in importance.

Weingut Sander

Mettenheim, Germany

Innovation and tradition as the two sides of one medal The first in organic wine in Germany. One of the first in Sauvignon Blanc in Rheinhessen. And right know – with his new “Zeiten-Sprung” – busy in revivifying the Grünfränkisch, a grape, lost in mid 19th century. Sanders are pioneers in a very original and true sense. “If you stand on solid ground, you can dare to move (light footed) lightly”, says Stefan Sander, third Generation winemaker. And the ground is indeed solid, for the excellent earth management of Stefans grandfather Ottoheinrich led over the years to a vivid, healthy, fertile foundation for the more than 20 different grapes in the winerys 50 acre vineyards. Back in Ottoheinrichs times, major ecological concerns motivated the first generation. In the meanwhile, the organic idea is an unshiftable ingredient and fundament for the extraordinary wines, being created in Mettenheim, just a short hop from the banks of river Rhine. Sander produces premium wines of local and internationally respected grape varieties. Their most important grapes are Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot noir. Clarity is a leading maxim in their work. Pioneering again in his will to reinvent regional chrakteristics of the Rheinhessen terroir, individually interpreted with the “Sander spirit”. www.sanderwines.com.

Tasca d’Almerita

Palermo (PA), Italy

A blueprint for the next two centuries For almost two centuries, Tasca d’Almerita, one of Italy’s oldest and most renowned wine-families, has been based at the Regaleali estate, in Sicily’s rural heartland. But its past is a dynamic one. Even before Tenuta Regaleali was recognized as a “model farm” in the 1854 Sicilian Agricultural Yearbook, Tasca d’Almerita was an innovator. In eight generations, the company has never ceased to challenge itself. Today, Alberto Tasca carries forward into the future their family’s dedication to quality and passion for innovation and research. They have extended and enriched this legacy with a focus on environmental sustainability, rooted in the company’s patient curatorship of the land. Tasca d'Almerita is one of the founding members SOStain, Sicily's Alliance for Sustainable Winegrowing and Winemaking. It commits its partners to sustainable policies and a series of environmental criteria which go well beyond the usual requirements of organic certification. Alberto also piloted Tasca d’Almerita’s expansion from its historic heart of Regaleali to other sites of Sicilian oenological excellence: from Tenuta Tascante on Mount Etna to Tenuta Capofaro on the Aeolian Islands, from Sallier de la Tour in the Monreale area to Tenuta Whitaker on the Phoenician island Mozia. On these five estates, sustainable practices are enacted via a mix of modern technology and the scientific application of age-old wisdom; photovoltaic cells produce over one third of energy consumed, hives of Sicilian Black bees pollinate the vines, hybrid vehicles ferry workers around the estates, etc. For Tasca d’Almerita this is all about a search for purity and a return to a more artisanal approach to winemaking, to a renewed focus on lightness, freshness and elegance in Sicilian wine culture.

Weingut Hannes Reeh

Andau, Austria

"It has to be a passion, not a science", Hannes Reeh always likes to say when he talks about drinking wine. The vintner combines long-standing family tradition and the authenticity of a true Burgenländer with wine experience from the New World. The result of his work: accessible wines that convince both laymen and confirmed connoisseurs. It's good to live under the sun of Andau - as a person and as a vine. With around 2400 hours of sunshine per year, Andau is the sunniest place in Austria - at the same time, less than 500 millimeters of annual precipitation make it one of the places with the least rainfall in the country. The Pannonian climate is made for good wine, because under these circumstances extraordinarily ripe grapes grow, which produce wines of elegant power and fullness. As one would expect from the Pannonian steppe, the soils under Hannes Reeh's vineyards are for the most part poor and gravelly. A few things are true of all Hannes Reeh wines: they have no unnecessary ballast, are strong in character, and bring the flavor of the heath soil to the bottle. And yet each variety has its own special characteristics. The wines of the Andau vintner are divided into four groups: The "Haus und Hof" wines are single-varietal and offer completely uncomplicated drinking pleasure; they are simply the winery's classics. The wines under the title "Heideboden" combine aroma and dense body with fine freshness. The "Unplugged" wines, on the other hand, do without any frills, thus, without fining and cosmetics. And the new line "In Bloom" comes along intensively and complexly - just "in full bloom", like the Nirvana song.

Weingut Josef & Philipp Bründlmayer

Grunddorf, Austria

Passion and love for the craft are still the best pre-requisites for quality. This is especially true for the production of products that people should and are allowed to enjoy - such as wine. Philipp Bründlmayer carries this passion and love in his DNA. His wines are therefore the stuff of bliss: varietal, pure, straightforward and of unmistakable provenance. In Grunddorf, in the furthest corner of the Kamptal, they are stored and matured in steel tanks and large wooden barrels. However, they originate from the mighty loess terraces of Gedersdorf and Rohrendorf and thus bear the Kremstal hallmark . A beautiful spot of earth, created for winegrowing. Here, climatic conditions prevail that are essential for the aroma formation and character of the wine. In addition to knowledge, craftsmanship and climate, the condition of the soil is a decisive factor in the creation of great wines. In the Kremstal, loess and conglomerate form the ideal terroir for the typically dry wines for which Austria, as a wine country, is so highly regarded. Philipp and Josef Bründlmayer practice viticulture with a down-to-earth approach and an understanding of tradition. The vineyards that the winery cultivates could not fit better within this philosophy: They are unruly, impassable and want to be worked by hand. But they are also - if left to their own devices and approached properly - an ideal place for those varieties for which this region is so well-known and loved. At Philipp Bründlmayer, wines are allowed to show, in unadorned fashion, where they grew up - without frills and bows and whistles. On 25 hectares, his winery cultivates over 100 different vineyards with a wide variety of microclimates. He does not only bottle wines that are representative of their kind, but also bear his unmistakable signature. With no more than one gram of residual sugar, all wines are particularly dry and thus ambassadors of their region - pure Kremstal.

Franz Haas

Montan (BZ), Italy

Here at Franz Haas, wine has been produced since 1880 and the winery has been passed down through generations to the first-born child of the family, who is always called Franz. Today's winemaker, Franziskus Haas, represents the seventh generation of the family. Nowadays, the winery works with grapes sourced from 55 hectares of vineyards, all cultivated in a sustainable and nature-oriented fashion. The vineyards are located in Montagna, as well as in the surrounding areas of Egna, Aldino, and Trodena at different altitudes between 220 and 1.150 meters. Far beyond national borders, Franz Haas stands out for his high altitude viticulture, as several hectares at high altitudes were rented in 2000 due to progressive climate change. After twenty years, this choice has proved to be forward-looking, given the excellent results. At 1.150 meters, the vineyard in Aldino is one of the highest sites in South Tyrol. Another distinctive feature setting Franz Haas apart is the connection with the artist Riccardo Schweizer, who created the labels and whose artistic career was linked to famous artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Cocteau, Paul Éluard, and Le Corbusier. Maria Luisa Manna gave those labels to Franz as a token of good fortune for his wines.

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