The Monte Diavoli Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2021 from Masseria Cuturi received a Corona from Vinibuoni d’Italia, the renowned Italian wine guide published by the Touring Club Italiano.
Continue readingDiscover the Magic of Masseria Cuturi
Gold for Grati’s Olive Oil
Fratelli Grati's Olive Oil, honoured with a gold award
Fratelli Grati: A Family Tradition in the Heart of Tuscany
Nestled in the Tuscan countryside, this family-run estate is dedicated to producing exceptional wines and olive oil that honor their land and heritage.
Tuscan Wines, Rich in Character
From the historic estates—Galiga, Vetrice – they cultivate native grape varieties like Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo. Each bottle reflects their dedication to quality, expressing the vibrant terroir and timeless spirit of Chianti Rufina.
Award-Winning Olive Oil
Their extra virgin olive oil is a true taste of Tuscany: fruity, peppery, and beautifully balanced. Produced with a blend of tradition and innovation, it’s internationally celebrated for its purity and flavor—perfect for elevating any dish.
Oliviers & Co
Fratelli Grati’s extra virgin olive oil, crafted in the hills of Chianti Rufina, has earned international recognition for its purity and flavor. In France, it is proudly imported and distributed by Oliviers & Co, a renowned curator of the finest Mediterranean olive oils. Among their rigorous annual selection—where only a handful of oils are chosen from hundreds of artisanal producers—Grati’s olive oil stands out as one of the very best, celebrated for its vibrant character, impeccable freshness, and authentic Tuscan soul.
Global Recognition at the NYIOOC
Fratelli Grati’s extra virgin olive oil was honored at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the most prestigious international contest dedicated to olive oil quality. Held annually in New York, the NYIOOC brings together producers from over 30 countries, with thousands of entries judged by a panel of expert tasters. In the 2025 edition, Grati’s olive oil stood out among hundreds of submissions, earning a Gold Award for its exceptional flavor, purity, and craftsmanship.
Why is the NYIOOC an important recognition?
The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition is the most prestigious international competition for olive oil quality, where thousands of entries from over 30 countries are judged. Winning a Gold Award here places Fratelli Grati among the world’s elite olive oil producers!
What makes Fratelli Grati olive oil so special?
The oil is celebrated for its pure taste, vibrant character, impeccable freshness, and authentic Tuscan soul, derived from the traditional olive varieties Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Pendolino.”
For more information about Grati, their wines, olive oil and events they organize, take a look at their Facebook page or at the website:
Masottina’s award winning Prosecco
Masottina’s flagship Prosecco, the R.D.O. Levante 2024, has been honored with the prestigious Corona award by the ViniBuoni d’Italia 2026 guide.
Recognized as one of the best Italian sparkling wines after a tasting of over 30,000 entries, this Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG has also secured a coveted spot in the national TOP 300 finals.
Awards for Villa di Vetrice
Awards for Villa di Vetrice: their Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina 2005 has been awarded with a Gold Medal, Best of class at the Los Angeles Wine Competition 2025.
Gold Medal
Best of Class
Points
0
Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina
A masterpiece where freshness and elegance are combined with a thick mouthfeel
Fresh, focused and elegantly open with a thick and exquisite mouth-feel.
On the palate it shows harmonious, with oil, toffee, walnut, leather, caramel and dried apricot character. Dried fig and orange peel accents lead to an everlasting finish.
Well-known the perfect combination with cantucci (traditional almond biscuits from Tuscany) but very good also with other (nut based) cakes, liver-pate dishes and complex cheeses. thanks to its multiple layers, long finish, acidity and good structure.
Herebelow the list of all winners. You can find Villa di Vetrice’s in Santo on page 10.
How is the Vin Santo made?
The vinsantaio, where vinsanto is made, hangs full of grape bunches, quite appropriately above the family chapel at Villa Vetrice, as ‘vinsanto or vino santo‘ means ‘holy wine’.
In the Grati family, it is a tradition that began over a hundred years ago, with which the great secret of vinsanto, the madre (mother), is also over a century old.
The madre is an aromatic sediment of inactive fine lees. She, a natural yeast, is ‘eterna’, for ever, because each new production uses some of the old that has multiplied at the end of the process and is then kept again.
Healthy bunches of grapes were picked in mid-September, and hung in the vinsantaio to slowly dry out for over three months.
70% of the grapes are white, Malvasia and Trebbiano, 30% are blue, Sangiovese.
Vinsanto is made only in years with extremely healthy grape material.
Sulfur is lit daily in the vinsantaio to clean the air of insects and unwanted critters. There is also the game of windows, which are open during the day and closed again at night, depending on the weather. The grapes have to dry properly and slowly. As an extra help, only if needed, ventilators can be used.
In December or January, when 30% of the original volume remains, the grapes are pressed. The must is then put into clean caratelli, small wooden barrels, on top of the madre. The caratelli are then sealed with cement, while 25% of the space remains empty.
Fermentation starts slowly in March, while temperatures rise and stops with the heat in summer. For three years in a row. In winter, spontaneous clarification takes place, including the deposition of the madre.
The wine then remains in the unopened caratelli for at least ten years before being bottled.
Villa di Vetrice Vinsanto del Chianti Rùfina DOC comes with 17% alcohol and 100% class.
Discover the other wines of Villa di Vetrice: Chianti Rufina and Chianti Rufina Riserva.
Take a look at their Facebook page
Vinum: awards for Masseria Cuturi
Vinum awards for Masseria Cuturi
Continue readingAwards for Patrizia Cencioni
Awards for Patrizia Cencioni.
Continue readingVinum: awards for Agricola del Nudo
Vinum: awards for Agricola del Nudo.
GOLD Medal for their Crudelia 2024 at World of Rose’ competition.
Cheers!
Tasting notes:
“A light copper rosé. A full-bodied nose, with notes of almond, cinnamon, damp earth, candied orange peel, and acacia. On the palate, white apricot, a slender structure, and plenty of juice. The acidity permeates the entire palate, lending a flowing finish. A hint of lime juice. With aeration, the complexity increases on the nose and palate. An atypical rosé.“
Simple, Clear and Pure:
this is NUDO
The purpose
Nudo symbolizes “unvarnished, straightforward and purity”.
This is how the wine tastes: simple, clear and pure.
Sustainability is a top priority. Cultivated exclusively according to the rules of organic farming. The wines are fermented spontaneously. At Agricola del Nudo’s they only use sulphites in very small quantities and they only choose for the local grape varieties Vermentino, and Sangiovese but also Syrah.
The history
NUDO was born from the friendship between Stefano Bambagioni, a farmer from Maremma and Roland Krebser, a Swiss oenologist and is a project of the heart.
Stefano grew grapes using organic methods on his two-hectare vineyard. As an oenologist at a winery, Roland bought these grapes from him. That’s how they met in 2009 and that’s how the story began.
At first they only produced a small batch for families and friends. In the year 2012 the first major production of 3000 bottles for public sale started. Thanks to the wonderful cooperation and help of many friends, production was increased to a total of 24,000 bottles. Nevertheless, they have remained true to their philosophy.
The Wines: Excellent grapes from Maremma Tuscany
The wines are consistently grown and matured using organic methods. Great importance to collecting the entire harvest carefully by hand in small cassettes. The selection of the grapes takes place directly in the vineyard.
Vermentino Toscana, Rosato Toscana, Rosso Maremma Toscana, Rosso Costa Toscana
↓
Decanter 2025: the results are out
Decanter 2024: the results are out
Continue readingToscana Rosso IGT Materia Rossa
Toscana Rosso IGT Materia Rossa: La Casa dei Polpi, the special edition of Cantina LaSelva‘s Toscana Rossa IGT 2022.
A red wine with character – smooth and enveloping.
A special edition wine to support “The House of Octopuses” an initiative aimed at protecting these incredible inhabitants of the sea from intensive fishing using plastic traps.
This experimental project seeks to offer octopuses new shelters by permanently installing artificial dens on the seabed, made from eco-sustainable materials such as terracotta.
THE WINE
Grapes: Sangiovese, Merlot
Production area: Magliano in Toscana
Bottles produced: 16.000 bottles
Vinification: After gentle destemming and crushing, the grapes are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve their freshness and varietal character. Fermentation times and pump-over practices are carefully adjusted according to the specific traits of each grape. After fermentation, the wine matures in stainless steel tanks, allowing it to develop greater aromatic complexity and a clean, vibrant profile.
Flavour and aroma: Elegant and spicy with fresh notes of red berries. In the mouth it is soft, persistent and fresh at the end.
Pairings: pasta dishes with red sauces and meat sauce, red meat, spicy dishes.
Serving temperature: 18° C.
Certification: ICEA – Naturland Fair.
“Nothing taken away, nothing added”
This is the motto of Cantina LaSelva, founded in 1980 by Karl Egger.
Through his vision and work in developing LaSelva, Egger became one of the pioneers of organic farming in Europe. Karl Egger left his homeland, Munich, and moved to the south of Tuscany where he bought 7 hectares of land. Here he began to grow fruit and vegetables following the simple rules of nature: a choice that led him ten years later to give birth to the organic farming association, Naturland.
In 1984 LaSelva became the first Naturland-certified business beyond German borders.
In Maremma
Cantina LaSelva is located in a unique place, nestled in the south of Tuscany and surrounded by untamed nature. The varied landscape ranges from the woods of a regional park to medieval villages, and then on to the sea. These are places where you can discover ancient traditions and enjoy true beauty in every season. Maremma is also the birthplace of Tuscan viticulture, with its origins dating back to the Etruscans and their sophisticated civilisation.
The microclimate of the Maremma hills has always brought out the best qualities of Sangiovese grapes, which are used to make wines like Morellino di Scansano – known and loved throughout the world. The combination of minerals, lime, marl and limestone – combined with the coastal influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea – form the basis for opulent, soft red wines and for savoury white wines with a strong personality.
Strictly Organic
Even in the winery, they process the grapes without using unnecessary additives.
They apply organic concepts and adopt the most advanced technologies in temperature control, fermentation, pumping over and delicate punching down.
More info? Take a look at their website →
Falstaff awards for Masseria Cuturi
Falstaff Toscana Centrale Trophy 2025: awards for Fattoria Ambra
Continue reading