5 Star Wines-The Book 2025, the list of selected wines is recently published. Some of our associated producers have a place in this guide.
Continue reading5StarWines – The Book 2026
Falstaff awards for Fattoria Ambra
Falstaff Toscana Centrale Trophy 2025: awards for Fattoria Ambra
Continue readingWine Enthusiast’s awards for Weingut Klaus Lentsch
Wine Enthusiast’s awards for Weingut Klaus Lentsch: 93 Pts to Lagrein Riserva, 91 Pts to Pinot Bianco Weissberg, 90 Pts to Pinot Noir Bachgart 2021 and Grüner Veltliner 2022.
LAGREIN RISERVA
AMPERG 2021
“A beautiful bouquet of ripe strawberries, raspberries and juicy plums, adorned with a lavish array of rose and violet petals.
This wine is a lively charer, with a soid structure and a zesty attitude. Savory notes of gane, thyme and black pepper mingle with the vibrant cherry and cranberry fruit on the fiish, creating a delightful and well-balance experience.”
Jeff Porter
PINOT BIANCO RISERVA WEISSBERG 2022
” TAromas of roasted whole appels, flint, granite and pressed flowers set athe stage for this Pinot Bianco. Flavors of apple and pear unfolding gradually, as a nutty richness gives the wine more breadth. Taut and structured for the long haul”
Jeff Porter
GRÜNER VELTLINER EISACKTALER EICHBERG 2022
” This Grüner Veltliner from a warm vintage reveals its character with bold, peppery spice abs a robust structure,The glass displays hints of green apple and a touch of warmth, while the palate is marked by firm tannins and a spicy, invigorating profile.It’s a substantial wine with a vibrant edge, reflecting its rich growing season”
Jeff Porter
PINOT NOIR
BACHGART 2021
“Notes of blackberry, plum and cloves jump from the glass, layered with hints of dried thyme ad rosemary. The palate is lean yet firm, with focused structure. Bright sour cherry and pomegranate deliver a tangy finish that adds energy and intrigue. This wine wil reward patience.”
Jeff Porter
WEINGUT KLAUS LENTSCH
“Art in a bottle,
happiness in a glass”
Klaus Lentsch built his headquarters in 2013, amidst the vineyards of St. Pauls / Eppan. The spacious new winery stands out with its clean lines against the lush greenery surrounding it.
It’s an inviting place to explore the diverse wines of the Eisack Valley, Überetsch, and Unterland.
These are the perfect conditions for Klaus Lentsch to implement his high quality standards.
For Klaus Lentsch, a wine enthusiast, the pursuit of quality begins directly at the vine in the vineyard. Perfection and attention to detail then continue in the cellar and in marketing at the Amperg wine shop, as well as to his customers worldwide.
Learn more…take a look at their website
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Casalfarneto’s awards update
Casalfarneto awards update:
Berliner Wine Trophy awarded the Otto Borghi 2022, Crisio 2021 and Luigi Primo 2021 with Gold Medals and the Primo Ancestrale 2024 with a Silver Medal.
Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot.
The grape varieties are harvested and vinified separately.
It is a wine of remarkable structure and elegance, soft and powerful at the same time.
Crisio comes out of different stages and moments. This quality division into phases allows, with patience and anticipation, to create a harmonious and unique wine, which goes back to its origins thanks to a process of separation for a perfect result. It is a great “Verdicchio Riserva”, very long-lived, which can be uncorked even after eight to ten year of l
Luigi Primo 2021
Beautiful dark colour with purple reflections. Rich nose marked by vanilla oak, cherry, menthol and a stony undertone. Lovely full-bodied structure on the palate, firm and heady, with very promising juvenile fragrances.
Wine obtained from a vinification with natural, not induced refermentation in bottle called “ancestral”.
Aroma of good intensity, fresh, citrusy with fruity notes of green apple, cedar and aromatic herbs. On the palate savory, fresh and crisp.
Winery Timeline
1995
2005
TOGNI GROUP ACQUIRES THE WINE COMPANY OF 60 ACRES AND BEGINS THE BUILDING OF THE NEW WINERY. A GRADUAL RENEWAL OF ALL THE VINEYARDS COMMENCES. THE PRODUCTION EXPANDS WITH THE ADDITION OF RED WINES, BASED ON MONTEPULCIANO, SANGIOVESE, MERLOT, AND CABERNET GRAPES.
2012
FROM THE COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN OENOLOGIST FRANCO BERNABEI CRISIO, CASALFARNETO PRODUCTION IS BORN AND, WITH IT, THE FIRST AWARDS: IT GETS AWARDED BY THE PRETIGIOUS ITALIAN WINE GUIDE “GAMBERO ROSSO”, WITH THREE GLASS ICONS.
2017
CASALFARNETO WINE ESTATE DECIDES TO CONTINUE TO GROW AUTONOMOUSLY CUTTING THE CORD FROM THE FAMILY BUSINESS, STRONG IN PAOLO TOGNI’S KNOW-HOW AND BUSINESS EXPERIENCE OF FORTY YEARS
The Winery: CASALFARNETO, GETTING TO KNOW VERDICCHIO WINE
In Le Marche region, in between the sea and the Apennines, one of the most beautiful hilly landscapes of Ancona’s province unfolds – it’s the land of prestigious wines such as Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Here, with its 35 acres of vineyard, CasalFarneto Wine Estate is located, where technology, tradition and sustainability combine to produce wines of excellence. Under the shade of Farnetto oaks, from which the Estate gets its name, the farmhouse boasts the cultivation of white and red grapes, with particular attention to organic wine.
Technology and Nature: DESIGN IMMERSED IN THE GREEN
Aesthetics and functionality is the perfect blend in eco-architecture. CasaFarneto Wine Estate is the clear example of an eco-sustainable approach towards nature and the surrounding area. In the headland of Le Marche harmonious hills, the winery, mainly built of stone and wood, has been partly erected underground, blending itself with the landscape’s architecture and its colours. In this sense, Architect Nazzareno Petrini worked according to an aesthetic criterion that could enhance both the landscape and the winery with its winemaking technologies. As an example, the winery has been entirely covered by a roof garden planted to vines allowing for a double experience: the pleasant visual continuity with the landscape and a constant underground temperature at 18-20°C where the barrels and tanks are located. Inside, in line with the low environmental impact of the vineyards, technology couples up with natural processing methods to ensure purity in the wines and in the eco-system. CasalFarneto’s effort to reduce impact on the air, vineyard, land and environment makes it gain the definition of a “technological farm” – a place where to envisage the future of winemaking starting from the tradition.
The People: ROOTS IN THE FUTURE
For a decade, CasalFarneto has been managed alongside the Togni Group allowing its wine production to make good use of technical and entrepreneurial know-how, which has been vital to grow a business nurtured by strong effort and great passion for wine. Local geography, quality and innovation are a triple value aiming to propose a unique product to the consumer. The strong personality of CasalFarneto wines is the result of on-going experimentation retelling Le Marche winegrowing tradition in an increasingly more modern and biological key.
“To us, wine must represent the “terroir” and its culture. Each bottle expresses land, tradition, culture and work. It often becomes the souvenir of a pleasant holiday to remember, like a good old postcard to oneself or friends.”
Paolo Togni
Head of the family business
Discover Casalfarneto….
Mundus Vini Spring tasting 2025
Mundus Vini Spring tasting 2025
Continue readingWine Enthusiast: outstanding ratings for Monzio Compagnoni
Wine Enthusiast: outstanding ratings for Monzio Compagnoni.
Wine Enthusiast rated the Franciacorta Rose aAlla Moda and the Brut alla Moda with respectively 94 and 93 Points.
Cellar Selections are highly collectible: a curated collection of wines that amazed us this year with their extraordinary quality and potential.
Franciacorta Brut Rose Alla Moda
Franciacorta Rose Alla Moda is the rosé version of Monzio Compagnoni’s classic.
A different way to enjoy our way of making wine and to understand who we are and what brought us here.
This is the rosé version of Monzio Compagnoni’s classic.
A different way to enjoy our way of making wine and to understand who we are and what brought us here.
Blend: 35% Chardonnay , 65% Pinot Noir
Type of flavour: Brut (up to 4 gr./ lt.
Method: Champenoise
Alcohol content: 12.5°
Franciacorta Brut Alla Moda
Franciacorta Brut Alla Moda reflects the style of our cellar and is the perfect representation of Monzio Compagnoni’s philosophy: a wine of character, immutable over time, with a strong, recognisable, unique identity.
Color: straw yellow with a slight hint of green, abundant foam and extremely fine perlage.
Bouquet: there are clear, sustained floral hints alongside the traditional bread crust and more delicate hints of peach and apple, and it has remarkable freshness and minerality.
Taste: Initial sensation of freshness with notes of grapefruit and tangerine and a final toasty note.
Type of flavour: Brut (up to 4 gr./ lt.
Method: Champenoise
Alcohol content: 12.5°
30 years of work, experience and passion
In a cellar surrounded by nature, among the splendid hills of Franciacorta, the passion for wine was born. Here, where the climate is mild and the terroir is inimitable, the winery has brought technical wisdom and entrepreneurial art to create a dynamic, fresh and true collection.
Authenticity, quality, tradition: thanks to the combination of these elements, these Franciacorta and other wines have a concrete, recognizable character, which perfectly embodies winery’s philosophy.
30 hectares in the Franciacorta region with vineyards of Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco in Adro, Nigoline and Cologne.
3 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet and Moscato in Brusaporto.
Check their website and discover more about Monzio Compagnoni →
Carmignano: small appellation, Great wines
Carmignano: small appellation, Great wines
The production of Carmignano goes back to the Etruscan times.
It was established in 1716 by the proclamation “Above the Declaration of the Borders of the four Regions of Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Val d’Arno di Sopra” issued by Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici in which the boundaries of the wine-growing areas were set.
In 1975, thanks to the initiative of the winemakers of Carmignano, it obtained the DOC and in 1990 the DOCG.
Carmignano wine is obtained largely from the Sangiovese grape variety combined with Canaiolo Nero (max. 20%), Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (10-20%) and a possible addition of white grapes (max. 10%) of the Trebbiano Toscano, Canaiolo Bianco and Malvasia del Chianti grape varieties.
The windy climate and the high temperature ranges, the well-distributed rainfall even in the summer period make the Carmignano area particularly suitable for growing vines, favoring the ripening of the grapes. The resulting wine is structured with a fine and intense bouquet, which lends itself well to aging (according to the regulations, 10 months of aging in oak and/or chestnut barrels are mandatory, and 12 months for the Carmignano Riserva DOCG).
We are glad to inform you that Fattoria Ambra‘s Carmignano Montalbiolo Riserva 2020 is among the best Carmignano, according to Gambero Rosso.
“The wine has richness and structure, maintaining a dynamic, taut and wide-ranging sip, accompanied by an intense and well-focused aromatic baggage.
Fattoria Ambra has belonged to the Romei Rigoli family since the end of the nineteenth century. And today it is run by Giuseppe Rigoli, together with his wife Susan and his nephew Fabio Marzotti. The vineyards, cultivated mainly with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Canaiolo, are located in some of the most significant areas of the Carmignano denomination: Montalbiolo, Elzana, Santa Cristina in Pilli, Montefortini and Podere Lombarda and are managed organically.”
source: gamberorosso.it
Learn more about Fattoria Ambra and their precious wines…
…take a look at their website.
Awards for Pertinace
Awards for Pertinace: Winescritic.com rated the Barbaresco 2021 with 90 Points.
Review:
“slightly muted on the sensory profile, it reveals notes of black plums, black tea leaves, juniper berries, sandalwood, cumin, and nutmeg. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins and a pleasantly long finish”“
– Raffaele Vecchione –
Winescritic.com
THE WINE
Denomination: Barbaresco DOCG
Exposure: South, South-East, South-West
Grapes: Nebbiolo
Vinification: 40-60 days in steel tanks with submerged cap. Temperature controlled
Tasting notes:
Garnet red with ruby reflex colour, intense aroma with pepper, chocolate and liquorice; Harmonious and velvety taste with soft tannins.
Suggested with savoury dishes, grilled meats and cheese.
Garnet red with ruby reflex colour, intense aroma with pepper, chocolate and liquorice; Harmonious and velvety taste with soft tannins.
Suggested with savoury dishes, grilled meats and cheese.
THE PRODUCER
Pertinace is a coop.
20 business partners and friends who work together to produce high quality wines with a pop soul since 1973. We are masters in the vinification of Barbaresco. Why do we do it? Because in our roots wine has always been a symbol of friendship, laughs and good memories. Making you feel at home is our added value from the first sip.
The winery is located in Località Pertinace, in Treiso, in the heart of the Langhe hills. This area is also known as the birthplace of Publio Elvio Pertinace, roman emperor, historically recognized as leader of great moral and value and as a honest man. The values of the emperor inspired Mario Barbero and his friends/partners, in 1973, to establish the winery and give it such an important name recognized today internationally.
The focus of the production is mainly Nebbiolo based, ideal for the production of the famous Barbaresco.
Over the years, production and sales have recorded notable growth, leading us to significantly expand the structure: the cellar, the wine-shop and the packaging department have been extended to accomodate the growing demand, guaranteeing the same quality that has distinguished us from the beginning.
Pertinace, originally with 13 members all coming from the Treiso area, today is a cooperative with 20 members. The goal is the cultivation of superior quality vineyards, to offer labels of great prestige and elegance to the market.
Zenato: awards by WEINWIRTSCHAFT
Zenato awards by WEINWIRTSCHAFT, the magazine for all professionally responsible buyers and sellers of wine in Germany.
We are proud to announce an important international recognition for Zenato‘s wines: the prestigious German magazine “Weinwirtschaft” has ranked the Ripassa, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Superiore, as the 3rd best Italian red wine and the 6th best red in the world.
The Lugana DOC S. Cristina, on the other hand, ranked 37 in the list of the best whites in the world.
Zenato. The soul of Lugana and the Heart of Valpolicella.
Two faces: One white, the other red, both emblems of high-quality wines that are born through a visceral passion for the land, through respect for time, through a family tradition that has championed local grape varieties for 60 years.
The Story
Zenato: the story of a family that firmly planted its roots in the land. It was made possible thanks to the passion and entrepreneurial vision of the estate’s founder, Sergio, who managed to fulfill his greatest dream: to create a winery capable of harvesting the fruits of the earth and transform them into emotions with matchless flavor.
Today, more than 60 years later, the results are testament to his extraordinary vision. A wonderful story took shape thanks to his vision and today its star is his family: Wife Carla and children Alberto and Nadia.
Their eyes and their heart continue down the path that Sergio laid out with great clarity as he steadied the course toward quality and love for their land. Over time, that land wasn’t just Lugana but also Valpolicella, with its celebrated red wines and their matchless aromas.
Valpolicella
Taking over the Costalunga estate, in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, Sergio Zenato wanted to measure himself in a new venture, after making the most out of his Lugana vineyards: to make it a model vineyard, beautiful to look at, cared for in every detail, in which to apply modern agronomic techniques and at the same time resume the traditional methods that had defined the Valpolicella landscape.
In a thorough manner, Sergio Zenato drew the distribution on the land of the vines selected for the production of the different wines, going so far as to indicate the direction of the rows so that the vines could receive maximum benefits from the sun. He took special care to make the soil work well to achieve a dry and permeable soil without water retention.
A passionate dedication that we read in the construction of the characteristic dry-stone walls, at first sight elegant support structures, in actual fact an efficient containment system that guarantees the vine the three fundamental elements it needs: the warmth of the sun and the ventilation of air and water thanks to the gaps existing between the stones of the walls and the flaky crumbles of the subsurface.
Lugana
“Sergio Zenato manicured the morainic hills for years, from the most strategic observation point on Lake Garda in Peschiera. His reflection was cast over the largest body of blue in Italy. And since the 1960s, he saw in Trebbiano di Lugana something that few others had intuited: that the color, aromas, and favors of the white wine it produced could travel the world.”
In the flash of an eye and the wonder of Lake Garda is all there: in the beauty of the landscape; in the naturalist, historic, and artistic value of the land; in the mild climate.
The secret of Trebbiano di Lugana, a native grape variety planted on the southern banks of Lake Garda, is hidden in its origins.
With the backdrop of this pristine setting, the gates of the Santa Cristina estate open up on to a broad road with elegant red rose bushes on either side. They are the silent sentinels to whom the Zenato family has entrusted their rows of vines.
All of the incredible things that have happened in this little corner of the world are thanks to the extraordinary intuition and entrepreneurial power of a grape grower who was in love with his land and absolutely convinced of the quality of the wines that only this land could produce. It all began with a white wine, Lugana: Sergio Zenato’s Challenge and Dream since the 1960s.
Vitae 2025: awards for Borgo Maragliano
Vitae 2025: awards for Borgo Maragliano: Associazione Italiana Sommelier awarded the Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Dogma 2019 with 4 Viti.
Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Dogma 2019
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Training System: Low Guyo
TASTING NOTES:
A fine and intense perlage and persistent foam generate a flurry of colours ranging from greenish yellow to the copper nuance typical of a sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir grapes. The olfactory panorama is elegant and precious with notes of musk, humus and citrus fruits mixed with hints of brushwood, tobacco, leather and notes of eucalyptus. An elegantly balanced, rich, full palate with a foam that envelops despite the fact that this is a pas-dosé sparkling wine. An explosive finish with a vinous vein elevates it without question to the status of Auteur Wine.
DETERMINATION AND VISIONARY SPIRIT
Five generations of farmers who have learned to watch the sky and cope with the unpredictability of the climate and natural events.
The first written records of the family date back to an entry in the church registers in 1790, recording the birth of Giovanni, progenitor of the Galliano family, an enterprising, determined and brilliant man who was very proud of his home.
It was 1850 when he decided to purchase the first plot of land in the municipality of Loazzolo. Giovanni had travelled widely, giving him an opportunity to broaden his horizons, and his entrepreneurial mind was filled with the belief that cultivating vines was the way forward
It was the beginning of the twentieth century; a time described as very bitter in the works of Cesare Pavese, which left its mark on the history of the little village of Loazzolo and the Galliano family.
Giovanni’s grandson Carlo died, leaving his wife Teresa to bring up her two young children alone, Giuseppe and Anna Maria. Teresa, obstinate and hard-working, coped with every adversity and never once gave in to the temptation to “run away” from this unfortunate area.
Giuseppe encouraged his son Carlo to study Oenology in Alba and, spurred on by his father, he immediately set to work on the vinification of one of the Langa’s greatest grapes, Moscato.
His passion and dedication knew no ends.
The experience of the generations that had gone before him was reflected in his work, along with the desire for innovation in both the vineyard and the cellar: he challenged his land and himself, attempting something that had never been tried before in these soils dedicated to the cultivation of Moscato and becoming the first producer of a Traditional Method Sparkling Wine using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The unique pedoclimate proved him right.
Today, Borgo Maragliano is a cellar that is looking to the future once again, through the eyes of the new generation, represented by Carlo and Silvia’s sons: Giovanni, Francesco and Federico.
THE VINEYARDS
The sea wind and millions of years of erosion and geological evolution have given these places an extraordinary microclimate and ideal conditions for the cultivation of vines in the high hills.
Thanks to the mixture of flora and fauna, the woods represent an important basin of oxygen and balance necessary for eco-friendly viticulture.
Every vineyard has its own particular characteristics in terms of exposure, altitude and soil composition. Each one occupies an optimal position, and is between 35 and 65 years old
More info?
Take a look at the website and follow the producer on the socials