Italy’s modern-day Garden of Paradise is found just outside the gates of Verona at Azienda Agricola Musella. Encompassing more than 1,000 acres of forestland where olive and fruit trees share space with grape vines and ancient churches and cozy cottages dot the banks of a meandering river, this inspiring biodynamic estate is a regional treasure.
The Portaz family since the early 1980s have cared for Jacquère vines in their native Chapareillan in Savoie, a mountainous region not far from the Italian border. Their top wine is ‘Apremont,’ a tribute to the raw power of nature that dominates this breathtakingly beautiful corner of France. The combination of cheese fondue and white Jacquère wine is a Savoyard specialty.
Winemakers Olivier and Bruno Bererd know that the secret to the finest Beaujolais is all about location. The village of Le Perréon shares much of the same rugged, mineral-rich soils, high-altitude vineyards, and older, low-yielding vines as its cru neighbors.
Marie-Ange represents the fourth generation of vine growers in the family. It was her father Guy who slowly, parcel by parcel, purchased vineyards in the 1960s; yet it is Marie-Ange who has brought the winery to a level of greatness for which it was always destined. Simply put, there are few other Chablis estates with such a rich collection of older vines and as a result, few other estates that deliver Chablis wines of such character and complexity.
Carso, or the Karst region, is a formidable limestone plateau that reaches from northeastern Italy into southwestern Slovenia. In this breathtaking yet rustic corner of Italy, grape vines share space with wild forest and family farms. The Skerlj (scare-lee) family for generations has worked the land here, raising pigs and grain, and crafting natural wines that capture the region’s indomitable spirit.
The appellation of Graves de Vayres is historically renowned for its silky, full-flavored wines. The region’s unique, sandy terroir is what gives wines their fine-grained texture, a characteristic that is expressed fully in Pontête Bellgrave’s elegant, silky blend.
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or has for decades been the collector’s choice for expressive and memorable wines from Burgundy’s most hallowed terroirs. This historic estate is one of the Burgundian elite, in a similar realm of such exclusive wineries like Romanée-Conti and Comte de Vogüé, with its strict selection and seamless winemaking.
Azienda Agricola Ca’Vittoria is a small Prosecco estate that has earned its spot at the top of Italy’s finest, with its mountain vineyards, estate-grown grapes and peerless quality in each bottle. All hand-harvested grapes used to craft Ca’Vittoria Prosecco are estate grown—a unique situation that few other Prosecco estates can match.
The history of the Ricasoli-Firidolfi family in Tuscany is a rich tapestry of kings and statesmen, its fabric woven together with the vine. For more than 37 generations, this ancient family has cultivated grapes and crafted wines in Monti in Chianti, the “very best area” of Chianti Classico, according to Antonio Galloni.
Oftentimes discovering one’s true calling requires a leap of faith. Stella di Campalto found hers in an abandoned farm and winery in Montalcino, land that she restored to vibrant life with her own hands.