Designer wineries and rare vineyards

Italian winemaking is simply exciting. It goes from native grapes grown by the sea in Gallura, to those which have their own roots on the mountain peaks of the Aosta Valley, a stone’s throw from the sky. Not to mention the designer wineries signed by the greatest superstars of the time from Mario Botta to Renzo Piano, to Tobia Scarpa, just to name a few.

Tuscany, Petra Winery. Close to the ancient village of Suvereto, on the ferrous hills of the Val di Cornia where you can see as far as the Tyrrhenian Sea, the magic of Petra is continuously caressed by winds that revive vine-growing and oenological memories dating back to the Greeks and the Etruscans

Tuscany is the region where, since the first half of the 90s, ‘designer’ projects have been mainly concentrated: from the futuristic Petra by the Terra Moretti Group in Suvereto to Tenuta Rocca di Frassinello in Maremma and then Ca’ Marcanda (Gaja) in Bolgheri and the ‘headquarters’ of the entire group Marchesi Antinori in San Casciano Val di Pesa.

Tuscany, Rocca di Frassinello. Designed by Renzo Piano

Located in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast just south of Livorno, Ca’Marcanda represents Gaja’s wish to bring its expertise and experience in the production of high-quality and world-class wines to Tuscany. Camarcanda, an excellent Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend, is among Gaja’s flagship wines and its fresh and harmonious flavor can satisfy the most demanding palates

San Casciano Val di Pesa. The Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico. The winery, inaugurated on October 25th 2012, represents the Antinori family’s love and passion for the Chianti Classico hillsides and reflects the centuries-old bond with their ancestral territory.

The Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Cellar is constructed to offer the possibility of observing how a wine is born from the vineyard to the bottle

Antinori Wines. Pèppoli Chianti Classico, Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva, Vin Santo Chianti Classico

Not only Tuscany lifestyle, because a few steps from Porto Cervo, the new cellar Surrau brings the most modern and innovative image of Sardinia all over the world: the art winery. Transparent walls, different types of wood and local stone are the scenery of wine tasting and vernissage (housed in the gallery).

Sardinia, Porto Cervo. Vigne Surrau’s winery overlooks a property of more than 50 hectares of land covered by vineyards. The project interprets the cellar as a workplace which transforms a product of the land through visible processes, which guarantee genuineness and quality. The architectural project is the result of a harmonious research between building and nature. The building in fact is realized by a sequence of transparent façades and local stone walls which meld with the land. — Sardinia, Porto Cervo. Vigne Surrau’s winery overlooks a property of more than 50 hectares of land covered by vineyards. The architectural project is the result of a harmonious research between building and nature. The building in fact is realized by a sequence of transparent façades and local stone walls which meld with the land.

On the other side of the island, in Sulcis Iglesiente, the famous creative Gavino Sanna created the ‘wine Tiffany’. Cantina Mesa is a minimalist gem which reinterprets the symbol of the Sardinian culture: the nuraghe (type of ancient megalithic edifice). In this corner of south-west Sardinia, Cannonau and Carignano (two tradizional vines) are the masters, and the Cantina di Santadi matches them to the jazz with the CMX festival.

Sardinia, Carbonia Iglesias, Mesa Wine Cellar

Mesa. Special Wines: Gioiamia, classic method, quality sparkling wine, brut style, Orodoro, white wine from semi-dried grapes. Red Wines: Buio, red wine Carignano del Sulcis D.o.c, Poco Moro, red wine Cannonau di Sardegna D.o.c

The landscape and architectural context among the most fascinating in the world join the discovery and exploitation of historical, native and often rare vines. After being almost extinct in the Second World War, the Vermentino Nero is now the protagonist of interesting interpretations thanks to forward-thinking producers from Tuscany and Liguria. Paolo and Lucio Bosoni owners of the cellars Lunae in Ortonovo (La Spezia), for example, offer it in purity in the rosé Mea Rosa Riviera di Levante IGT.

La Spezia, Lvnae Wine. Mea Rosa Liguria di Levante I.G.T. (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) Rosé Grapes, Vermentino Nero and Etichetta Nera Colli di Luni D.o.c. Pure Vermentino — La Spezia, Lvnae Wine. Mea Rosa Liguria di Levante I.g.t. Rosé Grapes Vermentino Nero and Etichetta Nera Colli di Luni D.o.c. Pure Vermentino

Marco Sferlazzo is betting on an ancient Sicilian vineyard: Perricone, raised at 600 meters above sea level in Camporeale (Palermo). Organic farming, no selected yeasts and white vinification (and not to drain) for Maquè Rosé Porta del Vento, a product that comes out of the box: fresh and mineral with notes of Mediterranean scrub.

Palermo, Porta del Vento. Perricone, raised at 600 meters above sea level in Camporeale

The Porta del Vento wine estate is situated in a valley forming part of the Valdibella (Camporeale) district in the province of Palermo, in the Alcamo and Monreale DOC appellation areas. Ten hectares were planted to vine between 1974 and 1984 in a vineyard – the highest of the province – having a light sandy soil resting above a sandstone crust. Expert farmers aligned the vines in rows along the steep slopes, orienting them northwards, in order to protect from too much sun. The area is very windy with great day-night temperature swings.

Palermo, Marco Sferlazzo, Porta del Vento. Maquè Rosè. Vinified as a white wine, soft pressing in a hydraulic press immediately after harvesting, fermentation in stainless steel vats under controlled temperatures — Palermo, Marco Sferlazzo, Porta del Vento vineyards and Maquè wine Rosè. Vinified as a white wine, soft pressing in a hydraulic press immediately after harvesting, fermentation in stainless steel vats under controlled temperatures

The discovery of Enotria ends in Tramonti, in the heart of the park of Monti Lattari. The ungrafted century-old vines of the company Monte di Grazia offer identity and unique nectars. Tintore, Piedirosso, Bianca tenera, Ginestra and Pepella express in every wine glass the soul of the Amalfi Coast.