“I 100 migliori vini e vignaioli d’Italia” by “Corriere della Sera” rewards winemakers’ “actions”

The first goal of a wine producer, is to make good, quality wines that tell something, able to stand on the market and give economic sustainability to the company, without which, social and environmental sustainability cannot become concrete. Yet, more and more wineries, alone or in networks, are pursuing projects that go far beyond wine production. Social projects, of inclusion and support for people who have been less fortunate than others, in life, but also environmental projects, aimed at the care of the territory, far beyond the boundaries of the companies themselves, and cultural projects. Projects, signed by producers such as Marco Caprai, business groups such as SoStain Sicilia or the Giovani Viticoltori Canavesani, and associative and cultural realities such as “G.r.a.s.p.o” or the Modigliana-Stella dell’Appennino Association, to which are dedicated the “special awards” of the “Corriere della Sera” Guide “I 100 migliori vini e vignaioli d’Italia”, edited by Luciano Ferraro, deputy editor of the No. 1 newspaper in Italy, and, for the first time, by James Suckling, one of the most influential wine critics in the world, on newsstands from today, together with the newspaper.
“This year we did not award the producers with the best wines, but people who have committed themselves to social or common actions”, Luciano Ferraro explains, to WineNews. And so, the “Ethical Winemaker” award went to the king of Sagrantino di Montefalco, Marco Caprai for his project “Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration”, with which the Umbrian winery has chosen to help those fleeing wars, and for which it has already been awarded, the only one in Italy, by UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees (as WineNews reported here, for giving more than 200 asylum seekers a job in the winery, thus fostering integration, so much so that a good part, 6 out of 10, have remained working in the winery).
“Marco Caprai, the man who has been fighting for more than 30 years in Montefalco to raise the fame and quality of Sagrantino, has shown that hospitality”, according to the motivations for the award, “can be transformed into a benefit for his winery, thanks to a project started in 2016 with Caritas of Foligno. Started in a whisper, this recruitment has become a staple of life around the hill between Assisi and Spoleto. Refugees are hired as farm workers, with all the paperwork in order, then follow from pruning vines to picking grapes. They work up to 180 days a year. The company was founded in 1971 by Arnaldo Caprai, a textile entrepreneur. His son Marco took the helm in 1988”.
The “Green Winemakers” award, on the other hand, went “to those who team up for the environment”, namely SoStain Sicilia, a foundation that, in a pioneering way, in the area of sustainability, as we have often recounted, has been able to pool best practices “aimed at respecting the ecosystem, stimulating research and higher education to develop a culture of sustainability, orienting production and consumption models to increase awareness of the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. “A virtuous alliance of Sicilian wineries born under the aegis of Consorzio Sicilia and Assovini”, explains Ferraro and Suckling’s guide, “which brings together 37 companies: from Tasca d’Almerita to Baglio d'oro, Cottanera, Cusumano, Donnafugata, Feudi del Pisciotto, Firriato, Le Casematte, Pellegrino, Planeta, Rapitalà, Settesoli and Tornatore. Alberto Tasca D’Almerita (leading the 600-hectare estate with his brother Giuseppe) is the foundation’s president. The wineries follow precise rules: chemical weeding is banned, plant treatments must have an impact equal to or less than those required for organic, energy use and bottle weight must be reduced, to pollute less”.
Again, it is an award “to courage and endurance”, that for “Vintners of the Year”, which went to the Modigliana-Stella dell’Appennino Association. “Their vineyards were swallowed by the earth, swept away by landslides, destroyed by storm and hail. Mogligliana, the town in the Apennines that is reviving mountain Sangiovese, was the symbol, in spite of itself, of the flood that hit Emilia Romagna in particular on May 16 and 17, 2023. The winemakers showed courage and tenacity: they never stopped. They saved what could be saved for a vintage that will remain in memory. Their proof of resilience is a warning for the interventions needed to counter climate change. For the past few years Modigliana’s new spirit of revenge has found its incubator in the Stella dell’Appennino association. Mostly thanks to agronomist Francesco Bordini (he runs the Villa Papiano winery with his family) and journalist Giorgio Melandri, who has become a winemaker with the Mutiliana label. The poor, sandy soils, children of marl and sandstone, have been ennobled”.
Tied to “solidarity among wine youngsters”, on the other hand, is the award for “Young Winemakers”, given to the “Giovani Vignaioli Canavesani”. “They are all under 40, raised on the same land, with identical passion for the vines of the area, Erbaluce and Carema. They lend a hand to each other, share experiences, and sometimes even agricultural equipment. By making a pact to keep up the viticultural history of the area, on the border between Piedmont and Val d’Asta, guaranteeing the right price of the bottles. Because before being cellar neighbors”, it states, “they are friends who tell each other frankly what they think about their wines. All this is the Giovani Vignaioli Canavesani association, which organizes the ReWine Canavese event in Ivrea each year. Founded in 2020 by a group of 10 wineries run by young winemakers, it now has 24 members, totaling 52 hectares and more than 82,000 bottles. The president is a producer from Carema, Gian Marco Viano, the only Italian on the list of the 50 Next, the under-35s who are changing the future of gastronomy according to World’s 50 Best and Basque Culinary Center”.
Dedicated to those who “honor biodiversity”, finally, is the “Enological Research” award, which went to the “Graspo” association, leading a project we told you about on WineNews, also in this video. “The name, in Venetian dialect, means bunch. The association, based in Verona, chose it as an acronym for the Sustainable Ampelographic Research Group for the Preservation of Wine Biodiversity. The aim is to bring back to life, producing mini quantities of wine, grape varieties that have gone into oblivion. The founders are Aldo Lorenzoni, former director of the Soave Consortium, and Luigino Bertolazzi, an oenologist. Instead of retiring, the de facto pair of lost grape varieties has produced dozens of researches on plants with forgotten names: Brepona, Perlara, Pontedara and Turchetta, to name a few. The association of vine hunters debuted at Vinitaly 2023, but the search for ancient plants began two decades ago, when Lorenzoni and Bertolazzi worked on Saccola, a red grape variety found at 700 meters above sea level. This association confirms that Italy’s viticultural richness is unparalleled in the world”.
Different projects, but, in their own way, emblematic of all that wine can be, far beyond the goblet and the bottle. “A group of flood victims and a man who helps those fleeing wars. A club that revives unknown plants, a fellowship of young people working the land, a network of entrepreneurs focusing on sustainability. There is also all this in the world. Away from the spotlight of ceremonies, from the United States to Italy, where hundreds of certificates, diplomas and medals are distributed each year. Corriere della Sera’s guide, “I 100 migliori vini e vignaioli d’Italia”, this year rewards not winemakers, explains Luciano Ferraro, but their actions. The gestures of courage, resistance, solidarity and commitment. The world of wine cannot be a closed maso in which to celebrate the successes of an industry that exports nearly eight billion euros. That is why it is necessary to tell the story of the protagonists of the “Renaissance” of Italian wine. But it is equally necessary to bring out the virtuous behaviors, because even wineries have to deal with the changing climate and wars that modify the geography of consumption and the cost of raw materials. The choice, then, is to reward not those who produce the best wine, but those who even in this area are committed in some way to their community and the environment, beyond individual business choices. For years it has been said that the Italian wine world lacks the ability to team up. These five stories prove otherwise”.

Focus - The wines of the guide “I 100 migliori vini e vignaioli d’Italia” by “Corriere della Sera”, signed by Luciano Ferraro and James Suckling

Score 100/100
Barolo Cannubi Riserva 1752 2016 - Damilano
Falletto Barbaresco Rabajà 2020 - Bruno Giacosa

Score 99/100
Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 2020 - Gaja
Barolo Brunate 2019 - Roberto Voerzio
Maremma Toscana Saffredi 2021 - Fattoria Le Pupille
Merlot Toscana La Ricolma 2018 - San Giusto a Rentennano
Toscana 2020 - Masseto
Toscana Colore 2021 - Bibi Graetz
Toscana Redigaffi 2021 - Tua Rita
Toscana Volta di Bertinga 2019 - Bertinga

Score 98/100
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sergio Zenato Riserva 2017 - Zenato
Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta 2017 - Dal Forno Romano
Barolo Bricco Rocche 2019 - Ceretto
Barolo Brunate 2019 - Vietti
Barolo Cannubi 2019 - Elio Altare
Barolo Mosconi 2019 - Pio Cesare
Bolgheri Superiore 2020 - Ornellaia
Brunello di Montalcino Giovanni Neri 2018 - Casanova di Neri
Brunello di Montalcino Zodiac Riserva 2016 - Castiglion del Bosco
Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino 2021 - Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Merlot Toscana Sette 2020 - Tenuta Sette Ponti
Recioto di Soave Classico Col Foscarin 2016 - Gini
Terre Siciliane Contrada R 2021 - Passopisciaro
Toscana Biserno 2020 - Tenuta di Biserno
Toscana Camartina 2019 - Querciabella
Toscana Siepi 2021 - Mazzei
Toscana Solaia 2020 - Marchesi Antinori
Valdarno di Sopra Galatrona 2021 - Petrolo

Score 97/100
Alto Adige Terlaner I 2020 - Cantina Terlano
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2013 - Bertani
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico La Mattonara Riserva 2009 - Zyme
Barbaresco Martinenga Camp Gros Riserva 2018 - Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Vürsù Valeirano 2020 - La Spinetta
Barolo Bric dël Fiasc 2019 - Paolo Scavino
Barolo Colonnello 2019 - Poderi Aldo Conterno
Barolo Le Vigne 2019 - Sandrone
Barolo Riserva 2016 - Giacomo Borgogno & Figli
Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 2019 - Renato Ratti
Barolo Serradenari 2019 - Giulia Negri
Barolo Vignarionda Riserva 2017 - Oddero
Bolgheri Messorio 2019 - Le Macchiole
Bolgheri Superiore L’Alberello 2020 - Grattamacco
Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2020 - Tenuta San Guido
Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 2018 - Altesino
Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso 2018 - Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona
Cabernet Sauvignon Valdarno di Sopra Nitrito 2018 - Il Borro
Chardonnay Alto Adige Nama 2019 - Nals Margreid
Chianti Classico Berardo Riserva 2020 - Castello di Boss
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 - Ipsus
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceniprimo 2020 - Barone Ricasoli
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Gittori 2020 - Riecine
Colli della Toscana Centrale Flaccianello della Pieve 2020 - Fontodi
Etna Rosso Vigna Barbagalli 2018 - Pietradolce
Friulano Collio Mario Schiopetto M 2021 - Schiopetto
Nero d’Avola Terre Siciliane Vigna Guarnaschelli 2021 - Feudo Maccari
Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2011 - Giuseppe Quintarelli
Sauvignon Alto Adige Lieben Aich 2021 - Manincor 206
Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti Granato 2020 - Foradori
Terre Siciliane Munjebel 2020 - Frank Cornelissen
Toscana Fico 2022 - Principe Corsini
Toscana L’Apparita 2020 - Castello di Ama
Toscana Liù 2021 - Castello dei Rampolla
Toscana Luce 2020 - Tenuta Luce
Umbria Cervaro della Sala 2021 - Marchesi Antinori
Veneto Capital 2021 - Inama

Score 96/100
Alto Adige Appius 2018 - San Michele Appiano
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera Riserva 2017 - Masi
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2011 - Le Ragose
Bolgheri Superiore 2020 - Argentiera
Brunello di Montalcino 2018 - Giodo
Brunello di Montalcino 2018 - Livio Sassetti
Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta 2018 - Castello Romitorio
Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille 2018 - Pieve Santa Restituta
Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2018 - Siro Pacenti
Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo 2018 - Argiano
Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa 2018 - Caparzo
Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia 2018 - San Polo
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020 - Brancaia
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 50 Anniversario 2020 - Rocca delle Macie
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Il Poggio 2018 - Castello di Monsanto
Etna Rosso 2020 - Idda
Etna Rosso Calderara 2019 - Tornatore
Etna Rosso San Lorenzo Piano delle Colombe 2020 - Girolamo Russo
Gewürztraminer Alto Adige Juvelo Passito 2021 - Cantina Andrian
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Villa Gemma Riserva 2018 - Masciarelli
Passito di Pantelleria Sese 2020 - Tua Rita
Peter Pliger Riesling Südtirol Eisacktal Kaiton 2022 - Kuenhof
Recioto della Valpolicella Classico La Roggia 2020 - Speri
Syrah Costa Toscana Suisassi 2020 - Duemani
Taurasi Radici Riserva 2017 - Mastroberardino
Toscana 2020 - Monteverro
Toscana Fontalloro 2019 - Fèlsina
Toscana Gorgona 2022 - Frescobaldi
Trebbiano Rubicone Fiammarossa 2021 - Rosa Fanti
Trento Riserva del Fondatore 2012 - Giulio Ferrari
Venezia-Giulia Vintage Tunina 2021 - Jermann

Score 95/100
Gavi di Gavi Monterotondo 10 Anni 2011 - Villa Sparina
Soave Classico La Rocca 2021 - Pieropan
Taurasi Per Umberto Riserva 2018 - Donnachiara
Vino Spumante di Qualità Special Cuvée Pas Dosé 2010 - Contratto