The “Winery of the Year - Gran Vinitaly 2023”? Al-Cantàra on the slopes of Etna

Al-Cantàra, the Randazzo winery, which takes its name from the river that flows on the slopes of Etna (and which, in Arabic, means “bridge”, emphasizing the connection with the Sicilian land and symbolizing the harmonious and innovative combination of wine, art, and poetry), and which unmistakable labels are signed by young Sicilian artists, for wines inspired by poems by Sicilian authors, is the “Cantina of the Year - Gran Vinitaly 2023” crowned, for having obtained the best scores with its wines, from “5StarWines - the Book 2024”, the Vinitaly-Veronafiere wine selection, in collaboration with Assoenologi, at a blind tasting with an international jury of wine professionals and the official guide which collects the wines that have obtained a score equal to or greater than 90 cents. In the 2023 edition, 733 of the over 2,200 participating samples were selected for inclusion in the guide, beginning with the “best Italian wine - Banco Bpm 2023”, the Costa d’Amalfi Doc Furore Bianco Fiorduva 2021 by Marisa Cuomo which comes from vineyards of Furore, on terraces overlooking the Gulf of Salerno and which obtained the absolute best score (97 points).
The “best white wine” is Greco di Tufo Docg 2022 from Cantina Terre d’Aione (95 points), while the “best red wine” is Barolo Docg Sarmassa 2018 from Marchesi di Barolo (95 points) and the “best rosé wine” is the Etna Doc Nerello Mascalese Rosato Amuri di Fimmina and Amuri di Matri 2021 from Al-Cantàra (92 points). And if the “best fizzy wine” is Emilia Igt Lambrusco Frizzante Primo Fiore N.V. by Franco Amadei (92 points), the “best sparkling wine” is Trento Doc Extra Brut Riserva 907 2017 from Cantina Isera (94 points), and the “best sweet wine” is Passito di Pantelleria Doc Ben Ryé 2021 from Donnafugata (95 points), alongside the “best wine 2023” award distributed by Partesa, the Aleatico Passito dell’Elba Docg 2021 from Tenuta La Chiusa (94 points).
“Wine Without Walls” is, instead, the section of the Guide dedicated to certified organic or biodynamic wine, and in which the “best Winery of the Year 2023” is Fattoria La Vialla, the “best biodynamic white wine” is Vernaccia di San Gimignano Docg Riserva 2020 also by Fattoria La Vialla (92 points), and the “best biodynamic red wine” is Toscana Igt Sangiovese Capocuore 2021 by Poggio Trevvalle (91 points), while the “best organic white wine” is Toscana Igt Chardonnay 2020 by Monteverro (94 points), the “best organic red wine” is the Etna Doc Rosso Piano dei Daini 2020 by Tenute Bosco (93 points), the “best organic rosé wine” is the Marche Igt Rosato Floralia 2022 by Vinicentanni (91 points), the best “organic sparkling wine” is Terre Siciliane Igp Bianco Sparkling Babbìo N.V. of Tenuta Gorghi Tondi (92 points), the “best sparkling organic wine” is Oltrepò Pavese Classic Method Docg Extra Brut Millesimato Il 35 2018 again from Fattoria La Vialla (94 points), and, finally, the “best organic sweet wine” is the Terre Siciliane Igp Bianco Terre Tardive 2017 from the G.Milazzo company (91 points).