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They farm is situated to the south-west of Reims on soils of clay, sand and deep limestone, in all about 10.5 Ha. Planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier and Petit Meslier, in total 50 parcels spread over 4 villages of the Montagne de Reims area. It’s been a familial estate for 150 years, in which a significant proportion of old vines have always been preserved (age average of 35 years old, oldest plots over 80 years old). All the sites have been worked Organically since 2013, with
special care for the health of the soil and growth of diversity of plant life. They consider it as the key to ensure vitality and strength to their vines, while also building up natural protection through the diversity of wildlife. Teas, from plants grown in the vineyards are also applied. (nettle/horsetail/willow leaf). In the cellar, no filtration, indigenous yeast for the first
fermentation and a very minimalistic use of sulfur (about 60% of the whole volume vinified without any addition). Around a third of the wines are vinified in used oak barrels of 228 l and 400l. A small portion of new oak is bought annually. Steel is still used for some parts of the production and experiments are constantly carried out with concrete eggs and Amphore. For both the sparkling wines and the Coteaux, which Cyril has a strong focus on.

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Meeting Antoine at the annual champagne tastings was quite an eye opener. For us in the Bulles Bio tent, where he was only showing his vin clare, due to still being in the certification period with Demeter, they truly stood out. Beautiful concentration of fruit even from the 10 odd sites on chalk hills that his Chardonnay is planted on. Starting in 2016 with the purchase of his own vat room, where oak asides he also holds his experiments with amphora, some buried in the vineyard, porcelain and barrels. This year, 2023, saw the purchase of his first press. It is unsurprising with the increased demand of grower Champagne, alongside Antoine already being voted young champagne winemaker of the year, that the demand is high for his wines, thankfully so is the quality.

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Jérôme Lefèvre is never a man to take on challenges by half. A former musician/art historian, his decision to take on the vines of his family, the winery is named after his mother, was never going to produce conventional wines. Commuting from his flat in Paris, Jérôme has been basing himself ever more in the Marne Valley. Starting off with a little under a hectare that belongs to his mother, he is year on year growing by a few rows at a time. Inspired by thinkers of the cosmos and nature such as Fukuoka, Novalis, Thoreau and Bachelard in his farming and also in the winery, to the degree he only disgorges twice a year when the correct moon is in subordination, these are wines unlike any other in Champagne. Every vintage sees a diversity in the wine, some wines are not released every year, from grape variety, to the use of taille to more simple experimentation with oak. Gastronomic wines at their core, truly a beautiful new expression of the region and a fine example of how much more Champagne can be.

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In 1971, Jacques Cousteau published a report that residual pesticides could be found in the Arctic Ice, an area with little crops to treat. This report was read by a young Champagne grower, whose vineyards lay in the shadows of the Abbey of Hautvilliers, Georges Laval. So shocked was he, he realised a change needed to occur. So, the conversion to Organics began. In doing so he would become one of the very first in Champagne to start this. Vincent, his son, took over in 1996 and continues what he believes is this essential work. Respect to the environment, preservation of fruit aromas and flavours of terroir. The building blocks of great Champagne. We feel very fortunate to have a small allocation of Vincent’s wines – considered by many to be some of the finest in the region.

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Paul’s journey to some may seem quite straightforward. The surname you may recognise. His family have been making wine in Champagne since the 1500s. The family estate split in the 60s and Paul’s family retained 3.5h of vineyards in Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Dizy and Chouilly. From the 80s Paul’s father, Michel, started the conversion of the vineyards. Looking more to the terroir and correct farming and with his obsession with Coteaux, the past. (They still have a single vineyard that is only used for Coteaux in Aÿ). Paul was not pushed to take on the estate, like many are. He worked at the Wine Bar in Reims and while here discovered his passion for wine. One night while talking about their futures with his girlfriend, they both came up with the idea that maybe farming would be a nice life for them. From then, Paul has thrown himself into the understanding of his individual plots but most importantly for him the Biodiversity of each of the sites. This has in turn led him to produce individual labels, designed by his sister, focused on each terroir. The labels are cotton and even the foils are produced with less aluminium. All wines go into an old and very slow press, which Paul never wishes to change. First fermentation is spontaneous and the wines all see malolactic and a varying degree of dosage. We are very grateful to Paul for selling us some of his wines, we only have small amounts as for him honouring the relationship with his customers of the past is truly important, so stocks are low. A kind young man and like Charles Benard of Laurent-Benard, truly at the tip of the young grower movement.

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Laurent Bénard, an engineer, has apersonal approach to Champagne reflecting his sensitivity and his values. It was obvious that the champagne should be named after him! "With our way of working we obtainrich and concentrated grapes.” Our traditional plowing makes the vine root as deep as possible to find nutrients. In this way, the exchange between the vine and the soil is more important which makes the grapes richer and adds a delicious balance to the wine. Anatural and static settlingallows us to maintain a maximum of natural yeast. We do not add sulphites and our wines arematured in oak barrelsin order to enjoy what the wood can add to the wine". From 2019, Charles, their son, has joined the firm and is running the vineyards and the winery. We, already, in the new releases are seeing agrowth in complexity, especially in La Clef des Sept Arpents.

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It always surprises me how some people seem to find time. Although the 0.9 hectares over three parcels that Stephanie and Julien farm does not sound like a large amount of land, it is not their full time job. For some years now they have had their own business as viticultural contractors throughout Champagne. This stretches from day to day management for some of the larger producers around them, to spending a month each harvest around Les Riceys picking. Their love of Champagne was late blossoming. When working in the vineyards, many of their employers would gift them a bottle of Champagne after harvest. Sadly, it was usually the lesser quality wines and the taste and high acid was not for them. Fortunately they were also often given Ratafia, which they did enjoy. This led them on a slightly obsessive drive to create their own Ratafia, starting with a purchase of a strip of land in Barzy. Even then they knew how they wished to farm, Biodynamics and the use of permaculture where possible. Like Olivier and Marie they also take on six rows of vines on each side of their rows, to guarantee that the neighbours are not spraying close to their vines. Over time, they then were able to taste a few of the more well known producers from the grower Champagne movement. In particular those who work in a slightly more oxidative way. Experiments started with success. Two more parcels were added Connigis and just last year Chery. All the wines are in barrel around 9 months in the cellar, which has no temperature control, so malolactic is a given. Battonage is in line with the lunar calendar.

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The Horiot family have owned vineyards in the three hamlets that constitute Les Riceys since the 1600s. Olivier Horiot is the third generation of the family to subsist entirely from the vineyards alone, succeeding from his father in 1999. He immediately began the conversion process from conventional farming to organic and then biodynamic practices. The majority of the grapes grown on Olivier’s 9 ha. are sold to the local cooperative. Rosé de Riceys is one of only two AOCs for still wine production in Champagne (the other being Coteaux Champenois). Total production for the entire AOC cannot exceed 70,000 bottles annually, and there are currently only 17 growers producing it.

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The Barbichon family are now in their fourth generation as Champagne producers. Farming just under 9 hectares around the village of Gyé-sur-Seine, next to Les Riceys, where the soil is a mix of clay and limestone. With Thomas taking over from father Robert, a more natural philosophy has been instilled at the winery (as in nature focus). With at first Organic certification in 2007 moving to Demeter certification a few years later. In the cellar they have decided to move away from the more simplistic approach of their father. Still incorporating stainless steel but also adding barrels in various parts of the vinification and ageing process, to try to help increase oxidation and also complexity in the wines. Malolactic is also not discouraged, to help enrich and round their new style. Yet, these are still very fruit-forward wines, especially in the Pinot Noir, which takes up a large amount of the estate’s plantings.

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Jérôme’s story is one of determination. Studying initially as a carpenter, he was so inspired by the work and stories of his Grandfather Charles, a viticultural scientist, that at the age of 23 he took over the family plot of 0.2h and started to produce his own wines. He has grown with the help of many local friends, who offered him vineyards to manage and barrels for his cellar. All vineyards, if they were not already (he has some of Binner's old parcels), were converted to Biodynamics. This caused a great deal of stress on some of the vines but with time and with the help of Sirius, his horse, he is reaping the benefits. At harvest, the fruit is pressed off over a 9-hour period. Strengthening the wine with hyper oxygenation and adding a little more complexity from a tiny amount of skin contact. From the press straight into barrel, where they are left on the gross and fine lees until bottling. The wines are not racked. Please note that on the older vintages we have held back the stock until believing it is ready.

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In 2012 Nicolas and Philippe, childhood friends, purchased the Hauts-Baigneux vineyards in Azay-le-Rideau, just east of the much more renowned Chinon. Inspired by stories from some older locals of how fine the Chenin was here before the Second World War, due to its mixture of soils, particularly the wealth of flint. At the time of purchasing the vines the region was most famous for Gamay- and Grolleau-based wines. In the winery fermentation is made in concrete tanks and open submerged concrete vats. From there the wines move into steel, fibreglass or oak depending on the cuvée. As is the way with the Loire, every year has its problems, so production methods do change regularly.

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Bertrand and Lise moved to Montlouis-sur-Loire in 2003. Their 8-hectare estate has vineyards spread over various parcels in Montlouis, ranging between 60 and 110 years of age. Planted mostly on a mixture of clay and flint, with small parcels rich in limestone. The estate wines are all vinified initially in barrel, time depending on the cuvée and then into tank and amphora. So delicate and fragile are their vineyards and terroir in Montlouis, and so committed are they to natural farming and winemaking, like many in the Loire, the Jousset’s have seen many of the last vintages fail, due to the roller coaster of seasonal changes in the last two decades. As a result, since 2021 they have resourcefully decided to make a few wines from grapes bought from other areas and regions, even as far away as Gaillac in the South West. With these wines, the entire process is controlled by them, with them commuting to the vineyards, to arrange picking and processing, before shipping the juice back to the estate in Montlouis. These are the Exile wines.

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I had heard of Bruno’s wines, though was never able to find them to taste, from a friend in Champagne. Here Bruno is well known after working with Vincent Laval for seven years. Bruno moved to the Jura with his family from Reims, where he is from. For him the Jura was the best area for being able to create the wines he envisaged. He was able to locate and purchase a few parcels around Arlay and Château-Chalon. In truth it has been a very hard journey, with personal tragedy, the string of difficult vintages and local bureaucracy always holding him back. It is more than likely that this is the first time you have read about his wines. Bruno, on top of being slightly reclusive, has made the decision from the start to focus on exports, around 95% of his production, so it is very rare to find his wines in France. Even we have only tried his wines twice in bottle. The two barrel tastings of the 21 and 22 harvest are what has made us wait two years for the UK to be able to receive its 84-bottle allocation. Farming is by horse and always experimental. Bruno even goes so far as to try and plant for the future, attempting to plant a hectare of Assyrtiko and Montepulciano, sadly local government would not allow him, to attempt to counteract the evident global warming. In the cellar a small dose of sulphur at press and then ideally no additions. The wines are not the reductive mineral line of some, they are more generous and rounded, yet with the Jura vividness.

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Born in Lyon to Arabic heritage, Karim was adopted by a family in Morgon, eventually working for 10 years as a vineyard-hand and winemaker for such luminaries as Guy Breton and Marcel Lapierre. Technically a negociant, owning no vineyards himself, Karim is responsible for the organic farming and vinification of 5 hectares of plots around Beaujolais, most of which comprise 40- to 60-year-old vines. To ensure that his wines can be safely made with a minimum of added sulphur (1g per hl.), Karim keeps his tanks airtight during fermentation and maturation, only releasing the carbon dioxide moments before bottling. He feels that this, coupled with careful natural temperature control, preserves the fruit and purity of his Gamay grapes.

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Coming from a long line of commercial winemakers, the young Pascal Chalon was uninterested in joining what he saw as a mechanised and homogenous industry. It wasn’t until family-friend Vincent Rochette (Domaine RocheAudran) demonstrated to him that wine could be made simply and naturally, in a shed with just a few vats, a press and beautiful grapes, that Pascal was seized by the desire to make wine. His early vintages attracted praise (including from none other than Robert Parker), but Pascal felt that there was something missing in the balance of his wines. In 2004, after reading Nicolas Joly’s text on biodynamic viticulture, he began the process of converting the family vines firstly to organic farming (AB certified in 2008), and then to biodynamics (Demeter certified in 2010). He has since renounced Demeter-certification, instead relying on his own knowledge and experience to determine which vineyards require which treatments and preparations, and when to apply them. He has likewise declassified his wines from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC, so as not to restrict or limit his winemaking style. 2026 sees Pascal being joined by his son Hugo, who already brings a wealth of experience. We look forward to seeing how this second generation helps evolve the estate.

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Domaine Viret was founded in 1917. Since 1973 the third generation has been developing and perfecting their own method of farming which they have christened ‘Cosmoculture’. Alain and Philippe Viret embraced the biodynamic teachings of Rudolf Steiner, taking them even further to harness the natural energy of their terroir. Basing the winery in the centre of the most powerful energy ley line on the property, they have also placed standing stones and crystals at crucial sites of electromagnetic importance in their vineyards and cellar. The vineyards are planted in various ancient patterns to maximise the energy of the soil and the cosmos. Plantings are varied with Philippe bringing in cuttings from around Europe of rare or struggling grape varieties, to make sure they always have a presence somewhere. His two most recent experiments are a small amount of land planted with a field blend of Portuguese varieties and a half hectare planted in spiral formations. In the winery, fermentation is in steel or concrete tanks and then, by gravity, passed to either steel, concrete or amphora. The Viret’s were the first in France to reintroduce the use of Amphora. Sadly we lost our friend Philippe last year. The winery, though, continues.

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The Bley family have been on their estate in Bagat-en-Quercy since the late 18th century. Though viticulture only really commenced in the 60s as a business, with Baptiste’s Grandfather, Simon. These were simpler times and the wines followed those times. Things started to change when Gilles took over in 1980. He decided to convert immediately to Organic viticulture. As such he was a pioneer, not just for Cahors but for France. Minimal to no usage of sulphur also followed, this connected the family to some of the great front runners of today’s better farming revolution. The family would travel France’s wine fairs with like-minded producers, like Lapierre, and soon they became friends. When I ask Baptiste where he learnt about wine, he cites these times as his education. Tasting with various family friends and learning from them. Farming has not changed since Gilles’ innovations, the winemaking though has had a few tweaks. These are wines of the region, still maintaining a characterful rusticity and charm. Most of the vineyards are at least 60 years old and situated in the higher hills of the region, around 400m, their soil is also more mineral with large traces of limestone.

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Planquette was started in 1978 by Didier Michaud, with a very simple objective: to produce classic Bordeaux, without any additions. Didier acquired three parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and an older parcel of Petit Verdot and converted. A true pioneer of Organic farming in the region. In the winery, long macerations in fibreglass and then, once in barrel, no racking, no fining nor filtration and no added sulphur during the process. About the same time we were recommended a bottle of Didier’s Planquette in a bar in Bordeaux, he was deciding on retirement. Putting his house on the market, Blandine, who was formerly vineyard manager at Pauillac's Château Pichon Comtesse, and Jérémy, who owns Château Peylaby (see next page), some 20 minutes away, visited looking for a new home together. By pure coincidence they discovered later from friends there was also a winery. A better pair could not have been found for keeping Didier’s dream alive. Jérémy is Organic at Peylaby and Blandine was key in organising the ongoing transition to Organics at Pichon Comtesse.

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Our first introduction to the wines of Ale was from an old friend. His Nebiulin was the wine she drank every day, and it has taken us five years to finally be able to import it. From Roero, Ale qualified as a genealogist and went to work for the larger, more conventional wineries in the region. Technical, chemical, unimaginative and soulless. His life changed when he inherited the Le More Bianche estate, a 3.5-hectare parcel in Roero planted with Barbera and Nebbiolo. When the farm came to him, he made the immediate decision to create a product opposite to what he had been making for all those past years. Converting to Organics, only working with natural yeasts and also practising minimum intervention at all points. It was a new journey but, due to all his experience, he has still managed to create clear and varietal wines from the region. He has also rented a 1.5-hectare parcel of Arneis and Nebbiolo a short journey from his home. Fermentation and ageing are in a mixture of ceramic, concrete and wood. He also has an amphora to play with for his orange wines. Steel is only used before bottling.

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Originating from the region, it has taken Lodovico a few years to find his way back to Bramaterra. From working as a stagiaire in Beaujolais and Champagne while at university, he went on to write his Philosophy Master's on the aesthetics of winemaking, focusing on Burgundy and Alto Piemonte. After university, work in trade sales and as a sommelier followed, before settling in Burgundy and working in the vineyards of several producers, mainly at Domaine Derain. At 30, he headed home and started to work for Le Piane in Boca. At the same time, Lodovico searched for old parcels and looked to rent and replant where possible. In 2023, with a little family help, he was able to buy a small parcel of forest, a historic cru which he has since replanted. Not all the wines are within the DOC, just one small site of Bramaterra, but all the fruit comes from indigenous varieties. Despite the sparsity of land, the list of local varieties Lodovico farms is as long as your arm. Work in the vineyards is Organic, with a strong focus on maintaining the vines for maximum ripeness of fruit. In the cellar the touch is light, adding to the importance of having clean and focused expressions of the region. The goal is to be sulphur-free, but if it is needed, it is used. The wines we currently have are only three of his cuvées and come from the second vintage.

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Nestled to the north of Lake Garda, Lake Cavedine is part of the Valley of Lakes. This is where, for the last three generations, the Pedrotti family have been making wine. Across eight separate sites around the lake, they focus on two of the region’s most classical varieties, Nosiola and Schiava. Farming has always been minimal but, for Giuseppe, who took over from his father Gino, the move to biodynamics was a straightforward decision. The wines are a culmination of decades of knowledge working in the region and, as such, have evolved along their own path, depending on vineyard location and the grapes planted there. Long maceration on the whites is common, yet it is not really shown in the wines. Everything is done gently. The reds are treated with respect but will, at times, be picked at varying times to offer a more complete wine. Like the family, these are understated wines, a beautiful expression of Trentino.

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The Gottardi family have been settled in the volcanic hills of Breganze since 1904, running a successful trattoria offering traditional Bassano cuisine. In 1999, the third generation realised their dream of becoming vignaioli, acquiring 12 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards were on unstable ground and had been lying fallow, but after two years of work, 50,000 vines were planted and organic viticulture could begin. The winery is ultra-modern, but dedicated to old-fashioned winemaking techniques, with the wines processed using gravity and pumps rarely used.

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Marco and his father Aurelio relocated from Parma to Pastorello in 1992, founding this tiny farm. The home vineyard of around 1 hectare is surrounded by forest, meaning it can be farmed truly biodynamically without interference from the periphery. The additional hectare and a bit is made up of a series of gardens and allotments situated around the valley. The oldest vines are around 80 years old. The incredibly hard land here meant that the estate’s first sellable vintage wasn’t until 2002. All the sparkling wines are naturally re-fermented in bottle, the traditional technique of the region. Marco is also making an increasing amount of still wines and ciders, experimenting more as he becomes comfortable with the processes. All wines are kept in steel or fibreglass. A hugely generous man, a tasting is never without a large slab of Parmesan.

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Growing up as the son of a doctor in Milan, Max followed a relatively conventional path, working in industry for American and British companies. Yet his grandparents on both sides came from farming backgrounds, one side in Piedmont, the other in Emilia-Romagna. This connection was always evident to him, and he stayed connected primarily through drinking wine. Eventually, this passion took over completely and he asked the question many of us ask ourselves: what if he made wine, and what sort of wine would it be? Max already knew that biodynamic viticulture was his direction, so he first studied. Then it was about the place. His wife is from Modena, so the surrounding hills made sense for his family. Purchasing 11 hectares, 6.5 under vine, with the remainder made up of forests, lakes and wild flowers for his bees, he decided to make the wine style of the region in the style he liked. The following five years have seen constant experimentation with vinification in ceramics, steel and glass. All the varieties used are from the region, with some very nearly extinct. These are elegant, very fine wines, with more of a focus on Champagne-style sparkling wine, using frozen must for secondary fermentation. All the sparkling wines are between 1.8 and 2 bar.

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In 1994 Flavio and Antonio established Ca’ del Vent right at the periphery of Franciacorta, on the rich clay and limestone hills. With little money to invest, the winery worked very simply. For the first vintage of only local red varieties, grapes were pressed by hand in the garage of the property. Fermentation and maceration in a steel tank, which they had borrowed from a neighbour. Five old barrels were sourced to mature the wine. For a bottling line, a rubber hose was used from the barrel. Yet the wine worked. As time went on their interest in Biodynamic farming, energy and viticulture grew. The vineyards were converted and even though losses of fruit were at some points devastating, they persisted. Producing their first Sparkling Franciacorta in 2001, the same year they purchased their first pneumatic press. From there the focus has been on producing the finest quality sparkling wine in Italy, greatly inspired by the grower Champagne movement. All wines are fermented and aged in barrel and then lees ageing is dependent on the vintage but can be anything up to 8 years. Please do not think of these wines as Franciacorta, they are genuinely in a world of their own.

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Sean O’Callaghan, originally from Somerset, South West England, moved to Tuscany in 1991 after studying winemaking in Germany. He was head winemaker at the renowned estate Riecine for 25 years, leaving in 2016 following the estate coming under new ownership. Though not a native, Sean has an unsurpassed knowledge and understanding of the local terroir and microclimates, and a unique affinity with the Sangiovese grape. He is known to his friends as ‘Il Guercio’, meaning ‘one-eyed bandit’, referring to the fact that he was born blind in his right eye, which he credits with giving him a unique perspective on winemaking, and on life in general. Sean is now in partnership with Tenuta di Carleone in Radda, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, which has been owned by the Austrian Egger family since 2012. Since then, the land and vineyards have been farmed organically with selected biodynamic treatments.

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The hills of Cupramontana have a mixed history of making wine. Home of the Verdicchio grape variety, once the seabed of the Adriatic, the soil here is a complex mixture of limestone, clay, blue marl and chalk. Yet even with all these gifts, as in many areas, mass production of low-quality fruit was in danger of bringing the reputation of this region into disrepute. In 2007 three friends decided to help stop this damaging movement. Although originally their lives were planned not in the wine world, things seemed to align and they found themselves with a small holding below the village. Immediately the vineyards were converted to Biodynamics and a lifelong learning experience started. The journey so far has seen them move from sharing a small table at a wine fair, when we first met them some ten years ago, to being awarded some of the top wine awards in Italy. Their bottles can be found around the world, admired for their pure expression of this beautiful pocket of Italy.

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Pietranico rises up on the slopes of the Gran Sasso mountain, very close to the Adriatic Sea and between two national parks. Here, at 400 metres above sea level, we find Luca and Alfonso. Luca became inspired to work with wine after spending a vintage with fellow Winemakers Club producer, Francesco Guccione, in Sicily. He partnered with Alfonso, who has been farming in the region for many years and brings with him his great knowledge of the terroir, local varieties and styles of wines. The project was started from scratch, sourcing a large portion of their vines from the cuttings of Emidio Pepe’s old vineyard. Trebbiano and Montepulciano are planted, with the first vintage of Pecorino available on this release. In between and around the vines they also have olive groves, ancient grains and apiaries, trying at all times to keep a balance of biodiversity while producing their own pasta and honey. 2020/21 has seen the construction of a new winery for Luca and Alfonso. As such, room has been found for a few Tonneaux and, going forward, some concrete tanks.

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Based in Piglio, just over an hour east of Rome. The terroir here is mixed, between clay, limestone, sand and volcanic soils. These lands have been in the family’s possession for generations and, with this knowledge, they have been able to cru many of their parcels. Vines stretch from 15 to 80 years old, with plantings focused on the local varieties of the area – Cesanese for the reds and Passerina, Bellone and Malvasia for the whites. This is a family partnership between the cousins, with Daniele in the winery and Pierluca in the vineyards. Both are individual in their views of what they manage. Daniele is always experimenting with ways to show the purest expressions of these varieties and the region in the wines. This may be through using various vessels such as concrete and amphora. Pierluca is always trying to understand what different farming methods can bring to the vineyards, using everything from biodynamic principles, Fukuoka ideas and homeopathic traditions. Taking time to see which parts work best for the vines.

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For many, Sardinia is synonymous with the variety Cannonau. If this is the grape of the island, then Mamoiada is its Grand Cru. Vineyards reach up to 650m in altitude, planted on sandy, decomposing granite. The village flows into the vineyards, with Giovanni’s situated just above his house. Relatively new to commercial winemaking, before 2004 he was a mechanic just making sfuso; he has now become the foremost ambassador of the region. His wines are found throughout the enotecas of Italy for good reason: their purity and true expression of this town. All the wines are Vino da Tavola, so there can be no interference from the local bureaucrats. In the vineyard, selection is meticulous, making production incredibly low. The winery is minimal and, although the oak is in various sizes, they are all as neutral as they can be. Unfined, unfiltered, with a little addition of sulphur. Truly powerful, yet beautifully structured wines, knocking on the door to greatness. Just as an example, 2023 was a terrible vintage for Giovanni. So instead of making something that would not be his ideal, he made no wine.

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Francesco Guccione farms 6 hectares in the hills of Piana degli Albanesi, in western Sicily, where the vineyards sit at altitude and are planted to native varieties including Nero d’Avola, Perricone, Trebbiano and Catarratto. His approach is deeply intuitive: each vintage is treated as an experiment, with Francesco constantly searching for new ways to reveal the character of the varieties and the place they come from. In the cellar, this means minimal intervention, natural fermentation and very little sulphur, with wines given time to develop. Most ageing is done in stainless steel but there are some barrels whcih are used when appropriate. Francesco is perhaps best known for producing wines of remarkable clarity, energy and individuality, rooted firmly in the landscape of Sicily. And, somewhat wonderfully, he is known to sing ariettas to his wines as they mature in the cellar.