The Special Prizes 2020

To create a focus on some aspects of viticulture and the world of Italian wine year by year. This is the sense of the special awards we give on the Essential Guide, to wines, wineries, people and particular projects.

Here follow the best wines for each cathegory:

The prize for Best Red Wine of the Year went to two wines that achieved the maximum 100/100 rating because we could not decide between the two. Both the wines and their producers are among the most iconic you could find in Italy. One is Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 2016 Angelo Gaja, an extraordinary wine and one of the best versions ever. The other is Amarone Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta 2013 Romano Dal Forno, another outstanding champion and great vintage. Two authentic gems.

The White Wine of the Year went to Collio Friulano M 2018 from the Schiopetto estate made with grapes from the Spessa di Capriva vineyard that is almost 70 years old. It was produced to honor the memory of Mario Schiopetto, the legendary Friulano winemaker who died over a decade ago and was considered one of the “founding fathers” of Italian white wines.

The Sparkling Wine of the Year (a term chosen to not offend those who for some reason do not like “spumante” or “bubbly”) was Trentodoc Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2007 Cantina Ferrari, an extraordinary version of a wine that came out for the first time last year and rightfully crowned one of the most representative Italian sparkling wine producers.

The Rosé Wine of the Year came from Tuscany and the Frescobaldi estate Tenuta dell’Ammiraglio in Maremma. The wine is Aurea Grand Rosé and is a delightful blend of Syrah and Vermentino.

The Sweet Wine of the Year is an authentic champion from Alto Adige/Südtirol and the Cantina Kellerei Tramin: Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Spätlese Epokale 2012, an absolute masterpiece and one of the best wines of its kind in the world.

The Winning Debut prize, given to a wine that has come out for the first time with extraordinary results, went to Barolo Mosconi 2015 Pio Cesare, an Alba winery with a great tradition and a wine from one of the most famous cru in Monforte.

The Wine with the Best Quality/Price Ratio was Sicilian: Sicilia Grillo Fileno 2018 CVA Canicatti, a wine cooperative that is offering top-quality wines at truly affordable prices. Trentino won the Quantity/Quality Prize that goes to a top-quality wine produced in quantity, in this case over a half a million bottles. The wine was Trentodoc Altemasi Brut 2015 Cavit, a surprising and very reliable “bubbly”.

The prize for Estate of the Year, dedicated to a winery that had a particularly successful performance, went to Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio, a great classic of Tuscan winemaking and Italian wine history that came out with a series of new wines from different “cru” that were simply outstanding.

The Emerging Producer winner was from Puglia, in particular the Salento area in the heel of the Italian boot: Terre dei Vaaz, a very new winery that will make quite a name for itself and its Primitivo in years to come.

The Cooperative Prize went to Produttori di Barbaresco, which we have no qualms in declaring one of the best wine cooperatives in the world.

The Enologist of the Year was Carlo Ferrini, a Tuscan consultant to many prestigious estates and leading player in the Italian wine world for over 30 years.

We decided to give the prize for Sustainable Viticulture, awarded to those who have made advancements towards eco-sustainability in different ways, to one of Italy’s most important research centers, the Fondazione Edmund Mach of San Michele all’Adige, in Trentino, which for decades has carried out experiments and projects while training a slew of enologists and agronomists. Recently, this has involved developing varietals resistant to the diseases common to vines and thus do not need invasive or polluting treatments.

The new Quality Project prize is awarded to those who have significantly enhanced the quality of their production. It went to Codice Vino of Cantina Codice Citra, in Abruzzo, and its president Valentino Di Campli. This because of his strong commitment to a  project aimed at producing top-quality wines through research in the vineyard and winery carried out by a dream team headed by Riccardo Cotarella and Attilio Scienza, two champions in their respective fields.

Last but not least is perhaps the most moving prize, A Life for Wine, which is in recognition of the role and commitment of a leading figure in Italian winemaking, someone who has, in other words, dedicated their life to wine. For this edition, we selected Emilio Pedron, an enologist and executive, the “soul” first of the Gruppo Italiano Vini, which he managed for almost three decades, who currently runs Bertani Domains of the Gruppo Angelini.  He is a man who stands out for his personal and human qualities as well as for his exceptional skills on the job and few have had as much an impact on the world of Italian wine as he has.

Overview:

RED WINE OF THE YEAR (ex aequo): Amarone della Valpolicella Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta 2013 Romano Dal Forno, Veneto, e Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 2016 Gaja, Piemonte

WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR: Collio Friulano M 2018 Schiopetto, Friuli Venezia Giulia

WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR: Aurea Gran Rosé Tenuta dell’Ammiraglia 2017 Frescobaldi, Toscana

SPARKLING WINE OF THE YEAR: Trentodoc Giulio Ferrari Rosé Extra Brut Riserva 2007 Cantine Ferrari, Trentino

SPARKLING WINE OF THE YEAR: Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Epokale Spätlese 2012 Cantina Kellerei Tramin, Alto Adige

WINNING NEWCOMER: Barolo Mosconi 2015 Pio Cesare, Piemonte

BEST QUALITY/PRICE RATIO: Sicilia Grillo Fileno 2018 CVA Canicattì, Sicilia

HIGH QUALITY & QUANTITY: Trentodoc Brut Altemasi Graal Riserva 2012 Cavit, Trentino

WINERY OF THE YEAR: Barone Ricasoli - Castello di Brolio, Toscana

EMERGING PRODUCER: Terre dei Vaaz, Puglia

EMERGING PRODUCER: Produttori del Barbaresco, Piemonte

OENOLOGIST OF THE YEAR: Carlo Ferrini

SUSTAINABLE VITICOLTURE AWARD: Fondazione Edmund Mach di San Michele all’Adige

QUALITY PROJECT AWARD: Codice Vino, progetto di Codice Citra a Valentino di Campli

A LIFE FOR WINE: Emilio Pedron

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