Founded in 1986, Gambero Rosso (which translates to “red prawn”) has gone from a monthly magazine and yearly Italian wine guide to a multimedia phenomenon run out of their Città del Gusto (City of Taste) complex in Rome. Most of the Italian wine world is fiercely regional, so Gambero Rosso offers a refreshing all-encompassing national view of the republic’s wine scene. Their system of wine scoring accords wines of high quality with the honour of one, two, or three glasses. The Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) distinction is coveted in Italy and recognized internationally as a standard of excellence.
But for an Italian wine (or even an entire winery) a Tre Bicchieri score is not the apogee of the “red prawn” world. Among the elites, there is yet another set of twelve awards selected from the Tre Bicchieri that are given every year. It’s a bit like the Oscars of Italian wine.
I sat down and tasted the 12-wine range from the 2024 awards last Monday, curated by the journalist and broadcaster Marco Sabellico, who joined Gambero Rosso in 1990, and who explained why each was awarded their respective distinction. It is difficult to imagine a better survey of where the best of Italian wine is now.
Sparkler of the Year
Enrico Gatti, Franciacorta Millesimo Nature 2016
Don’t use the C-word when describing Franciacorta, the fancy sparkling wine from east of Milan in Lombardy. Just enjoy the fine creamy bubbles, the lean but forward citrus fruit, and the weighted mouthfeel of an eight-year-old blend of 80 percent Chardonnay to 10 percent Pinot Nero. Any event that starts with a glass of this wine is bound to be good.
Winery of the Year
Umani Ronchi, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Vecchie Vigne Historical 2018
Marco Sabellico declared it is one of Gambero Rosso’s missions to show the world that Italian white wines can age. (They can.) So, it was this white made from the humble Verdicchio grape from the Marche that represented Umani Ronchi, which has slowly become the region’s flagship label. Bright citrus acidity is tamed by luscious honey and white flower notes.
White of the Year
Primosic, Collio Chardonnay Riserva 2018
The appellation of Collio in Friuli, north of Venice, includes some vineyards across the frontier in Slovenia, and Primosic has vineyards on both sides too. If Sabellico’s thesis of older Italian whites wasn’t proven in the Marche, then it’s QED in Primosic’s 2018 Chardonnay. Fancy and racy at the same time, this wine shows a pleasant grapefruit pith bitterness on the finish that invites another sip.
Cooperative Winery of the Year
Cantina Tramin, Alto-Adige Gerwurztraminer Nussbaumer 2021
God bless the European wine cooperative. And particularly the ones, like Traminer, in the German-speaking Sud Tyrol, where quality is the understood objective of all the members. This is a Gerwurztraminer for people who think they don’t like Gerwurztraminer. There is so much more going on beyond the telltale rose flower aromatics; it’s rich, almost unctuous, and demands attention with complex stone fruit flavours, and, at only two grams of residual sugar per litre, bone dry.
Rosé of the Year
Giuliano Pettinella, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Tauma 2022
The Pettinella’s only farm three hectares of vines high up in the cool highlands of the Apennines. Sabellico calls this a “wine that doesn’t exist” because the production is so low. In the moment that it did exist, it mesmerized with a deep and staggeringly pure red cherry immersion shooting through a faintly herbal seasoning. It’s good fun, but it’s also a deadly serious food wine navigating the border between rosé and light red. An open bottle of this wine, on a lunchtime table outdoors in the sunshine, would not last long.
Best Value for Money
Fradiles, Mandrolisai Rosso Fradiles 2021
Mandrolisai is a high DOC appellation in the middle of the island of Sardinia, and this wine is a blend of indigenous red grapes from old vines grown at 500 metres above sea level: Bovale Sardo, Cannonau (Grenache), and Monica. In Italy, the Fragile Rosso sells for about ten euros; with mark-ups, taxes, and duties it would probably be around $30 retail in Canada. If it landed on a restaurant list for under $80, it would be a very good deal these days. It is perfectly in balance, made for food, generous in dark red fruit, and just light enough to pair with whatever was put with it.
Award for Sustainable Viticulture
Terre Margaritelli, Torgiano Rosso Freccia degli Scacchi Riserva 2020
The very small Torgiano appellation is best known for the winery that dominates it, Lungarotti. Margaritelli is giving them a friendly run for the money, and this organic 100 percent Sangiovese would fit perfectly in the boisterous, local food-focused restaurant scene in the nearby university town of Perugia. It’s full of energy and earthy cherry fruit complexity. Margaritelli ticks all the boxes in terms of sustainability and environmental stewardship, but they are particularly recognized, explained Sabellico, for treating their workers well.
Up-and-Coming Winery
Tenuta Ceri,Carmignano Arrendevole Riserva 2020
Hub readers might recognize the Tuscan appellation of Carmignano for the column I wrote about Capezzana last October. Following tradition, the Ceri Arrendevole is made with a 10 percent complement of Cabernet Sauvignon to season the 90 percent of Sangiovese, which might account for the violet notes on the finish. Big fruit dances around a structure of fine tannins. I’m not sure if a winery is still “up-and-coming” if it’s already got a Tre Bicchieri, but I do think the Ceri label is one to look out for.
Solidarity Award
Velenosi, Rosso Piceno Superiore Reggio del Filare 2020
Gambero Rosso was established at the same time as the Slow Food movement and carries many of the same ideas about community involvement. The Solidarity Award is meant to recognize wineries that give back beyond the production of their wine. Velenosi, in the Marche, is known for their programs involving people with severe autism. This Montepulciano and Sangiovese blend shows a real concentration of black fruit and Mediterranean herbal tones.
Red of the Year
Giovanni Rosso, Barolo Vigna Rionda Eter Canale Rosso 2019
When Davide Rosso, who makes the wine that bears his late father’s name, heard that his 2019 Ester Canale Barolo had been named the top red wine of the year, he agreed to buy back a few of the sold-out bottles from his customers, just so it could be included in the Gambero Rosso tour. I have seen the very small Ester Canale plot in the small Vigna Rionda vineyard and have no trouble believing that the mere 1,800 bottles he made from it are completely sold out. Sabellico refused to spit when we tasted through this clear and clean expression of tar, roses, and cherry Barolo. Named after the winemaker’s late mother, Sabellico lamented that he didn’t know when, if ever, he would taste it again. I followed his lead without regret.
Lady Grower of the Year
Corte Sant’Alda, Amarone della Valpolicella Val**zzane 2016
Sabellico describes Corte Sant’Alda’s owner and winemaker Marinella Camerani as a “sweet old lady, who does whatever she wants.” What she wanted was to put the place where her grapes were grown, Valmezzane, on the label of this wine. When the Amarone Consorzio wouldn’t let her, because they hadn’t yet recognized the valley as a “cru,” she did it anyway but removed two letters from the name. I’ve met Camerani, and agree with Sabellico’s description. Her wines are as headstrong on the palate as she is: look for them on better wine lists and expect bright acidity and complex forest fruit and floral notes.
Meditation Wine of the Year
Florio, Marsala Vergine Riserva
The “virgin” part of the name of this traditionally made Marsala wine from Sicily means that no additional sugar was added to it. It’s still sweet, with around 40 grams of residual sugar per litre, but it’s also bright and retains the acidity of the Sicilian Grillo and Cataratto grapes that it’s made of. Elevated in an oxidative style, like Sherry, it comes across as nutty with notes of dried fruit. Dessert in a glass, unless there’s a slice of cassata to go with it.
