Gambero Rosso 2024 Special Awards Masterclass

Gambero Rosso is an Italian food and wine magazine and publishing group founded in 1986.  Last year a selection of people from Gambero Rosso reviewed 2,647 Italian wineries and a total of 25,231 wines, rating them from 1 to 3 glasses according to the quality of the wines. Through a series of blind tastings, 498 wines were awarded their top honour, Tre Bicchieri (3 glasses). But on top of that they offered twelve Special Awards to wines they asserted had something extra. In the Masterclass, we tasted these twelve wines and were told what made them special.  The Masterclass was led by an Italian journalist from Gambero Rosso.  Sorry, I did not get his name and it wasn’t listed on the wine notes sheet.  Gail Nugent, Publisher of Vitis Magazine also spoke about the wines.

When Gambero Rosso judges wines, they do not follow other wine rating bodies like those with 100-point scales that highly score big, bold, concentrated wines.  They judge wines based on finesse, balance, elegance, complexity, verticality, subtlety, minerality and so on, according to our speaker.  So the wines may not be blockbusters, but rather elegant, subtle wines.

The Wines and the Awards

Sparkler of the Year, 2024

The Enrico Gatti Winery is a family-owned winery located in Lombardy.  Since the early 1960s, there was a goal to make classic sparkling wine in the region (i.e. Champenois Method).  Enrico Gatti started the winery in the 1980s and his two sons now run the winery. They own 20 ha of vines. This wine is mainly made with Chardonnay grapes and spends 4 years on lees before being disgorged.

Enrico Gatti, Franciacorta Millesimo Nature ’16 – A medium intensity, clear, bright lemon colour.  Light citrus and bready nose.  Dry with high acidity.  Tart citrus, crisp apple and bready flavours.  A mix of creamy and biting bubbles.  Toastiness and apples on the finish.  Elegant. Very tasty.

Winery of the Year, 2024

Umani Ronchi is a family-owned winery in central Italy.  They make red, white, and sparkling wines and one of their wines gets awarded Tre Bicchieri every year.  Umani Ronchi is a believer in the aging potential of the Verdicchio grape and have proven the quality with these old vines (60+ years) and aged vintage. Verdicchio is one of more important white indigenous varieties in Italy. 

Umani Ronchi, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Vecchie Vigne Historical ’18 – A medium intensity, bright clear lemon colour.  Light stone fruits and nuttiness on the nose.  This wine is dry, soft, silky smooth and round on the palate.  Medium-plus body.  Medium acidity.  Mineral and ripe stone fruit flavours plus some nuttiness and honey toward the finish. A dry finish, medium-plus length, with flavours of dried stone fruits and a touch of pepperiness.  –

White Wine of the Year, 2024

This family-owned winery is along the north-east border of Italy with Slovenia. Primosic is a Slovenian name and this winery shares both Italian and Slovenian roots.  The region it belongs to is Collio and after WWII the border between Italy and Slovenia was redrawn, cutting Collio in half.  When I checked on Google Maps, I saw that Primosic is on the Italian side of the border by a few kilometers.  Although not mentioned in the Masterclass, if you check Google Maps, you will see that this winery is very close to the Radikon and Gravner wineries which are known for their orange wines.  The Chardonnay grapes come from 50-year-old vines. This wine was fermented in stainless steel then aged in concrete and Slovenian oak barrels. 

Primosic, Collio Chardonnay Riserva ’18 – A medium-plus clear lemon colour.  Medium intensity sweet ripe fruit aromas plus sweet spices.  Medium-plus body, smooth, with a thicker mouthfeel.  Ripe fruit, apples, butterscotch and sweet spices on the palate. Medium length with sweet ripe stone fruits, apples, sweet spices, and touches of pepperiness and mintiness.  Dried apricots at the very end.  Delicious.

Cooperative Winery of the Year, 2024

Cantina Tramin is in the German-speaking region, Alto Adige, of Italy.  Gewürztraminer originated in Germany.  It prefers chalky soil, with south-facing slopes.  150 growers in this co-operative with each having slightly over 1 ha to manage. The Italian style is different from the Alsatian style of winemaking according to the speaker.  The wine is made totally dry. 

Cantina Tramin, Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer ’21 – A medium-plus clear lemon colour.  Very aromatic with lychee, roses, apricots and a touch of sweet spices on the nose.  Off-dry with a medium-plus body and thicker mouthfeel. Medium acidity.  Lychee, ginger, ripe stone fruits and lychee flavours.  Strong flavours.  A long lingering finish with light pepperiness.

Rosé of the Year, 2024

Not many areas in Italy have a long history of making rosé wines.  Puglia has a longer history in rosé wine making. The rosé wines of Abruzzo though are gaining popularity. The region’s rosé wines are made from the Montepulciano grape, which is known for its rich flavour.  The colour of this wine is similar to cerasuolo, which is the name for a not yet ripe or deeply colour red cherry in Italian. The winery, Giuliano Pettinella, is family-owned and has only 5 ha of biodynamic vineyards. The name “Tauma” means twins in Aramaic. The family has twin daughters and two vineyards.  One vineyard inland and the other nearer to the coast. Their grapes come from both vineyards and are aged in concrete. 

Giuliano Pettinella, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Tauma ’22 – A clear, medium-minus intensity bright cherry colour in the glass.  Light aromas of sweet red cherries and red apples.  Dry, medium-plus body and thicker mouthfeel.  Medium-plus acidity leaves an acidic prickle on your tongue.  Crisp red apple and tart cherry flavours plus some pepperiness.  Also, there is a touch of iodine flavour in this wine.  Drying tannins on the finish. –

Best Value for Money, 2024

The Cantina Fradiles winery comes from Sardinia.  Fradiles means cousins in the Sardinian dialect.  This wine is a blend of Bovale, Cannonau, and Monica indigenous, sustainably grown grapes. The vines are 80 to 90 years old and are goblet pruned. This wine is not the top wine of the winery, but Gambero Rosso enjoyed it so much and that it had a low price point, that they gave this wine the “Best Value for Money” award.

Cantina Fradiles, Mandrolisai Rosso Fradiles ’21 – Medium intensity, with a slight dull mix of garnet and ruby colours.  It has a light red cherry nose.  Medium-minus body with a round mouthfeel.  A backbone of both acidity and tannins.  Firmer tannins.  Red cherry flavours.  Medium length with red cherries and lingering pepperiness.  –

Award for Sustainable Viticulture, 2024

Terre Margaritelli is located in Umbria in the town of Torgiano.  This wine is a blend of Montepulciano (less) and Sangiovese (more). The winery is certified sustainable through Equalitas.  The European Equalitas standard addresses sustainability according to the social, environmental and economic pillars. 

Terre Margaritelli, Torgiano Rosso Freccia degli Scacchi Riserva ’20 – A medium-plus intensity dull garnet colour with some sediment seen floating in the glass. Medium-intensity aromas of cedar / Old World oak, and red fruits.  Medium body with a lean mouthfeel.  Rustic flavours of red fruits and Old World oak.  Medium-intensity gritty tannins.  Medium length with some red fruit, sweet spices, candied red cherries and oak on the finish.  Medium-plus drying tannins on the finish. –

Up-and-Coming Winery, 2024

Tenuta Ceri, a state-of-the-art winery, is located in Tuscany, near Florence.  Every year Gambero Rosso tastes many new wineries and they are happily surprised by this winery.  This denominated region, Carmignano, has lots of forest and vineyards.  The dukes of Florence used to hunt in these forests. This area has many international varietals, which is uncommon as Tuscany is best known for growing Sangiovese. International varieties were planted after phylloxera affected the area.  Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the region and is blended with Sangiovese for this wine.  This wine is made with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is fermented in concrete eggs and other concrete tanks then aged in new oak barrels.

Tenuta Ceri, Carmignano Arrendevole Riserva ’20 – A clear medium garnet colour.  Very light aromas of tart red cherries.  Medium-body, lean, but smooth and a light mouthfeel.  Tart red fruit, red cherries and pepperiness on the palate. Also touches of sweet spices and oak.  Nice flavours and mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity and medium tannins.  The tannins provide good structure for this wine.

Red Wine of the Year, 2024

Giovanni Rosso produces Barolo from a single vineyard and the grapes come from 80-year-old vines. Ester Canale Rosso is the name of the mother of one of the Rosso families.  Many different ages of Rosso families have passed through this winery and vineyards. This wine epitomizes what Gambero Rosso looks for in wine; finesse, elegance, and complexity.

Giovanni Rosso, Barolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale Rosso ’19 – A light, clear, brackish garnet colour in the glass.  Very light red cherry and oak aromas.  Medium body, smooth and soft mouthfeel.  Bright acidity.  Tart red cherries and red apples with touches of floral and oak.  Medium-plus lingering finish with drying tannins and red cherry flavours.

Solidarity Award, 2024

This award is for wineries that fund social activities and give back to society.  Velenosi, a family-owned winery, works with youth suffering from a particular health issue (I could not determine the syndrome name from the speaker and there is no mention on the winery’s website).  This wine is made with 70% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese grapes.  These young people work in the vineyard and winery which helps with their health.  The winery is in the Marche region, the center of Italy.  This wine is a blend of 80% Montepulciano and 20% Sangiovese aged in new oak barrels. 

Velenosi, Rosso Piceno Superiore Roggio del Filare ’20 – A deep, dull, ruby colour.  Light aromas of ripe dark berry fruits, woodiness, and a hint of sweet spices. Dry and lean with medium-intensity drying tannins.  Soft black cherry and plum flavours, some woodiness and salty minerality.  Medium acidity.  Medium-minus length. –

Lady Grower of the Year, 2024

Marinella Camerani from the Valpolicella area is the Female (Lady) Grower of the Year.  Canada is a top importer of Valpolicella wines in the world.  Some of her vineyards are from Valle Mazzane and she would like to put the location on the label but it is an unregulated region by the Consorzio so it is not allowed.  Thus she put “**” on the label.  She started one of the first biodynamic wineries in Italy 30 years ago and also works sustainably.  This wine is lighter-bodied and drier than you would expect for an Amarone.

Camerani – Corte Sant’Alda, Amarone della Valpolicella Val**zzane ’16 – Medium-plus dull garnet colour with slight bricking.  Light aromas of red apples, ripe red cherries and sweet spices.  Medium-body, off-dry, soft and smooth mouthfeel.  Sweet ripe red fruit flavours and black pepper.  This wine is quite peppery on the palate.  Medium acidity.  Medium-plus length with sweet red cherries, pepperiness and a mix of nutmeg and mace spices on the finish. –

Meditation Wine of the Year, 2024

Cantine Florio was founded in 1833 in Marsala, Western Sicily. Grillo is the main grape used to produce Marsala. This grape, even in the very hot temperatures of the region, still retains high acidity.  The grapes once fermented are aged in old vessels and managed in a solera system. 

Cantine Florio, Marsala Vergine Riserva ’11 – A medium intensity, bright clear almond/tan colour.  Quite aromatic with butterscotch, ripe dried stone fruits and sweetness.  Medium-plus body, with a smooth, thicker mouthfeel.  Medium-plus acidity.  Butterscotch, dried stone fruits, and pepperiness on the palate.  A long length finishing with butterscotch, dried fruits and nuttiness on the finish.  A dry finish.