Berlin, Germany (Gastrosofie). The 2023 edition of the guide (Italian original „Guida Essenziale ai Vini d’Italia 2023“) was presented at the Enoiteca Il Calice with wines of a number of producers present also at a wine fair on Walter-Benjamin-Platz in Berlin that same day end of April. Daniele Cernilli known as Doctor Wine was to be seen on the screen even if not there in person at the fine Italian restaurant bordering on the square in a fashionable area of the metropolis.
The new wine guide not only contains says the „top dog“ (who also considers himself a sort of Charlie, meaning the character from „Charlie’s Angels“ of old) introducing the guide the work, experience and knowledge of months, but of years. Countless tastings, visits of wineries, competitions as well as meetings and conversations were undertaken by Daniele Cernilli and his professional team from all walks of wine life to create the up to 700 pages compendium. For lovers and those who have to do with wine professionally, this wine guide will certainly do good service again. Thanks, doc!
Cernilli himself says that he and his editorial team and tasting experts are „confronted every year … with a growing number of wineries“ that „deserve to be included in our selection. The average quality of Italian production is constantly increasing, which makes the work of the selectors more and more difficult and perhaps for that very reason more and more useful. We believe that it is essential to present all the wineries that really deserve it, without exaggerating“, so top dog doc, because the guiding philosophy of this wine guide is „the essential, that is, not the collection of thousands of wineries, but the selection of those that, in the opinion of the „Doctor Wine“ team, are the best and will offer wines not to be missed on the markets in the coming months.“A point well made!
However a few statistics have to be. The 2023 edition that was published October 2022 presents a total of 1 256 wineries with their 3 150 wines – out of more than 20 000 wines tasted and evaluated. It is interesting to observe the „fluctuation“: „There are about 85 new wineries while 40 were left out“ of the guide, Daniele Cernilli informs.
In the blurb of the 2023 edition a message is that „669 wines were singled out for their excellent quality/price ratio, as they retail for under 15 euros in the Italian market.“ They received a rating of 90/100 and more, with many of them even costing less than 10 euros. These wines are graphically marked with a thumbs-up symbol, as is common practice, and of them there is a final ranking of the 10 best wines being those with a score of 92/100 or higher and a price below 8 euros. Winner was the Lago di Caldaro Classico Superiore Quintessenz 2021 Cantina Kaltern (Kalterersee in German), Alto Adige (Südtirol). Salute! for 94/100 points and thus almost receiving a „faccino“….
Faccino? Like any decent wine guide, Doctor Wine’s has its own quality pyramid, represented by the now-familiar „little faces“, the seal with the face of Daniele Cernilli, who thus certifies the quality of wines that score more than 95 points with one face. Two face seals are given for wines that have a 98/100 rating – there are 51 – and three „faccino“ seals are awarded for wines that have 99 points – there are 11, six of them from Tuscany – and for those with 100 or even 100+ points. The top three are – well, browse and read for yourself. And drink doc’s wine!
Bibliographic data
Doctor Wine by Daniele Cernilli, The Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2023, 695 pages, binding: paperback, size: 15,5 x 21,5 cm, 1st edition: October 2022, ISBN: 979-12-80912-04-6, price: 22 EUR, available at redazione@doctorwine.it
Remarks:
See also The essential Guide to Italian wine 2023 by Daniele Cernilli and the report
- Wine tasting with Doctor Wine in the restaurant „Il Calice“ on Walter-Benjamin-Platz in Berlin from Stefan Pribnow
in the magazine GASTROSOFIE.
