#Italy

Sep 18, 2017

Age shall not wither them: 150-year-old Aglianico vines and a vertical tasting

Antonio Capaldi, president of Feudi di San Gregorio (left) with agronomist and CEO Pierpaolo Sirch; I wasn't the only one to photograph the 17-vintage line-up (right) I was in Campania recently for a vertical and horizontal tasting of Aglianico, “the Barolo of the south”, but no less fascinating than the tasting were some of the vines I encountered. The wines were from the Capaldo family’s Feudi di San Gregorio estate and the tasting was held in the winery designed for them b

Aug 24, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Le Fraghe Chelidon Rondinella 2015, Veneto, Italy

£12.50, The Wine Society It's easier than it used to be to find good light-bodied red wines, but even so this crystal-bright Veronese red is a discovery. Rondinella is one of the grape varieties in Valpolicella but, playing second fiddle to the more assertive Corvina, it seldom gets solo billing. At Le Fraghe, by Lake Garda, it gets TLC in the vineyards and the winery from Matilde Poggi and the result is a wine with oodles of charm and personality: fragrant crushed cherry and

Jun 22, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: The Fire Tree Vermentino 2016, Terre Siciliane, Italy

Aldi, £4.69 I'm as stunned by the price of this wine as you are. It's my cheapest Wine of the Week so far, and at a time when prices of European wines are rising inexorably in the UK thanks to the weakness of sterling. Never mind the price: feel the quality – or at least feel the value for money. We're not looking at depth and complexity here, we're looking at a refreshing, soft, dry white with a jasmine and spice perfume, and lemon peel and almond on the palate. Drink it as

Mar 23, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Tenuta Cavalier Pepe Nestor Greco di Tufo 2015, Campania, Italy

£11.50, Gerrard Seel I was torn between three wines from the Pepe Family in Campania, a red Aglianico, a white Fiano and this white Greco di Tufo, all available from Gerrard Seel, but in the end the Greco won the day. I like the thought of it being made in the volcanic hills of Tufo from an ancient grape variety that may or may not be of Greek origin and I warm to the idea of naming it after the heroic Nestor of Greek mythology, but most of all it’s the wine I like: effortles

Mar 2, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Feudo di Santa Tresa Frappato 2015, Terre Siciliane, Italy

£8.99–£9.99, Adnams, Vintage Roots, Ocado It would be hard to come up with a red wine more full of the joys of spring than this juicy, jewel-bright, organic red made from Sicily’s Frappato grape. It’s the Frappato, grown barely 5 miles from the sea, that gives the wine its quintessential character: vibrancy, suppleness, an astonishing aroma and taste of strawberries and a suggestion of cherries and herbs. It’s light on its feet without being a real lightweight (a median 13% a

Nov 29, 2016

A £12 Wine You Can Age For Two Decades

Grapes for Amarone drying on traditional bamboo trays After visiting Valpolicella last month, I was going to write about the current machinations and disunity in the region regarding the production of Amarone, a wine of which I’m very fond and one that has increased enormously in popularity, production and sales in the last two decades (that’s a large part of its problem). Instead I’ve decided to write about an individual wine that's closely related to Amarone, because it see

Oct 6, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Bibbiano di Fattoria Chianti Classico 2014, Tuscany, Italy

£9.99, Co-op It speaks volumes both about the quality of this wine and the quality of the producers from which the Co-op sources its wines that the other retailer of a Chianti Classico produced by Bibbiano is Berry Bros & Rudd. Wine merchants don’t come with greater pedigree or authority than Berry Bros of London St James’s. The Co-op, in contrast, is a retailer to the masses, with 2,800 stores at the price-conscious end of the market. But the Co-op’s wine buyers care about t

Apr 14, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Viberti Barbera d'Alba Bricco Airolo, Piedmont

£16.95, The Vintner, thevintner.com This is such a food-friendly red it ought to be on as many restaurant lists as the, admittedly limited, production allows, but I’ve yet to find it anywhere in the UK other than The Vintner wine merchant – bravo to them!. Barbera, named after its grape variety, is very much the understudy in Piedmont to the more regal Barolo (made from the Nebbiolo grape) but, in the hands of a good producer like Viberti, Barbera’s lower tannin levels, highe

Feb 26, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allegracore 2014, Etna Rosso

£19.50, Tanners shops and tanners-wines.co.uk Who wouldn’t be drawn to a wine called Allegracore – happy heart, named after the spot where the vines are grown? I can think of all sorts of occasions when it would strike the right note, not least leap-year marriage proposals next Monday and, less limited in application, Mother’s Day a week on Sunday. Even without an excuse, this is a lovely winter-into-spring rosso from the super-fashionable (in wine terms) slopes of Mount Etna

Jan 10, 2016

Moderate Alcohol, Persuasive Flavour

If you know where to look, there are plenty of wines with modest alcohol but bags of character and flavour Prompted by the UK government's new alcohol guidelines, I've looked through my recent tasting notes for wines that have low to moderate levels of alcohol, but which certainly don't fall short in the flavour and character stakes. The dry whites I'm recommending are all 12% abv, or lower, and the reds are 12.5% abv or lower, but bear in mind that EU labelling laws allow a

Jan 2, 2016

Cool Grapes

New year, new grape varieties: ten grapes and wines for 2016 Remember Grü-V? Yes, the American moniker for Grüner Veltliner. The trouble was that by the time sommeliers and their customers were saying Grü-V it was anything but, er, groovy. Fashions come and go in wine as in all things and there’s always somebody out there trying to outdo everyone else by requesting the most recherché lesser-spotted grape variety, To help you keep ahead of the game, here are ten cool grapes an

Dec 30, 2015

Cheap, Cheery Party Wines

Still and sparkling wines that are easy to drink, don’t need food and are available on the high street – five of them at under £7.50. For more ideas, especially if you want to aim a bit higher, check out my festive Champagne, Red and White Wine guides and my Wines of the Week. Wine Atlas Côtes de Thau 2014, Languedoc, France Breezy, light (12% abv), southern French blend of Sauvignon, Grenache Blanc and Vermentino. Zesty grapefruit and nettle flavour with a suggestion of whit

Dec 17, 2015

Festive White Wines

Whites to keep the show on the road this Christmas and New Year Wines listed in ascending order of price. I've given a UK stockist for each, but you can find other stockists in the UK and other countries on wine-searcher.com Tesco *finest Saint Mont 2014, France Mouthwatering, tangy lime and quince flavours. A brilliant, snappy fresh alternative to Sauvignon Blanc made from local grape varieties – mainly Gros Manseng – in Saint Mont, south west France. £5.50, Tesco Cimarosa M

Dec 16, 2015

Festive Red Wines

Ten red wines to serve with the Christmas feast Wines listed in ascending order of price. I've given a UK stockist (or two) for each, but you can find other stockists in the UK and other countries on wine-searcher.com Cimarosa Carmenère 2012, Colchagua, Chile Crowd-pleasing, fresh, velvet-soft Carmenère with a typical, smoky, green-pepper edge to the blackberryish fruit. A match for turkey, but not up to goose. £6.99, Lidl Domaine Mas Barrau Cabernet Franc 2014, Pays du Gard,

Oct 29, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Zensa Nero d’Avola 2013

£10.50, Oddbins, oddbins.com Love the retro label, love the wine - a full-on, spicy, cherry-scented red that will go down a treat (as they say) on Halloween or bonfire night and equally well on a more formal occasion. It's made from vines grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, hence both the name Zensa, the Italian pronunciation of sensa, the word for 'without', and the liberal sprinkling of organico, vino biologico and agricultura biologica across the label. Nero

Sep 17, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Masi Campofiorin Rosso del Veronese 2011

£9.99, Waitrose Think of this as an alternative to a goose-down duvet, a red to snuggle up with as the evenings get chillier: a soft, soothing, Valpolicella-type wine, but super-charged with deep, velvety, dried-cherry fruit, coffee-bean, nutmeg, vanilla and dark chocolate flavours. There are no chewy tannins, so although it'll take a beef casserole in its stride it won't overpower lighter food and is especially good with in-season game birds such as mallard, partridge and pi