Telero Rosso, Cantele
Barbera d’Alba, Giacomo Fenocchio, Piemonte
Verdeca, Cantele, Puglia
Cantele make some of the best value wines in Southern Italy; World class wines.
Verdeca is a grape variety indigenous to Puglia, making wines of great freshness and purity. This is a great example and if you're a bit tired of Sauvignon, this is really worth a try.
Perfect garden wine, or with salads or light fish dishes.
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Amoterra
Great value organic wine from the Abruzzo region (Adriatic coast East from Rome).
Trebbiano can be a bit bland but in the right hands can make wines of real character. This has good depth of citrus and apple flavours and a long, pure finish.
A great wine to always have in the fridge in case you fancy a quick glass of something light and refreshing.
Goes well with light salads and sitting in the garden on a sunny day...
Soave Classico, Monte Tondo
Monte Tondo is a family estate located in the beautiful hillside vineyards of Soave. Here the soils range from volcanic to chalky, which alongside the varying microclimates, gives the wines distinct flavour characteristics and individualistic style.
Alongside his family, winemaker Gino Magnabosco is part of the third generation to run the estate. They believe that hard work, drive, and determination are key to obtaining the best results from their land. Maintaining, nourishing, and cherishing the land of their ancestors is of utmost importance. And although not certified, they farm using organic practices and an environmentally friendly approach to both viticulture and vinification. No chemicals are used in their production and they recycle everything excess coming from the vineyard (stems as fertilizers, skins for grappa, pruned branches for heating and fertilizer).
Small proportions of other varieties are allowed in the production of Soave, but Monte Tondo focus their concentration purely on Garganega. Garganega is a variety so versatile and easily culinary matched but also with the ability to produce complex wines with age-ability.
A very good example of Soave at a very good price. This over-delivers..
Perfect with salads and light fish and shellfish dishes.
Terlaner Cuvee, Cantine Terlano
Cantina Terlano is well known in Italian wine drinking circles for producing Italy’s longest lived white wines. Many memorable wines from the 1950s and 1960s, which rank amongst the greatest white wines of the world, were made here.
Located in the heart of the Terlan wine-growing region and founded in 1893, it is one of the oldest Alto Adige cooperatives. At that time, 24 growers set themselves the goal of joint production and sales marketing. Recognition and prosperity blossomed from there. Today Terlano has approximately 100 members, it farms 150 hectares and has an annual production of roughly 1.2 million bottles.
Under the expert eye of winemaker Rudi Kofler, the wines are sold and marketed according to three different quality categories. Furthermore, special older vintages have been stored in the valuable 'vinotheque', so that today roughly 12,000 bottles from 1955 to the present day are stored and some date back to even earlier days. This wine collection of older vintages is absolutely unique in Italy and proves that Terlano’s wines are able to age harmoniously for decades.
Brilliant pale yellow colour with green nuances. On the nose green apple and white peach combine with fine nuances of lemon balm and mint to create the typical aroma of the classic Terlano. On the palate the peach is very strong, too, lending the Terlano its lively but at the same time very mellow character. The multifaceted, well structured flavor derives from an interplay of freshness and minerality and also has a wonderfully persistent finish.
Great now, but this wine will gain richness and complexity with ageing.
A perfect match for grilled fish and asparagus but this very food-friendly wine is remarkably versatile and can stand up to strongly flavoured dishes.
Lugana ‘i Frati’, Ca dei Frati
The Dal Cero family has transformed their Ca' dei Frati property, situated on the southern shores of Lake Garda, into a model Italian estate over the past two decade, they remain the best producer in Lugana.
The quality of the wines is attributable directly to Igino Dal Cero's obsession with detail. All their fruit is picked by hand and he ensures there is no skin contact as he wants to retain the delicate perfumes and enhance the supple texture of the whites.
Made solely from the Turbiana variety (related to Verdicchio, it was formerly known as Trebbiano di Lugana and then Lugana), the wine has depth and zip that few wines from this area demonstrate.
Perfect with grilled fish, light pasta dishes or antipasti.
Ortonese Sangiovese/Merlot, Caldora
This is one of my favourite sub £10 wines out there; it's such a great wine for the price.
From Puglia in the hot south of Italy, this blend really punches above its weight. The perfume and freshness of the Sangiovese meld beautifully with the soft, rich, plummy fruit of the Merlot.
Easy drinking and versatile, this is perfect as an every day red to accompany pasta and tomato dishes, pizza, as well as cured meats and hard cheeses (English Pecorino!). Smooth enough to work brilliantly at parties and functions (a step up from most wedding wines...)
Amarone, Musella
Musella make very special wines! What makes them unique is that they look for harmony and balance in the wine, not just power and intensity. Don't get me wrong, this is still a full-bodied wine, made with dried grapes in the usual way, but it isn't too intense or too alcoholic like a lot of modern Amarone. This is deliciously drinkable; more than one glass won't knock you out! Maddalena Pasqua is passionate about her vineyards and the land on which she lives; she makes wines that shine with this love. All the vineyards and farmed Biodynamically and the wines made by hand.
A great wine to finish the meal and can accompany a range of cheeses including complex Cheddars such as Montgomery or Pitchfork, or soft blues like Beauvale.
Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piemonte
In 1958, the priest of the village of Barbaresco, recognizing that the only way the small properties could survive was by joining their efforts, gathered together nineteen small growers and founded the Produttori del Barbaresco. The first three vintages were made in the church basement, and then in the winery built across the square from where the Produttori is still located. United once again, the small growers continued the work started by Domizio Cavazza, producing only Barbaresco wine and enhancing both the reputation of the wine and the village.
The Produttori del Barbaresco now has 50 members and 100 hectares (250 acres) of Nebbiolo vineyards in the Barbaresco appellation, which amounts to almost a sixth of the vineyards of the area. The most important thing, however, is that quality is always the highest priority and in Aldo Vacca, they have one of the World's most respected winemakers.
We buy this wine every year and it never disappoints; every vintage is different, reflecting the year itself, but has the hallmark of class and quality. The thing I like most about this is the amazing perfume; great Nebbiolo has a unique nose that is hard to beat! These wines age gracefully for decades and really represent great value in the context of Piemonte's top producers.
A great wine for the cheeseboard but also, venison and duck; when young the tannins are firm, so the food does need some richness and fat. As they age, the tannins soften but strong, hard cheeses (Old Winchester, Double Barrel, Cornish Kern...) are still my favourite match.