Gran Passione Rosso, Veneto, Italy
Made from partially dried Corvina and Merlot grapes in the Veneto region of North-East Italy, this wine certainly delivers a lot of ‘bang for your buck’! Like a baby Amarone, this has buckets of rich, intense dark fruit flavours with a long, lingering. Very smooth and very comforting… great with hearty dishes, especially game and perfect with strong cheeses such as Vintage Lincolnshire Poacher and Stilton from Cropwell Bishop.
Prosecco ‘Chloe’, Althea, Veneto, Italy
Telero Rosso, Cantele
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...
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...)