Fontodi Chianti Classico Olive Oil
Bodega Atamisque Malbec
‘Misco Riserva’ Verdicchio, Tenuta Tavignano
A family estate acquired in 1975 by Stefano Aymerich and wife Beatrice Lucangeli. Tavignano consists of 30 hectares of vineyards located in a small town called Cingoli, in the heart of the Marche region. The denominations here are Verdicchio del Castelli di Jesi and Rosso Piceno. Cingoli has a perfect Verdicchio growing climate with good sun exposure from the South-East and ventilation from the cooling Northerly winds. Verdicchio is their focus and the majority of their production but they also grow small portions of Montepulciano and Sangiovese which are used in the production of their Rosso Piceno.
The estate has now been passed down to niece Ondine de la Feld, who like her Uncle and Aunt continues with the passion to produce quality Verdicchio in this region. Although for many years Stefano and Beatrice ran the estate with a conscious effort to minimise their environmental impact by using environmentally friendly vineyard techniques and management, one of Ondine’s first decisions when she took charge was to farm all their vineyards organically. From the 2019 vintage they are officially certified organic.
Santenay ‘En Bievau’, Domaine Bart
St Aubin 1er Cru Rouge, Patrick Miolane
The Miolane estate is an ancient family-run business, which has been handed down through the generations. Patrick Miolane took control in 1983, and now works with his daughter Barbara, who joined the team in 2005. The estate consists of nine hectares of vineyards in St. Aubin, but also in neighbouring, Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet. Patrick and Barbara Miolane work the whole of the estate on lutte raisonnée principles, with the aim of conserving the environment and reducing chemical treatments to a minimum. St. Aubin is best known as a white wine appellation, but there is a small amount of Pinot Noir produced, and from a great producer such as this, the wines can be fantastic and relatively inexpensive compared to wines from more famous red-wine villages in the Cotes de Nuits. Good Red Burgundy under £30 is getting harder and harder to find, so I was very pleased to come across this gem.
A supple, juicy Pinot that works well with rich fish (salmon) dishes, as well as lighter meat dishes.