Italian Wine

Dark plum, leather and delicate violet aromas, plus notes of woodsmoke and brown spice. A full, firm and ripe red with rich, powerful flavours. All balanced by ripe tannins, complex savoury notes and a long finish.

Araldica

Attractively aromatic with fresh red fruits, floral notes, and hints of sweet spice. The palate offers ripe plum and damson characters balanced by a lightly earthy, savoury complexity with finely-grained tannins.

A complex nose showing notes of black cherry, plum, violets, coffee and raisins. The palate is smooth and rounded, with a richly-textured mid-palate and a medley of spice, dried fruit characters and supple tannins. The wine remains elegant, being so beautifully integrated and sweetly rich, but with a long and complex, dry finish.

Montressor

Fruity with hints fo ripe cherry and red fruit on the nose. On the palate this is full-bodied and round with more red fruit and a poised acidity

The palate is rich and generous with juicy cherry and more plum fruit, and meaty, spicy notes beneath. Soft oak tannins offer an extra dimension to the texture. A refreshing smack of fruity acidity on the finish gives plenty of definition to the ripe fruit.

Araldica

Barolo Liste is a signature wine of Piedmont, cultivated in the small, prestigious zone of Liste within the Barolo zone.

Nebbiolo grown in calcareous-clay soil gives this pure expression of Barolo its intense, garnet red color, with a few orange highlights. Its nose is moderately intense with notes of wild fruit, liquorice, tobacco and cocoa.

The vineyard carries its 35 years well and enjoys ample sunshine from the east.

On the palate it is dry and full-bodied with a velvety persistence that marries well with the great Piedmont culinary tradition. It is an ideal accompaniment to braised meats and truffle dishes.

95/100 - The Wine Advocate

Damilano Barolo

This natural wine packs a punchy nose of crisp apple aromas. Crunchy green apple and a bit of lime lead on the palate which is rich in texture and a lemon drizzle cake finish.

Expansive aromas of wild berry, plum, aromatic cedar, tobacco leaf and leather. A generous, complex palate with meaty, savoury characters and fine-grained tannins, developing into a long, persistent and satisfyingly rich finish.

San Felice

The grapes are cultivated on traditional trellised vines planted in marl soil at Montresor's ‘Capitel della Crosara’ vineyard on the hills of Negrar within the Classico zone. Grapes are picked by hand in October. Made by the Ripasso (literally ‘repassed’) method, which involves adding the unpressed skins from the dried grapes which were used to make an Amarone to a young Valpolicella wine. This helps to add extra flavour and alcohol to the wine (causing it to start re-fermenting) and gradually the luscious flavours of Amarone are imparted to the wine. After this the wine is aged for 12 months in French and American oak casks along with some small barriques.

A warm, inviting, richly fruity nose, with aromas of fresh morello cherry, ripe plum and hints of dried fruits. The palate is similarly full-flavoured with concentrated, crunchy black cherry, brown spice and vanilla notes and a hint of liquorice. The long finish has the classic bitter cherry fruit finish typical of ripasso.

Montressor

A sophisticated, elegant 100% Bellone wine that embodies its terroir. It is named after one of the mythical Dioscuri, venerated in the ancient Temple of Castor and Pollux, whose imposing ruins are among Cori’s archaeological treasures.

Brilliant straw yellow colour; delicate fruity nose, yellow peach, hawthorn; fragrant, fresh palate with mineral notes.

Cincinnato

Aromas of honeyed, ripe stone fruit with citrus and lightly spicy notes. The palate is complex with lime, citrus characters balanced by a spicy minerality, structure and length. Showing some development, but with the potential to age for 5 years or more.

Cavit

100% Timorasso. Five generations of Massas laboured tirelessly to keep the Timorasso flame alight whilst cheap Pinot Grigio and Prosecco rolled past by the truckload. It’s not difficult to see the origins of Walter’s frustration. Here on the steep hills just east of Tortona grow the last few hectares of Timorasso in the world. An ancient variety with thick skins, low yields, high disease susceptibility and immense concentration, it ought to be served by the glass in every restaurant with even the slightest aspirations to a decent wine list. The Timorasso ‘Derthona’ is initially shy in the glass but develops red apple, apricot and tangerine with time. Extended lees contact gives it a creamy mouthfeel often mistaken for oak (there is none) and the acidity will keep it developing in bottle for ages.

Abruzzo's Pecorino grape is one of Italy's fastest growing white varieties. It's a perfect accompaniment to the fantastic seafood of the region. This is a great example from one of its leading proponents. Ripe honeyed nose with aromas of white peach and citrus fruits, and gently nutty, savoury notes. The palate is full and textured with pronounced minerality and delicate ripe fruit flavours leading to a long, spicy finish.

Pronounced and complex nose with savoury, nutty aromas and hints of fennel, ginger and white spice. The palate is fine, concentrated and textural, with crisp citrus and lightly honeyed stone fruit balanced by minerality and sappy acidity.

Cantine Nicosia

Fresh and lightly honeyed on the nose with nutty notes and hints of citrus peel. The palate is complex with a touch of mandarin, stone fruit, and white spice on the textured mid-palate. A subtle and multi-layered wine with immediately appealing freshness.

An enticing nose of white peach and pear with hints of fresh lime and gooseberry. Fresh and light zesty citrus notes and crisp acidity lift a textured, medium-bodied palate.

Azienda Agricola la Battistina

La Battistina, situated in the north west region of Piedmonte, is an estate situated around the town of Gavi, and considered one of the best sites in Gavi. The vineyards are south facing with chalky and mineral soils, which allow the Cortese grape to ripen to its fullest. The wine is aromatic, with zesty citrus, lime and pineapple notes with a hint of minerality. The weighty fruit gives this wine an immensely long finish.

La Battistina

With the grapes harvested at the end of Ocotber the long ripening season ensures a brilliant, luminous, deep golden colour with flashes of gold and green. An outstanding, elegant and balanced wine with captivating fragrances of white flowers, minerals, citrus, white fruit, pear and apple overlaid by subtle honey. The fine acidity melds well in the richness of the body and in the long aftertaste of mineral and fruit.

Terredora di Paolo

Ripe, warm and generous on the nose with abundant plum and cherry aromas, roasted coffee beans and hints of dried fruits. Full bodied and richly flavoured with berry and plum fruit, wild cherry acidity and a hint of dark chocolate. Supple tannins lead to a spicy finish, with the characteristic dry bite of good Amarone.

Montressor

Pretty pale pink in colour. The nose is lifted with cherry, raspberry and gently floral notes. The palate balances tangy cherry and red berry fruit with crisp, incisive acidity. A delicious style of pale rosé which has plenty of summer fruit character balanced by great texture.

Azienda Agricola Il Cascinone

An excellent example of good quality Soave Classico, fresh and lightly fruity with delicate floral aromas of honeysuckle, elderflower and a hint of spice. Crisp and refreshing on the palate with good depth of honeyed fruit, and a clean, lightly nutty finish.

Harvested several weeks before its bigger, richer sibling Villaia, this is leaner and more taut with poise and elegance. Same vineyard, totally different style.

From Nicosia's organically farmed vineyards on the slopes of Mount Etna. Delicate, complex aromas of wild strawberry and redcurrant with lightly floral notes. Fresh bitter cherry and red berry fruit on the palate with fresh acidity, earthy notes and a savoury finish.

A blend of Corvinone, Corvina, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Intense ruby red turning to garnet with ageing. Bouquet is spicy with hints of cherry, black cherry and plum compote. fine and velvety palate, persistent, with soft tannins at the end.

An ambrosial nose of wonderful floral aroma's, on the palate there's an abundance of tropical fruit, melon, guava and peach supported by zippy acidity making it mouth-tinglingly moreish. A light refreshing wine for any occasion.

Biscardo Vini

On the west side of Sicily close to Marsala, is where Rallo Azienda Agricola calls home.

Working organically, the Vesco family focus on creating fragrant crisp Catarratto and perfumed fresh Nero d'Avola from their hillside vineyards. These vineyards are certified organic and are nestled high up in the hills south of Alcamo to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures and greater diurnal differences. The vines look down on the town of Marsala where, when the grapes have been harvested, they are taken. Here Andrea Vesco treats them with respect, utilising modern technology to ensure the freshness is retained for the final wines and creating elegant examples of the varieties that are anything but what you would expect from such a hot land.

A heady mix of citrus, grapefruit and tropical fruits, this is well rounded and complex with a long mineral finish.

Cantine Rallo

Fabrizio Vella is a passionate winemaker living and working in Sicily.

Proud of the island that he calls home he wanted to create a wine range that was personal to him, that reflected where he was from. Working with indigenous varieties of Cattaratto and Nero d’Avola he conjured four wines using an organic approach and careful winemaking to create wines that are fresh, exciting, moreish and true to their origin. A Sicilian wine through and through.

A natural wine with a complex nose, which is spicy and packed full of punchy liqouirice, chocolate, and dark fruits. Crisp, pleasant and persistent in the mouth.

Not posh or sophisticated but very appealing - warm earth and herbs with a meatiness right in the middle!

Vibrant and youthful colour with cherry jam and red berry fruit characters. The palate is warm and generous, packed full of polished berry fruit, a touch of spice and a bitter plum twist on the finish. Tannins are gentle and add structure to this substantial, spicy red.

Monte Schiavo

Enitely made from the Sardinian Nuragus grape, which historically does not have the best reputation, this is hand-harvested, fermented with 24 hrs' skin contact in stainless steel. Aged in steel for 11 months on fine lees, unfined, unfiltered. A noble, deep, complex white wine, for lovers of Xarel.lo or whites from the northern Rhône.

From right in the centre of Sardinia, this is 95% Monica Nero (one of the many grapes found pretty much only in Sardinia)with a little Bovalleddu (Graciano) and Tintillu (Mazuelo/Carignan). The vines are all between 60-120 years old and provide intense dark peppery fruit. Hand harvested with wild yeast fermentation, 1/3 in steel and the rest in oak barrels before 12 months lees aging; the wine is big and structural with a nod to intense Southern Rhones but a bit more rustic in style.

An absolutely classic Soave - from one of the region's master producers, and dedicated to the memory of Graziano Prà‘s beloved Border Collie. Fresh and subtly peachy nose with elegant honeysuckle and pear aromas. The palate is attractively textured and juicy, lightly honeyed, with vibrant citrus and stone fruit, appealing pithy notes and a hint of almonds. Fine, linear and concentrated with a crisp, incisive and mineral finish.

It opens fresh, mineral, deep, with fragrant field flower notes (camomile, elderflower, iris). On the palate is rich, complex and multidimensional with a finish of almond. With time, these notes transform into more complex notes of pollens, dried flowers.

Azienda Agricola Inama

Four generations of the Tedeschi family have been working their magic on the vineyards of Valpolicella and whilst it may be their range of Amarone that gain all the plaudits, this lighter offering from the heart of the Classico district is a wonderfully vibrant, youthful style of Valpolicella - full of juicy red fruit it is a perfect springtime red.

Freshly picked and fermented Frappato grapes are blended with ultra-ripe Nero d'Avola that have dried on the vine to provide a delightful "Appassimento" style red - rich, savoury and a real crowd-pleaser.

Baglio Gibellina

Ripasso wines benefit from extra structure and fruit delivered by using the skins of sun dried grapes. This wine is bursting with cherries on the nose, has great depth of flavour, silky smooth fruit and a long, rich velvety finish.

Biscardo Vini

A fine, crisp and fresh wine, with peach and pear characteristics, and refreshing acidity on the finish.

Monacesca

On the west side of Sicily close to Marsala, is where Rallo Azienda Agricola calls home.

Working organically, the Vesco family focus on creating fragrant crisp Catarratto and perfumed fresh Nero d'Avola from their hillside vineyards. These vineyards are certified organic and are nestled high up in the hills south of Alcamo to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures and greater diurnal differences. The vines look down on the town of Marsala where, when the grapes have been harvested, they are taken. Here Andrea Vesco treats them with respect, utilising modern technology to ensure the freshness is retained for the final wines and creating elegant examples of the varieties that are anything but what you would expect from such a hot land.

24 hours on the skins, no filtration or fining. This ‘Orange’ wine is straw yellow, bright but slightly turbid in colour thanks to the natural approach to winemaking, with no stabilisation, fining or filtration which results in a wine with very low sulphur levels. The bouquet is a wonderful mix of citrus, grapefruit, apple and white flesh fruits that all but mask the hint of elderberry and pleasant notes of Mediterranean flora.

Cantine Rallo

Aromas of ripe plum and cherry with spicy, savoury notes. This is a fruit-forward style of Chianti - the palate is bright and sappy, with redcurrant and bramble fruit providing fresh acidity, and supple tannins giving structure.

Villa La Pagliaia