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

A delicate nose of ripe stone fruit and a hint of creamy oak. The complex palate is well-balanced with ripe peach characters, a broad mouthfeel and some toasty oak in the background.

Azienda Agricola Il Cascinone

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

It is at once full-bodied and sweet, a rather splendid marriage of generosity and finesse. Notes of plum and blackberry mingle with a whisper of tobacco and a courteous nod of clove, creating a harmony of fruit and spice that feels almost orchestral. The wine carries itself with a certain quiet authority—powerful, assured—and yet it closes with disarmingly soft, sweet murmurs that linger long after the last sip.

A blend of Cataratto, Grillo & Fiano, hand harvested and fermented on skins for 2 days before finishing in oak botti (large barrels). The wine then spends at least 7 months aging on its lees.

Intensely golden in colour, which comes from the skin contact and ageing in large oak botti. The prominent bouquet has notes of coconut and tropical fruit, with an undercurrent of gentle spices. On the palate, there is a richness, balanced by well-integrated acidity. Excellent structure and length.

Aromas of intense ripe damson and black cherry with a hint of spice. Rich and generous on the palate - robust and full-flavoured with intense plum and sour cherry fruit, and notes of dark chocolate - balanced by tangy, juicy acidity.

Azienda Agricola Il Cascinone

The d'Annona vineyard is a fantastic single vineyard site with vines in excess of 60 years old. The grapes selected for this wine are grown on 2 small parcels totalling 3.5 ha. The grapes are hand-picked, destemmed and crushed, and innoculated with selected yeasts. The must undergoes temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with pumping over four times per day. The wine is then racked to a mixture of new (two thirds) and one year old (one third) French oak barriques where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for 18-20 months. It spends a further 18 months in bottle before release.

Azienda Agricola Il Cascinone

The estate covers 11 hectares near Chiusi, on the border of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Maria Sole follows the principles of Rudolf Steiner (Biodynamics) and Masanobu Fukuoka (“do-nothing” farming), using biodynamic preparations and avoiding weeding to maintain a balanced, self-sustaining vineyard ecosystem

Grown on sand and clay in vineyards between 17 and 32 years. The grapes are hand harvested and undergo one night of skin contact to extract the perfect amount of flavour. The wine then undergoes fermentation in stainless steel tanks to preserve the natural characteristics of the grapes. After this the wine spends approximately 7 months of aging in a combination of steel and concrete tanks. Maria Sole bottles “Noble Kara” without fining or filtration, and with a minimum of sulphur.

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

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

Vibrant black fruit aromas with a touch of spice. On the palate layers of ripe plum, blackcurrant and juicy black cherry balance spicy, developed flavours. A well-structured and complex wine with ripe tannins and bright acidity on the finish.

Azienda Uggiano

Medium ruby red colour with a pure nose of ripe dark fruits, cherry, plum and sweet spices like ginger and aniseed supported with discreet oak. The palate is round and textured with a well balanced freshness, ending with a long and broad spicy finish.

Joyous Gamay from Val d’Aosta, right up in north west Italy. Grown at altitude this has a wonderful brightness and freshness. If Gamay still means questionable Beaujolais Nouveau trauma for you, this is your moment of redemption Juicy and lightly structured, with crunchy red fruit and a zip and zing that send it across the palate like an Irish dance troupe on double espressos. A gentle chill wouldn’t hurt, nor would a plate of charcuterie mysteriously appearing alongside it..

Areore is a field blend from the vineyard that surrounds the winery. Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Tocai Friulano combine to offer a truly beautiful, very complex and really long wine. The grapes are pressed slowly and remain in the press overnight before starting co-fermentation next day. Open top stainless steel for the start of the fermentation then taken from the skins and moved to large oak once the initial phase is complete. Remains on fine lees in cask for 12 months but with no battonage, bottled and rested for a further 4 months before release.

A subtle and restrained white with delicate stone fruit and lightly nutty aromas. The palate is textural with more nutty characters and good concentration, all beautifully balanced by peachy fruit, a dash of lime, and taut acidity on the finish.

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.

Malvasia Nera di Brindisi (not to be confused with Malvasia Nera di Basilicata. obviously..) is another of these lesser known varieties that apparently have been knocking around Puglia for centuries and are only now emerging into the daylight of single varietal bottlings

Intense ruby red colour with purple tinges; pronounced aromas of red fruits, with hints of plum and spices. Full-bodied and well balanced, with a lively tannin and a pleasantly lingering finish of ripe red fruits.

Bright yellow colour with greenish reflections. Delicate hints of apple, citrus and nuances of white fruits. Fresh and salty, with a long and elegant finish.

Lightly honeyed spicy nose with distinct floral, apple and citrus notes. On the palate it shows ripe fruit and subtle almond flavours balanced by crisp, lemony acidity. Good weight and texture through to the finish.

Excellent with seafood risottos, baked fish and cold white meats.

This is the first release of a wine named after the great Beppe Colla - who founded Poderi Colla in 1994 along with his brother Tino and daughter Federica, and did great work to improve the quality, and promote the wines, of the Langhe. It is a limited production of Barolo Bussia Riserva from the Dardi le Rose vineyard - considered to be one of the great Barolo crus - and which will be produced from the the very best barrel of only the best vintages.

Produced from the Bussia Dardi le Rose vineyard in Monforte d'Alba, a 6.2 hectare south / south-west facing vineyard 300-350 metres above sea level. The Nebbiolo grapes were hand-harvested in the first half of October and were destemmed, pressed and macerated on skins for 12-15 days at a maximum temperature of 30°C. The wine completed malolactic fermentation before winter, and in the spring it was transferred to oak barrels for 24-48 months. It then spent a further 48 months in bottle before release.

Delicate aromas of dried flowers, sweet spice and red fruits. The palate is complex with elegant berry and damson fruit supported by soft tannins and notes of liquorice. Long and appealing on the finish.

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

Fresh, dry and crammed with summer fruits flavours.

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.

From one of the leading growers of Chianti Classico this is a kind of “baby Chianti” – mostly Sangiovese (obv) with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot thrown in. Full of raspberry and cherry fruit it’s a lighter style which is ideal with white meats or summer salads.

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.