Made in Italy
Laura on 5 Mar 2015
Here is a selection of some of our favourite, lesser known, Italian wines. There is something for everyone here, from crisp, dry whites to rich, savoury reds. Enjoy!
This is the perfect wine to have this Spring – it has enough froth and fizz to give you that all important pick-me-up while there’s still a chill in the air. This bright ruby wine is full of ripe, cherry fruit along with some savoury pepperiness that is ideal with charcuterie and hard cheeses. Lambrusco is now back on the wine lists of the world’s top Italian restaurants like London’s The River Café and Bocca di Lupo, or three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in the wine’s homeland of Modena.
£13.95 £12.28 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
Santadi are one of the jewels of the Mediterranean paradise of Sardinia. Tuscan legend Giacomo Tachis helps make world famous wines like Terre Brune and more affordable reds like this gamey Carignan. Fans of fuller bodied Pinot Noirs will be very happy to discover this little gem, with its notes of violet, dried fig, blackcurrant and porcini. A complex wine that opens up a world of Italian wine outside the mainland’s classics.
£11.50 £10.12 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
Caggiano Greco If you like good quality Viognier, you’ll love Greco. In Tufo, Campania, the grape comes into its own, producing a crisp, minerally wine with lemon citrus, almond and hints of apricot and pineapple. The name ‘Devon’ on the bottle is a little confusing – no, it’s not named after the county in the English Riviera, but the Devon ice cap in the Arctic. Any clearer? Well, producer Antonio Caggiano once visited and was so impressed he named his wine after it...
£17.95 £15.80 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
‘Inferno’ is the rather brilliant name given to one of the sub-zones of Valtellina Superiore. The rocky Alpine slopes are so steep, and summer temperatures so high, that toiling in these vineyards sometimes feels like ‘hell’. But it’s all worth it for the quality of the vivid ruby red wines with aromas of plums, mulberries, roses and dried violets. The Chiavennasca grape is a strain of Piemonte’s famous Nebbiolo, delivering savoury wines with elegant, lingering flavours of toasted hazelnuts and spice.
£17.50 £15.40 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
Negro Favorita This family run winery produces fabulous reds and whites in the Langhe area of Piemonte. White wines from here are becoming more and more popular – and you can see why. Made from 100% Favorita — Liguria’s Vermentino grape – this is crisp and fragrant, with hints of apple blossom and ripe citrus fruits. Ideal served as a Spring aperitif or with fresh seafood and herby roast chicken.
£13.50 £11.88 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
Recioto is a sweet wine made with dried grapes from the Valpolicella area of Veneto - If you like Amarone, you’ll love this matched with rich puddings and cheeses. The grapes are dried for at least a month longer than those used for Amarone, giving the wine a distinctive ‘raisined’ flavour and notes of plum, cherry, dark chocolate and warming spice. Established in 1857, Bertani is still family owned, creating wines of both tradition and innovation.
£23.00 £20.24 (+10% off 12+ bottles)
Watch this short video from wine buyer Sergio De Luca on a couple of customer favourites from his recent Made in Italy tasting in Bath.
By Chris Penwarden
All prices above are based on our Italian promotion in March. Valid until 31.03.15