Italy


Thought long and hard before giving these low silver medals rather than high bronzes, but since they deliver so much pleasure and I’m in a good mood… Campriano Chianti Colli Senesi 2013, Tuscany, Italy (£11.45/£10.17 by the case Haynes Hanson & Clark) A friendly, juicy gush of dark cherry, red berry […]

Two Chiantis


La Montina Franciacorta Brut NV, Lombardy, Italy (£22 Buon Vino, Passion e Vino) Ripe pineapple and dried apricot flesh, with some citrus, and notes of bread dough and almonds to add further interest, feels young and not hugely complex but still a nice drink. B Enrico Gatti ‘Erbusco’ Franciacorta Brut […]

Three wines from Franciacorta


Fattorie Romeo del Castello ‘Allegracore’ Etna Rosso 2013, Sicily, Italy (£19.50 Tanners) Intriguing wine, gently spicy with a hint of smoky bacon – oak or not? – alongside the warm, plummy red cherry and strawberry flavours. Lovely violet fragrance too, but there’s also a whack of tannin for a backbone. […]

Two reds from Sicily



And still another of the catch-up-on-tasting-notes posts (see intro HERE if that doesn’t make sense) Cantina Bolzano Eisacktaler Isarco Silvaner 2011, Alto Adige, Italy (£10.20 Mondial Wine) There are some apricot and ripe citrus flavours here, but it’s one of those wines where fruit takes second place to other characters. It reminds […]

An assortment of whites plus a lone rosé from Italy, ...


Yet another of the catch-up-on-tasting-notes posts (see intro HERE if that doesn’t make sense) Nicosia Frappato di Sicilia 2014, Italy (£7.95 The Wine Society) Lovely light, perfumed style, with its earthy raspberry and cherry flavours and fresh finish, think of it as a southern Italian take on Beaujolais. B+   Renato […]

Assorted Italian Reds


Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico 2012, Tuscany, Italy (£17.49 The Bottle Stop, The Wine Chambers, Wine Store at No 4, Lewis and Cooper, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Italian Continental, Southwick Court Fine Wines, Noble Green Wines, Four Vintners, Flagship Wines, Pallant of Arundel, Hedonism, Dike and Son) This is all about […]

Three Chianti Classicos from Barone Ricasoli