Welcome back after the summer break – did a bit of filming over the holidays, so while it’s all busy busy busy on the tasting calendar, you’ll be seeing several new videos up here in the near future. I did post a video on YouTube while I was on holiday in Spain, prompted by an unusually-named coffee we found in the local supermarket…more here.

But back to wine, and four Italians to kick off with.

ITALS

Tesco Finest* Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti (CAVIT) 2009, Veneto (£7.99 Tesco)
Really delicious, friendly wine, eminently gluggable thanks to its bold, crunchy blueberry and blackcurrant flavours, but also with a refreshing, tar-like earthiness – try it after half an hour in the fridge. S(-)

SPAR Montepulciano d’Abruzzo NV, Abruzzi, Italy (£5.79 SPAR)
Pleasant fleshy fruitcake flavours – warm berries, vanilla and spice – but let down by a touch of volatility. C+

Tesco Finest* Nero d’Avola (Cantine Settesoli) 2010, Sicily (£6.99 Tesco)
Really good mix of the rich and the restrained, offering plummy cherry fruit with a slightly earthy, roasted edge, touches of vanilla, dark chocolate and coffee, and an exotic, almost Viognier-like floral nuttiness. S-

Miopasso Nero d’Avola 2009, Sicily (£8.99 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Hawkshead Wines, Planet of the Grapes, Sandhams Wine Merchant, Trina’s Wines)
Full and fleshy, showing plush plump glace cherry, damson/prune and raisinny flesh with touches of nut kernel but also sufficient freshness and tang to hold it all together. S-