Cabernet Franc is one of the hottest red grapes on Earth right now. Structured, ripe, dark fruit flavours with layers of ripe plum, blackberries and spice make this wine a beautiful drink now as well as for ageing. It comes from a plateau across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy where the soils are rich in iron and limestone and provide superb ripening conditions to grapes grown there, with the added benefit of the ocean influence. 

Fermentation in French and American oak is followed by ageing for a year in larger Slavonian and French oak. This stunning wine drinks well now and has a long life ahead, provided it is cellared well.  

This great white is made from one of Italy’s oldest known white grape varieties – and undoubtedly one of its best, Verdicchio. This grape originates either in the Marché region on central Italy’s east coast or it comes from the Veneto region in the north. It’s found in both regions but goes under different names in each (as Verdicchio or as Trebbiano). Those details aside, Verdicchio makes wines with intense lemon flavours, a medium to full body and lingering finish, due to its relatively high acidity. The best Verdicchio can age well for up to a decade.

Garofoli’s Podium shows another side to Italian wine; it’s a complex dry white for drinking now and can also undoubtedly age well. Try it. 

San Marzano 'Talo' Negroamaro Puglia IGP is a full-bodied, deep purple red wine with violet reflections from the Apulian based company, San Marzano. It has an intense aroma of blackcurrant and wild fruit, with notes of spice, vanilla and balsamic. 

The wine is aged in French oak barrels for six months and will age gracedully for five to six years. It pairs well with savoury dishes, meats and mature cheese.

Provenance:
Murgian rocky hill within the territory of Gioia del Colle, in the locality of Spinomarino, 4,5 km to the South East of the town. Karstic rocky soil, omogeneous mix of clay and limestone

Vineyard Features:
Planted in: 1990
Altitude: 365 m above sea level
Size: 8 hectares
Orientation: North-South
Density: 4000 vines/hectare
Lane: 2,20 m
Vine Gap: 1 m

Spontaneous fermentation of the must in contact with the skin for 240-300 hours at controlled temperature and just with autochthonous yeasts. Open-cycle process with frequent pumping of the must over the pomace. Natural malolactic fermentation. No addition of sulphites during the whole vinification process.  Only after the end of the malolactic, re-integration of the sulphites lost during the vinification steps to restore the initial natural value.

Ageing:
12 months in wine stainless steel tanks, 12 months in Slavonic oak 750-liter-casks with the application of music therapy to optimize the spontaneous microxigenation process and improve the fining of the wine, 6 months in bottle.

Ruby red intense colour with slight burgundy hues. Scent typical of very ripe fruits and slightly toasted wood and spices, with some balsamic notes. Full bodied, rich in minerality and freshness, balanced smooth taste of black sour cherry and plum tending to velvety with ripe fruity notes of blackberry and mulberry, and spices like clove and cacao. The feature that makes our natural authentic Primitivo of Gioia del Colle unique is the toasted almond aftertaste.

This so-called “Sardinian Sassicaia” is made by the same people who brought us the legendary Tuscan red wine. 60% Carignano, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 10% Syrah. This is a rich, intensely aromatic red with dark-fruit flavours and a full body. Super Sardinian anyone?

Sessantanni is a full bodied, rich red from the San Marzano region. The palate is very concentrated and juicy, with powerful tannins and complex notes of tobacco and cherry. The finish offers notes of cocoa, toffee and vanilla.

Dry, flinty, lemon scented and with a savoury edge, Verdicchio is arguably Italy's greatest white grape - and definitely its best known top white wine, even if it is does not typically tend to travel far. 

San Lorenzo is an Italian wine producer in the Marché region on the east coast of central Italy, and the producer of this superb Verdicchio from the Marché region on Central Italy's Adriatic Coast.  

Casal di Serra Verdicchio was first made in 1983 from grapes grown in the Montecarotto Vineyard. It now includes grapes from three other vineyards, all of which are fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and fruit flavours. It is then aged in tank for five months in contact with yeast lees but with no malolactic fermentation. 

Verdicchio tastes great with Seafood, the ideal match with Verdicchio, as is soft cheese.

The Marche region

The altitude vineyards and sea breezes in the warm Mediterranean Marche region both combine to create a wine with vibrant freshness and bright acidity as well as a medium to full body. Verdicchio is nearly always made as a 100% varietal dry white and also lends itself to high quality sparkling wine, thanks to its robust acidity.

The earliest written mention of the Verdicchio grape is in 1569 and it makes some of the most age worthy dry whites in all of Italy, even at relatively modest prices such as this outstanding wine from Umani Ronchi, which is now organically certified and represents one of our greatest hidden treasures on our white wine shelves.

Buy it by the case and watch its tasty flavours unfold over four to five years, potentially longer.

94% Nerello Mascalese with 6% Nerello Cappucio. This is a bright red wine with an expressive nose and a fresh palate. The nose offers notes of fresh cherries and prunes with subtle touches of leather and tobacco. The palate is complex, with soft tannins, good structure and great fruit expression.

Commercial description

The hill overlooking Trento, with its clayey-limestone soils, welcomes the Manzoni Bianco and matures the grapes in late September. The character of the Fontanasanta vineyards is expressed through this hybrid, born of a mix of Riesling with Pinot Bianco. Its ability to evolve overtime requires patience; Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco is a wine that really comes into its own at least three years after harvest.

Name of wine: Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
Grape: Manzoni Bianco
Vineyard location: Fontanasanta, Trento hills
Hectares: 5 hectares
Terroir: Calcareous clay
Fermentation and fining: Fermentation on the skins in cement tanks, followed by 7 months of aging in acacia casks
Annual production: 20.000 bottles

A great new southern Italian red made entirely from the Aglianico grape, which makes wines that are often referred to as the Nebbiolo of the south. 

This Lazio Vermentino IGT from Castello di Torre in Pietra is aged in steel tanks for about 3 months and offers a crystalline, vibrant and organic expression of the aromatic Vermentino grape.

A straw yellow colour in the glass opens with a nose of white fruit and ripe peach, broom and aromatic herbs. The palate it is full-bodied, fresh, savoury and with typically marine mineral traces.