Abbazia di Novacella 'Praepositus' Riesling is a dry, white, semi-aromatic wine from Italy's Trentino Alto Adige region. It is a straw yellow colour with golden highlights, and aromas of pineapple, peach, yellow pulp fruit, honey and flint. The palate is linear, racy and savoury, with strong minerality.

The grapes for this wine come from the Conca di Bressanone in the province of Bolzano, at altitudes between 650 and 750 meters above sea level. The wine is vinified and aged in stainless steel, and is a regular winner of the Tre Bicchieri award.

The Abbazia di Novacella wine estate dates back to 1142, and has been an important cultural and spiritual center since medieval times

The "Ba-Ne" is a blend of the two top red grape varieties of Piedmont: Barbera and Nebbiolo.  They work together wonderfully in a blend, Nebbiolo bringing high acidity, bold tannins, and elegance. The Barbera provides a richer body, and full plump fruit.

Abbazia's version sports an earthy nose reminiscent of terracotta, a lively wine with cola, raspberry and cherry fruits, a nutty mid palate with a long chalky finish. Superb value too!

Casa Vinicola Abbazia winery is located in Santo Stefano Belbo, a small town between Langhe Monferrato and Roero in Piedmont, Northwestern Italy. The winery was established in 1848, adjacent to an ancient Abbey built in 1028, in honour of Saint Gaudentius, the hermit saint who, around the 6th century, retired to the surrounding mountains to live a life of silence and prayer.

Tasting Note: 100% Dolcetto from 30 year old vines. Ruby red colour, full and intense nose with florals and lifted red berries. Acidity gives definition, and the wine is appealingly fresh on the palate.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Variety: Dolcetto

Region: Diano d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy

The Allegrini Valpolicella is a blend of Corvina Veronese 65%, Rondinella 30% and Molinara 5%. It is ruby red in colour, with fragrant red cherry, pepper and fine herbs on the nose. The palate is juicy and vibrant with fresh berry notes and a herbal, peppery element. This wine is an elegant and approachable blend made from some harder to find varietals,

100% Nebbiolo from the commune of Castiglione Falletto where the vines have an average age of between 35 to 50 years and grow at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres on calcareous marl soils facing south west. Vinification is in stainless steel and aging in traditional oak casks. 

Dolcetto is a one of the hidden treasures of Piemonte with its smooth rounded mouthfeel and impressive body and drinkability. This is a deliciously complex example from Dogliani in the region. 

Plantings of this grape declined in the 1990?s in favour of the more expensive, easier to market Barolo and Barberescos. It came down to money, not quality and quietly the wine world mourned. Luckily a few faithful enclaves remained faithful to the grape like in Dogliani just south of Alba.

The wine is jet black in colour with a sumptuous nose of blackberries dusted with exotic spices - fruity with great length and structure.

This lovely smooth Chardonnay is made with grapes grown on the Castello della Sala Estate, which surrounds the medieval castle at Castello della Sala in the region of Umbria, which borders Tuscany. 

The vineyards here are planted in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which both grow well in the clay soils here. 

The 2019 Bramìto Chardonnay is characterized by delicate white flower notes followed by light sensations of citrus fruit. The palate is crisp, fresh and full bodied with lovely mineral notes which provide a long finish with flavours of ripe peach and notes of soft creaminess. 

This wine is sealed with a screwcap; a modern touch used on many wines from Marchese Antinori. 

A great Italian red from one of the oldest family owned wineries in the world, which has produced wine since the 1200s. This expressive Chianti Classico is dense and complex with piquant spicy aromas, firm impressive tannins and the energy of a great red from one of the world's classic wine regions.

"Impenetrable dark ruby. Deep, concentrated marasca cherry and cherry liqueur with a minty, oaky note and a hint of cinnamon. A concentrated cherry-fruit palate layered with minty oak notes and lots of sandy tannins building up on the tangy finish. Will disappoint no one."

16.5/20 – Jancis Robinson Purple Pages

This is one of Marchese Antinori's top Tuscan wines and is made from the Peppoli Vineyard in the Chianti Classico DOCG. This wine was first made in 1985 and is a full bodied Chianti Classico with firm smooth tannins and high acidity, which is balanced by the ripe dark fruit characters and silky finish. 

It was aged in large Slovenian oak barrels with a small portion aged in stainless steel to retain fresh fruit flavours and balance. 

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

Smooth, fruity Italian red blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes. This Tuscan wine is a lovely introduction to the great world of Italian reds in the Antinori stable; a family company that has been continuously producing wine back to the 1300s.

What the critics say...

"It's delightfully fruited and fragrant on the nose with dark plum."

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Bianco is a distinctive and complex white wine from Sicily.

 It is made from a blend of two native grape varieties: Albanello and Zibibbo. The grapes are handpicked from sustainably managed vineyards and fermented with natural yeasts. The resulting wine displays aromas of citrus, white flowers, and herbs, coupled with a minerality and saline character that is characteristic of the Sicilian terroir. It has a rich, full-bodied texture and a crisp acidity that balances out the wine's unique character. This wine pairs well with seafood, light pasta dishes, and fresh salads. It's a must-try for those who appreciate authentic and expressive wines.

Here's a big, bold red number from Puglia in the south of Italy and it's made from a blend of the two most popular red grapes there, Negroamarro makes up 80% with Primitivo at 20%.

Powerful dark fruit flavours are held together in a smooth, full bodied red wine with soft tannins and a lingering depth of flavour on the finish, thanks to being made using the Italian appassimento winemaking technique, which sees a portion of dried grapes added to the ferment to create richness of flavour and concentration.