Benanti is a Sicilian winery with vineyards on the slopes of Mt Etna. This Etna Bianco is sourced from fruit from the eastern and southern slopes of the mountain. The unique terroir of this micro-climate gives the wine its distinctly Sicilian profile. Benanti Etna Bianco is made from the indigenous Carricante grape. This grape brings juicy acidity and fresh fruit aromatics, which is preserved by steel ageing. The palate is dry, refreshing and mineral, with a good persistent finish.

Timorasso is often called the “white Barolo” and this grape produces a white wine with great potential for aging.

The soil in the Tortona area is sandy clay and the vineyard aspect is South, South west at about 250-450m. the vines are trained to Guyot with ten buds per plant at 4.500 vines per hectare.  All grapes are handpicked around the end of September followed by 6 hours of cryo-maceration. Fermentation is in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with followed by 6 months on fine lees.

The end result is a super complex minerally driven wine, full-bodied on the palate with fresh citrus and tropical fruit notes leading to a mineral finish.

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

Fuoripista narrates an alternative route, a pathway out of the common, a
different perception and vision of nature. Fuoripista Pinot Grigio arises from
the cooperation of Foradori and Marco Devigili, biodynamic winegrower of
the Campo Rotaliano, and expresses the essence of a variety widely diffused
in Trentino. More than 8 months of skin contact in amphorae (tinajas from
Villarrobledo, Spain) liberates and emphasizes the delicate character of this
Pinot Grigio.

Dry, light bodied Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region in north east Italy. The Botter winery has wrapped this wine in recycled paper to draw attention to its certified organic credentials and environmentally friendly ethos. 

"Amazing wine of power," we wrote in our notes after tasting this maverick blend of Nebbiolo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the great Gaja family in Barbaresco, in Piemonte, north west Italy. This wine is produced along biodynamic guidelines and is named after the site of Moresco, hence Sito Moresco; a reference to the previous owner of the vineyard, to whom Angelo Gaja and his daughter, Gaia Gaja both want to pay tribute. 

On the face of things, it can sometimes seem at odds with the strong personalities of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo to blend them both together, but it works in this wine because both get to express themselves, with Merlot adding juicy ripe flavours.

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.

Outstanding new vintage 2019 Barolo from a classic producer. Giacomo Fenocchio has a reputation for producing classic traditional Barolo with traditional long maceration times, of up to 40 days on skins with natural indigenous yeasts. 

The result is a group of stellar Barolos that can age for between 10 to 20 years in good cellaring conditions and which offer exceptional value for money. The style is savoury all the way from the clean, fresh, earthy note to the rich mushroom, truffle, tar and roses notes that typifies great Barolo. This wine punches above its weight for its price and will age gracefully.

Delicate but powerful full bodied red made from Nebbiolo grown in the mountains in north west Italy. This is a stunning wine made in small volumes and imported in even lower volumes. 

If you love Italian wines, this is a must buy.

Bright and deep garnet color. The nose is rich and concentrated with hints of blueberries, licorice and cocoa. The palate is fresh and juicy. Balsamic and appealing scents of graphite lead to mellow notes of rhubarb. Fine-grained and silky tannins. The 2018 Promis perfectly mirrors the Mediterranean scrubland of which it is surrounded.

Blend: 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah, 10% Sangiovese

Sangiovese 50%, Cillegiolo 50%

A skin contact white from Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdicchio and Grechetto made by the nuns of a monastery from a five hectare plot in the town Vitorchiano, in the region of Lazio. The wine is now made under the guidance of Giampiero Bea, of Paolo Bea, and has seen vast improvements in quality.

This wine offers herbal and fruit forward aromas and flavours with apple, fennel seed and fresh apricots making an appearance.

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. 

If you're looking for Italy in a glass, here it is - a complex Chianti Classico (90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot) from  a hillside vineyard in Tuscany called Poggio Teo. This 10 hectare site is situated about 400 metres above sea level where its vines gain maximum sunshine and benefit from cool nights, both of which enhance this wine's deep velvet smooth mouthfeel and complex, dry savoury aromas. Fleshy black plum flavours and a soft textured mid palate are followed by a lingering flavoursome finish. 

A great wine for drinking now (must be decanted to show at its best) and to save for another five to six years. 

The Ovello site has more clay, and the resulting wines are plump and fruit forward meaning they often drink earlier, as well as being super age worthy too. Classic ripe cherry notes that develop autumnal qualities and  more of the tar and spice that Barbaresco is famous for with age.

Ovello is one of the great red wines of Italy and is made entirely from the great structured red grape, Nebbiolo; exceptional in taste, complexity and its ability to age for at least a decade, evolving into a silky delicious wine over this time. It's made by the Produttori del Barbaresco. This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme. 

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30°C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation in wood followed by a further nine months aging in bottle, prior to release. 

Fast facts on Barbaresco

Barbaresco as an appellation was created in 1894

Barbaresco was given DOCG status in 1980

This is a small wine production area with approximately 700 hectares of vineyards registered to make Barbaresco – which must be 100% Nebbiolo and made within the same sub region in which the grapes are grown.