Masseria Li Veli Orion Primitivo is an exceptional red wine hailing from the sun-drenched vineyards of Puglia, Italy. Crafted with meticulous care by the renowned Masseria Li Veli winery, this Primitivo showcases the rich heritage and vibrant flavours of the region. The combination of ample sunshine, cooling sea breezes from the Adriatic and Ionian seas, and the region’s unique terroir allows Masseria Li Veli to produce high-quality Primitivo that truly reflects the character of Salento.

With its deep ruby hue, Orion Primitivo offers an enticing bouquet of ripe red berries, plums, and hints of spice. On the palate, it delivers a full-bodied experience with velvety tannins and a harmonious balance of fruit and earthy notes. Perfect for pairing with hearty Italian cuisine or enjoyed on its own

This fabulous Italian red is old school Barolo with a modern twist; clean, bright and fresh with savoury, earthy flavour notes and a truffly overtone that says Piemonte and Nebbiolo in every lingering sip.

Castellero is a 0.4 hectare vineyard, situated between Bussia and Cannubi, which produces wine full of earthy freshness and flavours of roasted mushrooms, porcini supported by a firm backbone of refreshing floral notes and firm acidity, which provides this wine with its long finish. 

The winemaking is considered traditional. Long macerations of up to 40 days see the wine go through a natural fermentation without added yeast in steel tanks. It was then aged for 30 months in Slavonian oak barrels. It's old school with a modern twist; clean, bright and fresh with savoury, earthy flavour notes and a truffly overtone that says Piemonte and Nebbiolo in every lingering sip.

What the critics say

Wine Enthusiast - 94 points

"Rose, wild berry, baking-spice aromas mingle with whiffs of menthol. Linear and structured, the vibrant palate delivers raspberry, orange zest, cinnamon and tobacco set against tightly knit, refined tannins while bright acidity keeps it balanced and energized. Drink 2024–2036."

Vinious Media - 93+ points

"The 2016 Barolo Castellero captures so much of what makes this site special. Mint, lavender, blood orange, raspberry and chalk notes give he 2016 striking aromatic brightness to play off its translucent, mid-weight feel. A wine of tremendous fascinating complexity, the Castellero will delight readers who enjoy classically-built Barolos. The Castellero is perhaps not quite as deep as the most complete wines in this lineup, but that is really splitting hairs at this level."

James Suckling - 93 points

"Aromas of strawberries and spices and hints of wet earth follow through to a medium body with firm, silky tannins and a long, driven finish, Better after 2022."

Giacomo Fenocchio's winemaking philosophy

Giacomo Fenocchio is regarded as one of the best Barolo producers today. Here's a piece that sums up why he is so highly respected and what makes his wines an authentic expression of Piemonte as a wine region.

"Claudio Fenocchio took over from his father Giacomo in 1989 – probably the moment of greatest pressure to follow the ‘modern’ winemaking path of short fermentations and aging in new barriques. In fact, it’s difficult now to understand how much pressure was exerted – from peers and neighbors, old and young, from the press, importers, customers, and that mysterious thing called “the market”. It took a strong will to resist, and a strong devotion to tradition. Lucky for us that Claudio stuck with the best of tradition – organic farming, long fermentations, and aging in large Slavonian oak casks. Easy for us too, since we get to drink his wines. Here’s a rare group of Fenocchio bottles spanning the generations, and ending with the beautiful 2016s."

From Chalmers Street Wine

Ever heard of Pelaverga?

It's not exactly a household name, even in the households of wine lovers. It is the name of a red grape grown in Piemonte in north west Italy. Even in its homeland there, it's pretty rare, and best known for making light, smooth fruity reds, such as this one, which is an interesting different take on northern Italian red wine.

100% Albana di Romagna

Made from dried Albana grapes, this dessert wine opens with ripe yellow peach and apricot aromas that carry over to the savory palate together with acacia honey and toasted hazelnut notes. Fresh acidity balances the sweet flavors.

Source - winemag.com

A lovely wine crafted mainly from Barbera but also with Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Made with temperature controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts and 10 to 15 days maceration exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Each component is vinified separately and then blended before bottling, based on the vintage.

This is an elegant medium to light bodied wine with a a fruit forward core balanced by lovely savoury elements and racy acidity.

Tasty Tuscan rosso with ripe lush red berry flavours in a soft, smooth and succulent, blend, made mostly of Tuscany's great Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon to add structure and a commanding presence. Affordably delicious wine for drinking now and over the next two years. 

It's named after the Villa di Remole in Tuscany, which has been owned by the Fresobaldi family for over 700 years. 

The wine is aged four months in stainless steel and two months in bottle, prior to release.

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. 

Italian designers bring their best bling to the design of the new Pizzolato Prosecco, which contains zero alcohol but loads of lovely aromatic flavour. This lightly sparkling wine is certified organic. 

This beautiful dry Italian white wine comes from the dramatic valley of the Valle d'Aosta in the cool north where the Petite Arvine grape grows at 550 metres above seal level, retaining bright piercing acidity and creating wines of great drive and length. 

This wine is made from grapes grown on the Rovettaz vineyard, which has a sharp inclination and is exposed to the south, enjoying a dry and windy climate. This wine tastes of white floral and citrus flavours with intense pink grapefruit notes and a great acid structure which allows this wine to retain freshness and age for the long term. It also drinks beautifully now, especially with seafood and white cheese.

Petite Arvine was first planted at Grosjean, in the early 1980s on highly sandy soils with a medium limestone content. They have been organically farmed since 2011, and had to be irrigated for their first three years of life because drought is always a potential problem in this region. The vineyard sits at 550 metres above sea level and has a 70% slope, so the family needed to build terraces to carry out normal vineyard work and harvesting. Depending on the vintage, the grapes are normally picked in October. The wine is currently aged partly in steel and partly in oak, 70% stainless steel and 30% used barriques, but vintages of the 1990s and early 2000s saw no oak aging at all. 

Earthy red made from the Sangiovese grape and a wine that represents Central Italy at its best, expressing this elegant grape's great structure thanks to being made from 20 to 30 year old vines, hand picked grapes and a wild ferment in concrete and stainless steel for 12 to 15 days. The wine was aged for six months in concrete and three months in bottle, pre release. 

It's a wow red, both for drinking now and for aging. The beautiful firm smooth tannin structure, high but balanced acidity and the purity of red fruit all make it an exceptional red wine. 

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. 

Rabaja is located at the junction of the two main ridges that form the Barbaresco village, where two different soil types collide; one is calcium poor and yet more fertile, the other is calcium rich. It is the meeting of these two soil types and the site’s warmth due to its south/west exposure that results in the richness and complexity the wine is famous for.

We have just 12 bottles of this outstanding and long awaited Barbaresco from Rabaja, one of the great vineyards dedicated entirely to the Nebbiolo grape, a 3.7 hectare, south west facing slice of calcareous limestone land, with sandy veins. 

Hand picked grapes are fermented at 30°C, given 28 days of skin contact time and malolactic prior to aging for 36 months in large oak barrels followed by 12 months in bottle before release. 

This wine can age for 20 years from the vintage.

The Rabaja vineyards owners are Antona, Arossa, Bianco, Casetta, Lembo, Lignana, Manzone, Vacca, and Vezza. 

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. 

Gavi is a wonderfully, mineral-driven white wine made in and around the eponymous township in south east Piemonte. The only difference between 'Gavi DOCG' and 'Gavi di Gavi DOCG' is that the latter can only be made of fruit grown within the borders of the Commune or township.  Other than that, they're identical wines and, more importantly, utterly delicious!  With its characteristic greenish tinge and notes of acacia flowers and green apple, it delivers a mineral-laden yet fruity wine with a bitter almond finish that pairs beautifully with all manner of dishes.

Iconic big, full bodied red from the hillside town of Montalcino, which is a small enclave of big wines close to the Tuscan coast. Brunello di Montalcinos by law have to be 100% Sangiovese; the great red grape of Tuscany. Maceration and ageing times are long and result in wines that can be kept in a cool dark cellar for 10+ years, evolving beautiful into even more savoury, velvety reds over that time. 

This lovely smooth wine has a powerful structure with aromas of spice, balsamic and ripe dark fruit.