.: FIVE REASONS WINE :. > The Wines > By Region > Old World

Cortese, Cantine Aurora, Volpi, 2007	5.50
This fresh dry white wine from Piemonte region of Northern Italy is outstanding value for money. Cortese is the grape used to make Gavi and here it illustrates much of the character of that wine but at a far more reasonable price. Popular in the fish restaurants of Liguria, it is fresh and zesty with a mouthwatering lime juice finish

Barbera, Cantine Aurora, Piemonte, 2006	5.25
Barbera is the second most widely planted red grape in Italy. Here it is living-up to its nickname in Piedmont of “the people’s wine” producing a mouthwateringly soft wine that is ready for drinking now, at a very attractive price.

Negroamaro, Salento IGT, Puglia, Italy, 2005	6.75
Negroamaro, literally means ‘black bitter’ and is the principal grape of the Puglia region of southern Italy, particularly of the Salento area. Noted for maintaining it’s acidity in the oppressive heat and for producing attractive deeply-coloured wines with some grip on the palate, this is well-priced wine which is balanced and not at all jammy. A match with strong game for those not wanting to splash out on red Burgundy, but for the perfect match, however, serve with Caponata.

Monte del Fra, Bardolino, 2005	6.85
The Italian alternative to Beaujolais: light bodied, fruity and soft in the mouth make it great to accompany well done roast beef and casseroles.

Nero D'Avola, Volpi, Sicily, 2006	7.25
Sicily is in the throes of wine modernisation, but ironically, quality minded producers are returning to the traditional local varieties, such as Nero D'Avola, characterised by its richness, texture, longevity and complexity. Volpi's Nero is packed with flavour: raspberry, liquorice, tobacco and lots more. We believe that this wine cannot be beaten in value for money terms.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Classico Superiore, Tavignano, 2005	8.95
Cultivated for over six hundred years, Verdicchio is the grape behind one of the Marche's most important DOCs - Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi - in the Marches region of central Italy. The Tavignano estate is located within few miles of the Adriatic coastline resulting in stunning floral and citrus aromatics, vibrant fruit and pleasant acidity, with a slight almond note typical of the varietal. With their first harvest as recently as 1992, this 22 hectare estate is already setting new standards in excellence and producing some outstanding wines.

Nero D'Avola, Cantine Barbera, Sicily, 2005	9.00
Nero D'Avola is Jancis Robinson's tip as the next big thing, meaning that black is officially the new black. Outstanding complexity, herbs, spice, violets, menthol and luscious berry fruits. Top notch winemaking.

Grillo, Fina, Sicily, 2005	9.00
Grillo is a grape variety which is native to Sicily, and used to be used primarily for the production of Marsala. We hope you’ll agree that it’s brilliant at making less alcoholic wines too! A wonderfully full and soft-textured palate releases extremely fresh fruit aromas of limes, lemons and melons. Please try this with swordfish marinated in olive oil, chilies, garlic and lemon and served with peppers which have been simmered in olive oil for half an hour or so.

Le Ralle, Aglianico del Vulture, 2004	9.00
A fantastic introduction to the wonderful Aglianico grape. Enjoyable now, it will nevertheless keep improving until 2010. Super-ripe but never cloying or jammy fruit. The taste is rich and the finish very long with the fine tannins just becoming present at the very end. A huge amount of substance and complexity for a very good price. Made by Oronzo Alò in a tiny winery which he built entirely himself, he even built the bottling line and designs the labels too!

Inzolia, Cantine Barbera, Sicily, 2006	9.50
According to our importers, Jancis Robinson approached them to say that she considered this white wine to be the star of a recent Italian Wine tasting. Whether you trust this anecdotal evidence or not, we were certainly very impressed with the latest release of Cantina Barbera’s Inzolia; an indigenous Italian grape variety grown mainly in western Sicily and to a lesser extent in Tuscany. Minerals and herbs along with citrus fruit are very evident on the nose with certain nuttiness and lively, refreshing energy and acidity on the palate.

Falanghina, Nifo Sarrapochiello, Sannio, 2006	9.75
Falanghina is a characterful ancient grape enjoying a revival in Southern Italy. It is believe to be the same grape as was used in the popular Roman wine Falernium. This wine shows almonds and melons on the nose, red apples, ripe peach and herby character on the palate, and is glycerolic, with a good finish.

Gavi di Gavi, Tenuti Manenti, Sarotto, 2006	10.00
The DOCG Gavi has long been one of Italy’s most trendy white wines. But as we don’t stock wines just because other people do we had to wait for this top-class example from Roberto Sarotto before we had our very own “Gavi di Gavi”. Yes, you will see this wine in The Groucho Club and The Ivy - but even they get it right sometimes! It is a fresh, mouthwatering, unoaked wine made from the Cortese grapes in the southern Piedmontese hills. The nose has both citrus and floral notes with captivating hints of apricot, pineapple and peach. On the palate there is added minerality thanks to its contact with the lees up to bottling in the spring. Fresh and mouthwatering the wine has a steely acidity balanced with soft pear and citrus flavours, a well-structured body and firm texture. A splendid pairing with shellfish or poached fish.

Bianco di Nero, VDT, Carpentiere, Puglia	10.50
Determined to make a white wine, but with no white grapes planted and unwilling to buy from third parties, this producer came up with an obvious solution - use red grapes! Hence this wine is literally “white of red”, a white wine made from the red Nero di Troia grape. This grape is yet another example of the influence the Greeks have had on Italian winemaking, as it derives its name from the ancient city of Troy, from which legend says it originates. The organic Carpentiere vineyards are located high up in the Murgia National Park. Being so far south, and at an altitude of 450m, the grapes benefit from the annual warming effect of 2000 hours of sunshine interspersed with plunging night-time temperatures. This day/night variation enhances the complexity of the wine’s fruit flavours. Rigorous fruit selection is achieved by hand picking and vinification takes place in a modern winery which has been built into the hillside to lessen its visual impact on the environment. The wine is full bodied with subtle mineral and red fruit notes. It is dry-ish yet succulent, thanks to its refreshing acidity.

Picus, Rosso Piceno, San Savino, 2003	10.50
We think this is a really special wine. Produced by 28 year old Simone Capeci - who already has 10 years of wine-making experience behind him, he continues the work of his father - Domenico - to make their estate into one of the finest and most innovative in the Marche region. The Estate is located near the village of San Savino on the Eastern/Central coast of Italy, at an elevation of 1000 feet above the Adriatic Sea, with southeastern exposure to the sun. Required by DOC law to be at least 60% Sangiovese, this cuvee is closer to 80% with 20% Montepulciano, making a wine with stunning purity of fruit, medium bodied, with some grip and a long cherry, redcurrant and herb-laden finish.

Casa Emma, Chianti Classico, 2005	12.95
Casa Emma is a small estate in the Val d'Elsa area producing some of the best wines from the region. This Chianti Classico is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, and two of the other permitted grape varieties: 5% Malvasia and 5% Canaiolo. It has developed pleasing aromas of smoke, earth and berry fruits, or as a friend or ours once described it … “priest’s vestments”. The palate immediately reveals an impressive balance. It has wonderful lean, bittersweet sangiovese character and a long finish. A real crowd pleaser.

Dolcetto D’Alba, Luciano Sandrone, Italy, 2005	13.00
Mainly grown in the provinces of Cuneo and Alessandria in Piedmont, Dolcetto is relatively easy to cultivate and often grown in high north-facing sites which would be unsuitable for Nebbiolo. Characteristically low in tannins and acidity, fruity and fragrant, most Dolcettos should be drunk within a year or two, but the wines from great producers such as Sandrone have the power to last for 5+ years. Sandrone is a Burgundy fanatic and the silky elegance of his wines is certainly reminiscent of the Cote D’Or’s finest.

Valpolicella Superiore DOC, Cavedini, 2004	13.75
This is handcrafted wine. The winemaker retired from growing grapes to making wine, and it is easy to taste that this is a labour of love. Huge care has gone into selection of fruit and the wine making process (which occurs in the winemaker’s own basement). This is truly a ‘garage wine’. Hardly surprising then that this is the one of the most expensive Valpolicellas that we have seen, but it is by far the best that we have ever tasted. Like Cavedini’s Amarone this wine has real power, concentration and complexity, and a beautiful medium light colour. The wine world has become so obsessed with making thick, inky black wines that it’s a real treat to come across a wine which isn’t over-extracted but still has enormous depth and substance (and a long, rounded finish too).

Barbera D’Asti, More, Alfiero Boffa, Italy, 2004	13.95
These individually numbered bottles of exquisite Barbera D’Asti come from the More vineyard owned by Alfiero Boffa; one of three very small and superbly sited vineyards in the hills surrounding Nizza Monferrato and Canelli (the others being Cua Longa and Muntrive). Blackberry fruit simply billows from the glass to delight your nose, with liquorice, prunes and toasted almonds following in abundance on the palate. Alfiero claims that this wine is the perfect match for veal, jugged hare, wild boar, all manner of game dishes and matured mountain cheeses, so take your pick!

Al Volo, Aglianico, 2000	18.50
Aglianico is a southern Italian grape, of ancient Greek origin, making a revival. This dark skinned grape produces wines of dark ruby colour, full aromas and intense flavour. Oronzo Alo has made – quite literally – a ‘garage wine’ (in his garage in Basilicata) obviously then only in limited quantities. It is full-bodied and rich, with berry fruits, notably blueberry and spice. Well integrated, powerful and elegant.

Serralunga, Barolo, Paolo Manzone, Piemonte, 2003	23.00

Rosso di Montalcino, Stella di Campalta, San Giuseppe, 2004	24.50

Gagliole Rosso IGT 2003	26.00
Gagliole, Rosso IGT, 2000, Magnum	49.00
A blend of hand-picked Sangiovese with some Cabernet Sauvignon this wine has spent just over a year aged in small French and Slovenian oak botti. Intense ruby red colour with berry fruit, spice and earthy-chocolate nose. Muscular on the palate with grippy tannins, gorgeous blackcurrant, plum and bitter chocolate notes and a long finish. Excellent.

Valdipiatta, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigna d’Alfiero, 2000	26.25
“Even deeper and more saturated in color than the regular bottling, the 2000 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigna d’Alfiero, with plum and raspberry fruit together with licorice, wild fennel, and tobacco, offers a nose of excellent complexity, and the sumptuous palate, concentrated and sensual, is layered and textured, complex and deep with sweet fruit and fused oak notes. Sneakily ready, it will unquestionably drink well until 2015. The grapes here are from the Bossona vineyard, which also supplies Dei with its best fruit.” Robert Parker, 92 Points.

Amarone, Cavedini, Veneto, Italy, 2003	29.95
Amarone is made using grapes which have been harvested then stored indoors in wooden trays. Gradually the grapes dry out, leaving a higher concentration of all the good bits. This gives grapes which have more tannin, more acidity, more flavour compounds and more sugar. When it is judged that the correct levels have been achieved (usually January after the harvest) the grapes are pressed, yielding only a small percentage of their original juice and fermented. The result is an amazingly complex wine which has to be tried to be believed! This is handcrafted wine. Umberto Cavedini retired from growing grapes to making wine, and it is easy to taste that this is a labour of love. Huge care has gone into selection of fruit and the wine making process (which occurs in the winemaker’s own basement). This is truly a ‘garage wine’; production is miniscule. Total Production = Fewer than 80 cases per vintage and only produced in exceptional vintages - i.e. 2000 and 2003.

Barolo, Meriame, Paolo Manzone, Piemonte, 2003	35.00
“ Manzone’s 2003 Barolo Meriame is a wonderfully complete wine redolent of earthiness, tobacco, herbs, toasted oak and sweet dark fruit. It possesses superb depth, although it will require a few years to integrate its oak tannins. Still, this offers gorgeous balance in a very Serralunga way. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018. Paolo Manzone is based in Serralunga. Even though Manzone has only been bottling his wines for a few years he has turned out two very successful 2003s. Manzone favors medium-size barrels for aging and keeps the percentage of new oak around 20%” Robert Parker, 92 Points. From an outstanding vineyard site like an amphitheatre in the Serralunga D’Alba, this intense wine oozes class. Wines from here are powerful, rich and exude finesse that other Barolos may lack. Still a baby this wine has the potential to age.

Brunello di Montalcino, Sesti, 2001	36.00

Barolo, Pressenda , Abbona, 2001, MAGNUM	85.00