From right down in the South of Italy this is a powerful, rich red full of spices, berry fruits and a touch of liquorice

Spicy, strong and bitter-sweet, this is the epitome of the Amarone style. Balanced tannins, integrated oak and an intense, chocolate finish

I love Valpolicella, and this is the best Classico I've ever drunk. Fuller than most, with fantastic depth of fruit flavour and that all important acidity. My best Bolognese buddy. Allegrini is so keen to keep the freshness in this by bottling with a screwcap that he has eschewed the 'Classico' badge for this wine - despite the fact that it's better than most wines which bear that word on the label!

A supremely opulent red bursting with cherries and red fruits. These guys really are top notch and this is a brilliant example of their work

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A blend of indigenous Sicilian grapes Nero d'Avola and Nerello Mascalese this is bright and fresh with cherries, liquorice and pepper. Very Good Value

Medium bodied red from Sicily with juicy cherry fruits - great for a rowdy social gathering

Merlot and Cabernet may seem a bit foreign to the far northe of Italy, but in fact the French introduced them over 150 years ago when occupying the area. Pivier is grown on clay soils by Lake Garda and has soft fruits, good structure and the refreshing acidity that can be rare, but is so important to good Merlot.

Every now and again you taste something that makes you go 'Wow!' Fontodi's wines are wonderful, elegant and classy...i love this.

This is Fontodi's Super-Tuscan, a 100% Sangiovese from the best of the winery's naturally 'organic' vineyards. The juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in new French oak for at least 18 months before bottling. Very perfumed, round and warm, this is a big, powerful wine, meaty and herbal, but nevertheless is elegant, balanced and polished. You could drink this now (I have, quite a bit), but it will develop nicely with age over the next 10 years.

Pinot Nero (or Noir) is not widely grown in Italy, but it does like the cool, mountainous northern region of Alto Adige. This is in quite a gamey style; elegant, gentle and charming.

www.franz-haas.com/

A full and fruity and simple Chianti, this is a real bargain as its rare to find Chianti this good under a tenner!

Huge, powerful wine from the Alto Adige, this has fantastic ageing potential

It's been 2 YEARS coming, but we finally have a replacement Brunello - and this family made wine is well worth the wait. We were impressed with a number of Brunellos at a recent tasting but this savoury, complex wine stood out a mile.
www.costanti.it

There is no better producer in Rufina than these guys. This is rustic and spicy with hints of herbs and bitter cherries. One of my faves!
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A Tuscan IGT from the Selvapiana stable, this is a blend of Sangiovese, with some Cabernet and Merlot to fill out the palate. Rounded and silky.

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Poggio al Tesoro is Sylvia Allegrini's project on the Bolgheri coast in Tuscany and the Sondraia vineyard is bang next door to the legendary Sassacaia. Now generally I'm not convinced by Tuscan Cabernets (Sangiovese is now so good there I wonder why you'd bother), but this is another story entirely. The 65% Cabernet is blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc to make a ripe, concentrated wine with meaty, stocky muscularity and an array of tobacco, herb and spice notes.

Soft, easy drinking wine from the veneto - merlot adds a bit of body to the bright cherry flavours of the corvina. Drink this with pasta pommodoro, en famille.

Silky smooth Montepulciano from a tiny ten hectare estate, with wild berry fruits and rosemary herbs - great with a homemade burger

Bricco della Viole is Giuseppe's single vineyard Barolo, and shows more intensity and longevity than the more regional 'Le Albe' 2004 was an outstanding vintage in Piedmont, and this wine is poised and refined with a clear, juicy fruit finish, minerals and tar in the background.

Did you know that 'Vajra' is a Sanskrit word meaning both Thunderbolt and Diamond. It is also a ritual implement symbolic to both Buddhism and Hinuism. Fortuitously, it also means great winemaking - and from a good year. This Barolo is drinking well now, but as with them all it has some time left.



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Vajra's vineyards are at high altitude, meaning that his wines take on a perfumed character. Pure fruit yet intense, this Dolcetto is vibrant and full of Damsons.


www.gdvajra.it

The Barolo grape Nebbiolo is named after the foggy weather at harvest time in Piemonte. Made from young vines in Albe and 2 vineyards elsewhere in Piemonte, this wine is soft, perfumed and accessible - truly a mini Barolo!
www.gdvajra.it

Volcanic soils give this wild red a great minerality to back up its earthy, dark fruit flavours.

A sexy Sicilian stunner, long black hair, big brown ey......sorry, got a bit carried away there. This is brilliantly fruity with hints of sweet vanilla and plenty of spice. Great with roast meats and juicy sauces.

Felsina's vineyards are in the south of the Chianti zone, and make wines that almost look towards Montalcino in their power and are the most traditional in style of our Chianti producers. Fontalloro is a 'Super-Tuscan' made from 100% Sangiovese, mostly from the Fontalloro vineyard, but with some fruit from vines in the Colli Senesi region. Vine age is 50 years or more, and the vineyards are at around 400m altitude. The wine is rich and oppulent, especially in comparison with Vigna Rancia with sweet fruits and oak, casses and cured meats on the finish. A classic which was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker in this, the stunning 2004 vintage.

www.felsina.it/

Fossacolle is a tiny holding on the opposite side of the Montalcino hill from Costanti where the slightly more exposed outlook gives greater concentration to the wine.

Fossacolle is a tiny holding on the opposite side of the Montalcino hill from Costanti where the slightly more exposed outlook gives greater concentration to the wine. This has a fruit driven, brooding nose with spice on the structured palate - it's all about the power here!

Avignonesi is almost undisputedly the best estate in Montepulciano, so it follows that this, their top Vino Nobile, must be the finest wine in the zone (Parker's 95 points definitely say so). 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet with extended new barrique ageing, it is powerful yet supple with floral notes on the nose. One of Italy's greatest wines.

www.avignonesi.it