Marco Scolaris, Ribolla Gialla, 2018, Collio, Italy
With aromas and flavours of citrus, lemon and grapefruit, apple and melon with a richness in the mouth this is quite a white wine from Marco Scolaris. It’s a wine to sip or have with food rather than to be guzzled. Pair it with fish, soft cheeses or cured meats.
I’m not sure it’s worth the £15 or more per bottle, but then again it’s an interesting wine.
Villabella, Fracastoro Riserva, Amarone Della Valpolicella, Italy
I’m sure you can get bad Amarone but this one from Villabella is not one of them, quite the opposite. Decanter wine magazine save this 90 points and I can see why.
It’s a bold wine but pretty smooth and also not necessarily particularly dry, there’s softness and sweetness in this bottle too. You get flavours and aromas of plum and blackberry, blackcurrant, chocolate and tobacco. Theres oak and a smokiness in there.
Drink with food, BBQ in the garden is a good starting point. At £20 a bottle it’s reasonable value for what you are getting.
Mate Marinaia, Toscana, Italy
Italian red wine is normally as a very high quality if you spend the money and £30 a bottle you expect something quite special and this Mate Marinaia, Toscana is just that.
Made with sangiovese grape medium bodied wine with good subtle tannings, quite dry and balanced acidity. You get lots of flavours ranging from sour cherry and cranberry to blackcurrant and plum with tobacco and Oak notes coming through which are all well-balanced.
Tenuta Carretta, Canorei Romero Arneis, 2013, Italy
It’s my first time having this Tenuta Carretta, Canorei Romero Arneis, 2013 from Italy and it was quite wonderful. It’s quite a boldwine, dry with reasonably acidity.
There are massive amount of flavours in here with a melon, apple, citrus – limes and lemons with an open vanilla, buttery undertone and frankly it’s magic.
It’s £15 to £20 for bottle but it’s worth it it really is.
Patrizia Cadore, Lugana Riserva, Lombardy, Italy
Made with 100% Turbiana grapes this white from Lombardy, Italy is fresh, clean, fruity with hints of stone fruits. It’s uncomplicated but its a lovely wine that is meant to be drunk in the sun, with food and not thought about too much. Its a wine to have with friends.
Cantina Negrar, Vigneti Di Roccolo, Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico, Italy
There are many Amarone’s out there and this Vigneti Di Roccolo from Cantina Negrar is one of the best Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico wines I have tasted in many years
There is just so much going on, sure it’s bold, it’s also quite smooth. It’s not overly dry and there’s definite softness on the texture. You’ve got cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, you got some plum, BlackBerry, there’s chocolate and tobacco. Hints of coffee and there’s some smokiness and in a bit of earthiness in there as well, which just complement each other superbly.
The only sad thing is that with spring upon us there will be probably be less opportunity to drink Amarone, you really want to drink this in front of the fire or with a hearty stew. We did have it with homemade pizza which which was probably quite decadent. At £25 a bottle it’s actually good value for Amarone, sure it’s £25, but it’s Amarone.
Franchini, Valpolicella Classico Superiore Sedèse, 2017, Italy
Oohh this a great example of Valpolicella Classico from Italy. There are red and black fruit aromas with a dry, medium tannins and good length in the flavours. It’s a firm but soft red wine that lends itself to red meat meals or cheese and biscuits in front of a wood fire.
At £20 a bottle it’s not cheap but for a Decanter Silver medal winner it’s a fair price.
Gamba, Campedel, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy
There are Amarone’s and there are Amarone’s and this one from Gamba is a great Amarone wine. Made with the Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina and Corvinone grapes, its a dry red that has great length and is smooth with well integrated tannins. There are plenty of flavours of red and black fruits, notes of tobacco, leather and chocolate, a bit of earthiness brings this back from being in heaven to a reality that this is just wine but great wine at that. Its a Bentley of the wine world.
The down side to this is the price of £30 a bottle, but thats Amarone for you.
Italian prosecco is pretty popular in the UK and there are some good sparkling examples and some bad, this one from La Marca is a good one.
Its light, fizzy with high acidity but with a sweet under note. Theres not much aroma but you get flavours of apple, pear, citrus with a creaminess that elevates this prosecco above many others.
At £14 a bottle its a bit pricey but its rather good.
Tenute Cadorin Le Favole, Vigneti Bosco Bando, Malvasia, Italy
This dry white wine from northern Italy went very well with lobster. Not my usual start to a review but it did go very well.
There are aromas and flavours of pineapple and citrus with light oaky notes. Its a reasonably bold wine with good acidity levels, flavours are well balanced and great with seafood.
Its a very good italian white wine.