Italy

Piedmont, Italy. Freshly cut flowers, mint, pine, crushed rocks and small red berries lift from the glass in the 2016 Barbaresco Vie Erte. The flavors are bright and crystalline throughout. Despite the warm vintage, the Vie Erte retains gorgeous freshness and energy. There is a lot to like in this precise, mid-weight Barbaresco from Cigliuti. The Vie Erte spent 26 months in cask, quite long by today's standards in Barbaresco, where the minimum oak requirement has come down to nine months from twelve...

Piedmont, Italy.  Bold style here. Spicy oak, dark chocolate and dark cherry, floral perfume and a little new leather and lift. It’s medium to full bodied, ripe and full of flavour, with grainy tannin, a certain juicy tang, and a fair old finish...

Piedmont, Italy. The 2019 Dolcetto d'Alba is dark, juicy and flavorful, with plenty of bluish and purplish fruit, dark spices and licorice. Drink this mid-weight, fruit-driven Dolcetto over the next few years...

Piedmont, Italy. Black cherry, liquorice root, baking spices and potpourri. Medium bodied, supple and fleshy, almost juicy, then the Nebbiolo tannin extends its friendly and reassuring grip, slips in some savoury stuff like new leather, and closes with perfume and strong black tea flavour and texture. It needs some time in the decanter as a youngster, but still delivers a gorgeous hit of affordable Barbaresco should you fancy going in early...

Piemonte, Italy. Lovely aroma of cherry, currants, rose petals and oak. Full-bodied with excellent concentration. Round, generous mid-palate with layers of fruit. Long, long finish with a lovely spiciness, polished tannins and beautifully integrated oak. Harmonious, complex and classy...

Veneto, Italy. At first glance: Intense ruby red colour. On the nose: Red ripe fruit, small woodland fruits. On the palate: Rich, refined, elegant...

Veneto, Italy. Straw yellow with greenish reflections. Aromas of a vegetable garden in full summer - from tomato leaves to chopped peppers to nettle flowers to cut grass. A very decisive nose, although delicate...

Veneto, Italy. Straw yellow with greenish reflections. Aromas of a vegetable garden in full summer - from tomato leaves to chopped peppers to nettle flowers to cut grass. A very decisive nose, although delicate...

Veneto, Italy. At first glance: Intense straw yellow. On the nose: Overwhelming and inebriating perfumes of pear, raspberry, pineapple, banana, apricot, peach and apple. Field grasses, camomile and green tea. On the palate: Fruity, frank and rich in structure with surrounding softness. Very persistent. Tasty and fresh. Delicately salty...

Veneto, Italy. At first glance: Ruby red colour. On the nose: Cherry and red small woodland fruits. On the palate: Hints of fresh red small woodland fruit. Balanced tannin...