Every now and again there is a "Definitive Italian Wine Tasting" in London and today I took the chance to visit it and have a look at some of the things on offer. Wines from Puglia, Veneto and Fruili were featured so I stuck to those tables.
White wines were generally rather disappointing - even from Fruili which is really a major white wine area. Few wines reached 3 star status (a very good, even fine wine). Pinot Grigio 2015 and Ribolla Gialla 2014 from Jermann achieved that but then you would have expected them to. Being in price band D (£18-£25) doesn't make them really good value but the quality is certainly there. Good value, though, is there with two organic and biodynamically produced wines from Visintini, both meriting 3 stars, a pinkish Pinot Grigio 2014 with really good length on the finish and a ripe and fruity Ribolla Gialla 2014. At £11.95 each, they just squeeze into price band B (£8-£12). They would have been considered good value if they were in price band C, so getting into on the price band below makes them exceptionally good value. The top rated white from Fruili was the Broy' Bianco Collio 2013 from Collavini which scored 3 stars plus for its elegance and complexity with good underlying fruit, but at £27.99 (price band E) there is far better value to be found elsewhere.
The whites from the Veneto were even more disappointing with Inama's Sauvignon "Vulcaia Fume" 2012 scoring my top mark of 2 stars plus and whilst it showed reasonable length on the finish, there was a decided lack of generosity of fruit. If I had paid the asking price of £30.45 for this wine, I would have been really disappointed with the result. Of the sparkling wines, Bottega Gold Prosecco 2015 in a glitzy gold bottle had both finesse and richness, but even with the rating of 3 stars plus, at £22-£25 a bottle was hardly value. Better value for a tenner was the Scaglietti Prosecco 2015 from Donelli Vini, not as fine but perfectly adequate and at 2 stars plus and in price band B, I know which one I would buy.
I'll pass over the whites from Puglia, it's not their forte, but the Minutolo"Rampone" 2014 from I Pastini was interesting, showing good underlying fruit and scored 2 stars plus, but at £14.25 you could probably do better elsewhere for the money. However, the Pugliese do come in to their own with the reds, which have shown remarkable improvements in quality over the recent years. A number of producers are so quality-minded now that they feel it is essential to put their wines into bottles which require a crane to lift! Lucky I went to the gym this morning! There were a goodly number of 3 star wines, the pick of the bunch for value being the Conviviale Primitivo 2015 from Adria Vini - on the light side, but smooth with good length and retailing at £8.50, it's a steal, particularly as this seems to be the price that Harrods are selling it at, although I haven't double checked this. Other 3 star wines were Vallone Susumaniello 2015 (beefy) £11.00, I Pastini's Valle d'Itria Susumaniello "Verosud" 2013 (smooth) £13.50 and Cantine Paradiso Uva di Troia Posta Piano 2014 (fruity) £11.39. The aptly named Brunilde di Menzione Brindisi Riserva 2013 from Schenk Italia (100% Negromaro) £12.59 and the equally aptly named Settebraccia 2014 Negromaro/Susumaniello blend from Cantina Sampietrana £16.00, might have been a bit cheaper if you didn't need Brünhilde or seven arms to help you pour yourself a glass from the inordinately heavy bottles they were in. Up a grade to 3 star plus were the Brunilde di Menzione Primitivo di Manduria 2015 (£13.50) which had real finesse and the Vindoro Negromaro Salento 2012 (£21.49) from Cantina San Marzano with excellent balanced fruit but a bit pricey. On the cusp of 4 stars is the Primitivo Puglia Posta Piana 2014 from Cantine Paradiso, with good finesse and lots of complexity and at £11.39 is excellent value. The top rated wine on the table (4 stars) goes to the Cubardi Primitivo Salento 2013 from Vitivinicola Schola Sarmenti, a savoury, leathery wine with real elegance and good length and even at £21.95 is still value for the rating.
Fruili's reds are probably on a par with Puglia's whites but there are always exceptions. The indigenous Schioppettino grape can produce great wines though. The Schioppettino di Prepotto 2011 from Vigna Traverso (£17.95) was seriously dense and complex, but still much dominated by oak. I rated it 3 stars but would have given it more if I wasn't worried whether the fruit would dry out before the tannins. I did give more (3 stars plus) to the Schioppettino 2012 from Sdricca which had nice tangy fruit and a long finish and at £9.86, almost half the price of the Prepotto, would seem to be the better bet.
In the Veneto, it's Valpolicella and Amarone which hold sway here. 3 stars were awarded to Prá Morandina Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2014 (fruity) £20.00, Valpolicella Superiore 2014 Cantine Lenotti (weighty) £12.00 and Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2014 from Brigaldara (smooth) at £17.37. A step up on them (3 stars plus) is the Monte Zovo Valpolicella 2014 from Cottini (smoother) at £20.00 and on the cusp of 4 stars is the Villa Annaberta Amarone 2013 from Cottini at £18.00 - a good combination of fruit and finesse. Getting 4 stars itself is the Amarone Costasera Classico 2011 from Masi - good finesse, too but at £46.00 is not good value. The top scoring wine of the day for me was the Monte Zovo Amarone 2011 from Cottini, balanced, complex and complete. I gave it 4 stars plus and at £20.00 it's a bargain. Amarones can be clumsy but you cannot level this against any of the three mentioned here.
See full article here: The Definitive Italian Wine Tasting
a Wine Farm
a Master of Wine and a winemaker. The property is very young, established only in 2012. The 2014 Clonal Selection Chardonnay comes from vineyards planted to low yielding Dijon clones. The result is a subtly barrel-fermented wine with a restrained mineral, citrus and white fruits quality.
Pieter Walser makes an extensive range of really fine small lot wines from across the Cape at his small Somerset West base. His 2015 
Wine country of the Dundee Hills
Fans of 
Beyers Truter, runs this property in a partnership which includes UK based wine merchant Simon Halliday. Here he makes stylish and vibrant Pinotage in a light and elegant style and a dense and burly premium red, the Field Blend which combines Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot. This is in a rich chocolatey style with abundant evidence of new oak. It will be better with five years’ cellaring. Newly added are a fruity rosé and a well-priced red blend, Synergy. This comprises Merlot, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon and is sourced from a number of sites around Stellenbosch. It is ripe, plummy and forward with a spicy hint of oak and can be enjoyed with a couple of years’ ageing. A Brut Pinotage Rosé sparkler has also been added along with Lagare Cape, a fortified style from Touriga Nacional and Pinotage and a white Chenin/Pinotage. The range also includes two further premium reds. Diesel Pinotage and Faith a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot. (DM)
Big, full-blown reds are made here with no shortage of new oak being used. The original Helderberg property dates back to 1726 although Bilton as a modern wine producer was much more recently established with the maiden vintage of 1998 providing just 100 cases. The potential though is much greater than that, the estate vineyards cover some 80 ha and as well as the Bordeaux varieties, Mourvèdre and Viognier are also planned. The 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon is the firmest and most structured of this trio. As with all the reds here a 48 hour cold-soak is employed to lift the wines fruit and ageing is in French oak for 17 months. Merlot is plusher, rounder with dark, spicy plummy fruit and hints of dark cherries. Supple blackberry scented Shiraz is ripe and very full, although the youthfully toasted oak seems better harnessed here than with the Bordeaux styles. All the wines will benefit from 3 or 4 years’ age. A new flagship Bordeaux blend “Sir Percy” has recently been added, along with the a premium Viognier and The Bilton a super premium red with a price tag to match the worlds most expensive. (DM)
This is a tremendously exciting small winery based in Swartland halfway between Wellington and Malmesbury producing great red and white. As well as the two premium labels covered here the winery also produces a well-priced second label red and white both called Secateurs. The Badenhorst cousins have restored a run-down cellar on their farm which was used originally as a winery in the 1930s. No doubt a key element in the quality of the wines is the holding of old bush vines including Chenin Blanc, Cinsault and some Grenache that is close to 60 years. These are planted in a range of soils with elements of clay, granite and shale providing a well-drained terroir. There is no crushing or de-stemming for either the reds or the whites. The dark-fruited pepper spiced Badenhorst red, a blend of Shiraz, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Grenache can get up to 4 months post fermentation maceration and ageing is in 500 litre used casks. The intense citrus, mineral scented white is a blend of Chenin Blanc (which it is felt is the most important variety), Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Verdelho, Chardonnay and a tiny amount of Sauvignon Blanc. Varieties that ripen at similar times are fermented together, others separately and then blended back after 13 months in used barrels. The output of the white is about half the red, just 500 cases or so but both are worth seeking out. Occasionally released as well is the Funky White made from a wide range of varieties and aged in a form of solera with up to five vintages. (DM)
Based in the Bot River Valley, the Beaumont family farm is halfway between the coastal village of Hermanus and the higher altitude vineyards of Elgin. Good reds are fashioned here as well as some of the better Chenin Blancs in the Cape. In addition to the wines covered here Goutte d’Or (Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc), the premium Vitruvian red blend and Mouvèdre along with a port should be well worth seeking out. The regular Chenin Blanc is cool-fermented and has a small portion fermented in barrel. Drink it young and fresh. The Hope Marguerite is altogether firmer and more structured with dried apricot and citrus fruit and an underlying mineral character. From the oldest vines, naturally low-yielding, this sees 14 months in oak on lees. Pinotage provides another example of the potential here for this variety. Fresh and berry-fruited with good structure and acidity it avoids much of the overpoweringly acetone character found in other examples. Ageing is in a mix of mainly French and American oak, around a quarter new. The Ariane is an elegant berry-laden, lightly plummy and minty Bordeaux styled blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc aged in French oak, 25% new. Also among the reds and offering real depth and character is the darkly spicy blackberry and herb-spiced Shiraz Mourvèdre. The winery also have a partnership with LUDDITE, Villiersdorp Cellars and Paul CLUVER producing a small range of easy drinking reds, a white and a rosé from Elgin fruit, labelled SLOWINE. (DM)
Former Springbok forward Gerhard (Hempies) du Toit was the winemaker at ALTO Estate before forming his own operation in 1996 and planting 75ha. He left Alto in early 2000 to concentrate full time on Annandale. As well as his Cabernet Sauvignon he also crafts a small amount of a pricey Shiraz, a Bordeaux blend, Cavalier as well as a Port style, CVP which is produced from Shiraz. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cavalier are notable for being aged for 36 months in oak before further bottle ageing prior to release on to the market. The Cabernet is impressively dense and cedary, however perhaps a shorter period in oak would benefit the wine and give it a more lifted fresh darkberry fruit character. Give the Cabernet a couple of years’ cellaring after release. (DM)
This sizeable Paarl winery has always produced solid wines however they have moved onto a new plain in recent vintages under owner Michael Back and winemaker Alicia Rechner who also has five vintages in Europe and Australia to aid her repertoire. There are 110 ha under vine on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains between Stellenbosch and Paarl. Four main ranges of wines are produced. As well as the good value Premium range wines and pricier Black Label wines profiled here Backsberg also make a number of Kosher wines, fortifieds and from the best plots a Family Reserve Red and White. The Premium range includes good dark, spicy Merlot, fresh crisp Sauvignon Blanc and appley Chenin Blanc. Other wines also produced are Chardonnay, Cabernet, Pinotage, a red blend and a rosé. Quite a bit more serious are the Black Label wines. These include a fine green-fruited John Martin Reserve Sauvignon with some mineral and citrus hints which gets a touch of barrelfermentation and will stand a little age. Pumphouse Shiraz is in a dark, spicy vibrant style with ageing in both French and American oak, just 15% new to emphasise the fruit. The Klein Babylonstoren is a blend of 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with nicely perfumed, cassis scented tones. It gets 16 months in oak. Richer and fuller is the Family Reserve Red which is dominated by Cabernet, with the balance Merlot. Dense and structured it will develop in bottle for up to a decade. This like the Family Reserve White, a blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier comprise the wineries top two wines. (DM)
Husband and wife winemaking team Chris and Suzaan Alheit produce a stunning Chenin Blanc dominated white, Cartology, of remarkable dimension from highly selected sites across the Cape. They refer to their work as 99% vineyard and 1% cellar. To this they have now added two single vineyard Chenins both of which are grown at altitude and dry farmed. Magnetic North comes from bush vines just to the north-west of Clanwilliam, while the Radio Lazarus comes from old vines in Stellenbosch. One of the keys to maintaining the quality of their work is farming the vineyards they work with themselves. Cartology comes from a number of sites and includes a small proportion of old Sémillon from Franschhoek. The Chenin Blanc is grown at Skurfberg close to the Magnetic North site, Kasteelberg and Perdeberg in Swartland and the Hemelrand mountain farm on the Hemel & Aarde Ridge at Walker Bay. The sites are all planted to dry farmed old bush vines. Traditionally vinified the wine offers an exceptional intensity of citrus, white fruits and a light honeyed quality all underpinned by a subtle minerality. Expect a richer complexity to develop with age. Undoubtedly the two single vineyard wines will be well worth trying as well. (DM)
Vavasour’s vineyards are a little south and east in the Awatere Valley, where there has recently been extensive planting by other producers and where it is claimed to be drier without the high water table common to much of the plantings in the Wairau Valley. There are two ranges of wines from 30 ha of estate vineyards as well as grapes bought in under contract. Excellent Sauvignon shows a minerally, ripe fruit intensity and structure and depth matched by few other Marlborough examples. Tight but creamy Chardonnay and a relatively light but fresh, aromatic Riesling are also impressive. Pinot Noir, sourced from still relatively young Awatere vines and Wairau fruit has made real progress with impressive depth and weight.
Sonoma vineyards - Looking across from Sonoma Mountain to the Mayacamas Mountains[/caption]
Precedent is a small artisan operation based in Contra Costa County to the east of San Francisco. Owner/winemaker Nathan Kandler is a firm believer in terroir and bringing a real sense of place to his wines. His vineyard sources are sustainably farmed, wine making is with natural yeasts and bottling with minimal sulphur, unfined and unfiltered.
Wind Gap are based in Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley but make a range of characterful wines from a number of areas under the guiding eye of winemaker Pax Mahle who has also made some exceptional Rhône styles at the Pax Wines company.
Lioco Wines source fruit from Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Cruz counties. While their artisan range is dominated by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay they also source Carignan from old vines for their Santa Rosa winemaking base. They refer to themselves as a European style négociant and produce wines with a restrained elegance often missing in the State.
While this blog looks at some rarer wine styles in California, The Prisoner Wine Co are in fact based in the Napa Valley. The Prisoner Red also includes a small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, however the rest of the blend is distinctly less Napa like. The wine is dominated by Zinfandel and also includes Syrah, Petite Sirah and Charbono as well as Cabernet resulting in a unique blend with winemaker Jen Beloz sourcing fruit from a number of small farmers.
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Actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park – as well as more demanding roles) is a celebrity wine producer in a fashionable wine region. But don’t let that put you off as beneath the lightly irreverent façade there is serious intent here – and very good Pinot Noir. The wines are currently made by Dean Shaw at the Central Otago Wine Company, in which Neill is a partner. First Paddock is from the Gibbston Valley while Last Chance Pinot Noir is from the 3 ha Alex Paddocks site in the Earnscleugh Valley. Another site here, Redbank, will provide a third example. Grapes are hand-picked, with an emphasis on low yields and sustainable viticulture. Around 20% new French oak is used. Last Chance has more depth and class, First Paddock is more floral and fruit-intense. Accessible now, both should keep for 5 years. Picnic is a second label for Pinot Noir, Riesling and more but these have not been tasted.
John Hancock is one of the industry stalwarts in the modern era of New Zealand winemaking, who first helped establish Morton Estate as a quality leader in the 80s before moving on to form Trinity Hill in the 90s. He has always produced ripe, concentrated, fruit-driven wines – powerful and full, and sometimes oaky in the past. Although the winemaking is now more sophisticated, it comes across as Californian rather than European in style. Trinity Hill wines ooze fruit and have great intensity and are usually well balanced, though they can taste a little ‘made’, especially at lower levels. Despite the fruit richness, some of the wines can be a bit one-dimensional. Elegance, subtlety and class don’t feature highly either but the wines have deserved wide appeal and success. Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett (a Bordeaux styled blend of Merlot, the Cabernets, Petit Verdot and Malbec) is concentrated and cedary with cassis and berry fruit. Also made under the Gimblett Gravels banner is a stylish Syrah as well as a Viognier and an Arneis. Super-premium Homage Syrah includes a touch of Viognier and is powerful and concentrated with fine minerality and depth. Trinity partners the Wilsons are owners of the London restaurants Bleeding Heart and The Sign of the Don.
Staete Landt was the first European name given to New Zealand by passing explorer Abel Tasman (in 1642). 354 years later two more Dutch travellers chose it for their 21 ha of Marlborough vineyard. An emphasis on vineyard health and the highest quality fruit is already apparent in the wines, all of which show an intensity and breadth, which set them apart from standard Marlborough examples. The whites are well structured and concentrated. A small portion of the Sauvignon is barrelfermented and aged but this is not in the least intrusive, while a complex Chardonnay shows a hint of minerality. Alsace-like Pinot Gris is ripe and pure and not heavy. The cool-fruited Pinot Noir has herbal and wild red fruits as well as a touch of forest floor but should develop a fine silky texture with a little age. Viognier, Syrah and Riesling in dry and Auslese styles are also released.
This is a large Marlborough operation complete with winery, which stands out for the style of wines it produces at reasonably affordable prices. All the varietals show a fresh, exuberant character with good purity and intensity. This direct, expressive character contrasts with too many similarly priced Marlborough examples that suffer from being overly made, relying too much on yeasts, enzymes, sugar or oak. Nor are there any weak wines amongst those tasted below. The concentrated, stylish Gewürztraminer has to be the best ever produced in the region. The range also includes Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Rosé, Echelon Méthode Traditionelle sparkler and a number of late harvested whites. A number of wines are also now made under the Envoy label from single estate vineyards.
As you sit sampling the local wine whilst you are on your holiday in foreign climes and just thinking how good that wine is and how cheap it is compared with what you would have to pay for it back home, you are wondering how the hell you can bring some back in your luggage and making sure that the bottles arrive home intact.
Saint Clair, founded in 1994, has taken full advantage of the considerable involvement of Matt Thomson (also at the laudable LAKE CHALICE and DELTA) who works with Hamish Clark and two other winemakers. Now a sizeable operation (150,000 - 200,000 cases) Saint Clair does an admirable job of sustaining quality with increased volumes. There is solid quality in a regular Marlborough range of Premium labeled varietals, particularly whites including Sauvignon, Riesling and Chardonnay that reveal good fruit intensity and adequate structure. Better are the Reserves that include a dense, textured mineral-imbued Wairau Reserve Sauvignon - although there is some lees contact for this wine generally Matt doesn’t generally favour lees or oak-influenced Sauvignon, preferring to show off the pristine fruit quality possible in Marlborough. Small site-specific batches are bottled under the Pioneer Block label; there are 10 different Sauvignons alone but each shows a slightly different fruit spectrum and structure. Other excellent (and reasonably priced) Reserves include an Omaka Chardonnay with a semblance to a fine Saint-Aubin. For Pinot Noir there’s a decent Bourgogne Rouge equivalent in the fruit-driven Marlborough example but there’s much more excitement at the Reserve level. Both Omaka bottling and Doctor’s Creek come from partly clayey soils and see a proportion of new oak, slightly more in the slightly denser, riper (cherry, plum) and classy Omaka. Doctor’s Creek is slightly cooler (more floral and redcurrant) but is elegant too. A Merlot Reserve is a rare fine example for Marlborough; it has lush cedary berry, plummy fruit within a fine frame. Other Reserves (not tasted) include Gewürztraminer (Godfrey’s Creek), Riesling (Godfrey’s Creek) and Pinot Gris (Godfrey’s Creek). It is likely that all should be a fair bet based on the consistency and quality achieved here. Only a basic Vicar’s Choice range is generally more ordinary if reasonable quaffing wine.
This small 7 ha estate is property of Grant Edmonds, a winemaker at SILENI and once head winemaker for the VILLA MARIA group. Redmetal refers to the local name for the often reddish, coloured river gravels on which many of the region’s leading vineyards lie. Two-thirds of the vineyard is planted to Merlot, the rest mostly to Cabernet Franc with only a little Cabernet Sauvignon. The main focus is the Basket Press Merlot/Cabernet Franc red, a ripe and structured wine usually better with 3–5 years’ age. Quality is maintained by the production of a more accessible Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend. Alsomade but only in exceptional vintages, is The Merlot, the most recent release 2007 from the Erinview Vineyard. A selection of the very best fruit, it is intense and richly berryish and the classic scent of very fine Merlot as well as a slightly overripe plum/prune component as well as an impressive structure and good ageing potential. A Syrah, a Chardonnay and some rosé are also made.
Palliser was one of the early quality leaders in Martinborough with a deserved reputation for Sauvignon Blanc and promise with Pinot Noir. As volumes increased during the 90s quality levelled off while others forged ahead. Nonetheless the wines are consistent and Palliser continues to offer reasonably priced interpretations of varietals from the district. The estate Pinot Noir continues to be produced in small quantities and draws in part on 25-year-old vines. It is complex and stylish with good length if missing the extra concentration and dimension of the region’s best. A very special release, Great Dogs (which has not yet been tasted) is also now made. It is seriously expensive (£G), certainly in a New Zealand context. Pencarrow is a second label and includes soundly made Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
Unquestionably style and image play a bigger part than usual in the projection of this rather sophisticated Marlborough winery established by film producer Michael Seresin in 1992. Consistent and fruit-intense wines are made among the regular varietals. There is more depth and complexity in Reserve Chardonnay and plenty of intensity and extract in the Leah Pinot Noir and there are additional Home and Rachel. Newish vineyards (Tatou Block and Raupo Creek) add substantially to the existing Seresin Estate block of 45 ha now certified organic and biodynamic. A Pinot Noir is also produced from each. Small amounts of a Malbec and ‘Cabernets’ (Cabernet Sauvignon /Cabernet Franc) have also previously been made. Marama Sauvignon is a 100% barrique-fermented and aged Sauvignon. A Reserve bottling is also now released. It has good potential in terms of texture, breadth and length with a marked leesy character. Olive oil production is also taken seriously too.