Regional Wines

Seven centuries is a long time to be in business and the Frescobaldi family continues its 700+ year wine production in Tuscany, which began in the early 1300s. The family's wines have formed commercial contracts with European courts, the Papal Court in Rome and have been widely exported around the world for centuries. Now, we have a growing range of Frescobaldi wines available at Regional Wines & Spirits, including wines from great historic estates such as Castello Nipozzano and Tenuta Perano. These famous Tuscan wine estates are home to high quality Sangiovese grapes (and a mix of others), which go into these two outstanding expressions of Tuscan red wine.  In April this year, Frescobaldi will be Regional Wines & Spirits winery of the month.  In the meantime, explore the flavours here, by purchasing online or in store. We will be adding a bunch of other beauties from Frescobaldi. Watch this space.  Frescobaldi Perano Chianti Classico 2021 RRP $54.99 Wild herbs and dark fruit are framed by an impressive structure with notes of chocolate and blackberries in this Chianti Classico. This is a riserva wine, which has spent an impressive 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels aging.   Buy here Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina RRP $45.99 Frescobaldi's Nipozzano Riserva Rufina Chianta is named after the Castello Nipozzano and is a delicious complex Riserva Chianti with extended aging time and made from vineyards in Rufina. Wild berries and cherry flavours are flattered by spicy undertones of pepper, nutmeg and roasted coffee. It has a silky texture and layers of depth and interest.  Buy here

Never let a little thing like pronunciation get in the way of deliciousness. Verdicchio is a case in point.  Ver-deek-ee-oh is the correct pronunciation, for those concerned about such matters, but most Italians are just happy that you have chosen one of their wines and tried to say the word. It's worth taking the plunge in this case and as we have a new addition to our Verdicchio range at Regional, it seems worth diving a little into what makes this white wine taste so good.  The name refers to the grape, which comes from central Italy and specifically from the Marche region; opposite Tuscany and slightly further south on the east coast. What does Verdicchio taste like? Well, in a nutshell, we're talking about a dry wine, typically with a medium body and rich textural qualities, which means it fills the mouth, in this case with a silky feel, but without being over bearing. Flavours run the gamut of almonds and green herbs to white peach, while retaining an unmistakable dry style. This is a complex wine, often even at lower prices.  Where is Verdicchio from? There's the millions dollar question. It is regarded as a wine from central Italy's Marche region on the Adriatic coast; a mountainous and beautiful part of Italy. But it is also fairly common to find Verdicchio in Umbria and Lazio, but wait, yes there's more. DNA profiling has shown in the not too distant past that there is a wine from Lombardy (in northern central Italy) that goes by the name Trebbiano Lugana, which just so happens to fit the same exact DNA details as Verdicchio. No wonder that wine also tastes surprisingly complex when basic Trebbiano can be nothing to write home about.  So, onto the wines we have bearing the name Verdicchio.  Try these... Pop in to buy these exceptional dry whites Felici Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2022 RRP $35.99 Fresh, waxy in texture and complex in taste with dry flavours of lemon, almond and green herbs, Verdicchio (pronounced Ver-deek-ee-oh) is one of Italy's great white wines and is a hidden treasure on our shelves here at Regional because New Zealanders can easily relate to its bright crisp qualities. Its flavours span the gamut of ripe lemons and fresh herbs through to waxy, full bodied textural qualities. Sealed with a screwcap. Umani Ronchi Verdicchio Casal di Serra 2021/2022 RRP $33.99 A classic standard bearer, sealed with a screwcap to retain the innate freshness of Verdicchio's naturally high acidity. This one is a keeper - drinks well now and has complexity but can also age.  San Lorenzo Le Oche Verdicchio 2021 RRP $33.99 Complex, dry, full bodied and more savoury than the wines above. A very good wine and great value for money. Garofoli Podium Verdicchio Superiore 2017/2019 RRP $39.99 Special $36.99 One of the great whites of Italy; Garofoli's Podium is an outstanding expression of Verdicchio and how it can age superbly while retaining fresh, dry, complex flavours.  A must try.  Buy Garofoli Podium Verdicchio Superiore here

We’ve been delving into the wild world of hops of late and trying to focus on individual strains through single hop beers.However, let’s face it, hops are typically served in a fruit salad style, layered on top of each other in an attempt to maximise complexity and balance bitterness versus flavour. In fact, there are a few key hops that basically come bundled together, and when they do, they drive styles and even offer a glimpse of the notion of terroir (oh no - I’ve gone and mentioned the T word again!).I’m thinking of the English ale hops, the noble hops of Bavarian/Bohemian lagers and the three Cs of the American IPA.Traditional English pale ales are typically hopped with Fuggles and Goldings (in various guises). These hops have been around for yonks with Golding’s use in brewing dating back to at least the 1790s. The more recently bred Target and Challenger also play key supporting roles and together they offer famously earthy, herbal notes with touches of spice that marry well with full flavoured British barley such as Maris Otter, and balance handsomely against the fruity esters of top fermentation. Voila - the English Ale.Another group with a long history are the Bavarian/Bohemian noble hops. These go by the name of Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnang, Spalt and the one we’ve all probably heard of - Saaz. Their designations come from the centres in which they were cultivated, some of them over hundreds of years, and they are thought to express true terroir to a greater degree than recent hop cultivars. These regal hops are responsible for the signature flavours of continental lager styles as exemplified by the Pilsner. This style originated in the town of Plzeň in the Czech Republic which is only an hour’s drive from Žatec which is home to, you’ve guessed it, the Saaz hop.Our last hop bundle goes by the name of the ‘Three Cs’ and you would have met these three whilst sipping on an American IPA. They are Cascade, Centennial and Columbus and have certainly played a fundamental role in American craft brewing. These Cs are a heady combo - we’re not talking about the subtlety of the noble hops here, that’s for sure. Cascade boasts a hefty myrcene content of 45-60% - that’s the pungent resinous oil also found in thyme and marijuana. Centennial offers heavy bittering and similar citrus and pine notes to Cascade, whilst Columbus forms an earthy herbal counterpoint to the top notes of the previous two. Boom.There we go… some lovely contrasting styles to play with in your next Beer Cellar order. Line them up of an evening starting with a Pilsner, moving to an English ale and finishing on something big from the West Coast and you’re palate will be taken on the most wonderful hop voyage. Enjoy.