Italy

Smooth, lemon scented, dry and quirky white from Sardinia; one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean. This winery was established by Salvatore Pala in 1950 and today it is Mario Pala who represents the third generation of the family to run this famous estate. The winery is located in Serdiana, a small town some 20km from Cagliari, the capital of Sardegna. The Pala estate specialises in Vermentino and Cannonau, combining a deep respect for tradition and their land with modern wine-making techniques to produce a stunning range of wines.

A lovely wine crafted mainly from Barbera but also with Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Made with temperature controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts and 10 to 15 days maceration exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Each component is vinified separately and then blended before bottling, based on the vintage.

This is an elegant medium to light bodied wine with a a fruit forward core balanced by lovely savoury elements and racy acidity.

Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown on the sandy volcanic soils of the island of Sicily yield a this delicate, yet sweet wine, with delightful notes of yellow peaches, melon and citrus fruits.

Cantine Pellegrino

Cantine Pellegrino is one of Sicily?s most important and prosperous wineries. Today they are one of very few families who can trace their lineage back to the original 19th Century founders of the Marsala trade.

Members of the Pellegrino family married into the Alagna, Renda, Tumbarello & Bellina families, members of which now collectively manage the company. 

In 1880 Paolo Pellegrino, local notary and vine grower, founded his winery in the heart of the city of Marsala on the West coast of Sicily. With the help of his son Carlo, he built the company up from nothing into one of Sicily?s leading Marsala producers. After the death of his father, Carlo took the reigns of the company, assisted by his wife Josephine Despagne, daughter of a famous Sauternes oenologist Oscar Pierre Despagne. 

Today the company has 150 hectares of vineyards, and three wineries. Pellegrino have been instrumental in putting Sicily on the winemaking map, with the family?s Marsala, fine wine and sweet Pantelleria wine, all exported around the world.

A great new southern Italian red made entirely from the Aglianico grape, which makes wines that are often referred to as the Nebbiolo of the south. 

Pieropan Soave is a blend of 85% Garganega and 15% Trebbiano di Soave. This fresh, bright, white wine comes from Pieropan?s hillside vineyard in the Soave classico zone. On the nose, delicate notes of almond are complemented by flinty mineral notes. The palate is crisp and fruity, with notes of lemon and fresh stone fruit.

The vineyard ?La Rocca? is situated on the Monte Rocchetta hill, just below the medieval castle built by the Scaligeri family in the town of Soave. The micro-climate in this vineyard produces wines with a unique perfume and distinctive taste. This is a characterful wine with exotic fruit flavours and complex nuttiness.

The Wine Advocate
95 Points
August 2023, Monica Larner

?Pio Cesare does a great job with its classic 2019 Barolo (in production since 1881). The bottom of the front label reads "Barolo Pio" in memory of the legendary Pio Boffa. He was a wine entrepreneur who gained the immediate respect and love of all those who knew him. He passed away tragically during the COVID-19 pandemic just as the vaccines were being rolled out. This is a large production of about 70,000 bottles with fruit sourced from across seven vineyards in five villages. Despite those ambitious numbers, the wine remains strictly focused on bright Nebbiolo fruit with red cassis and aniseed. The finish is smooth with tannins that elegantly dissolve over the palate.?

Italian designers bring their best bling to the design of the new Pizzolato Prosecco, which contains zero alcohol but loads of lovely aromatic flavour. This lightly sparkling wine is certified organic. 

Asinone is the top expression from Poliziano and only produced in very good vintages. It is 100% Sangiovese and made from the Tuscan town of Montepulciano is the Tuscan town (not the grape from Abruzzo). Vino Nobile is a top village expression of the Sangiovese grape.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a DOCG status from the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano (not ot be confused with Montelpulciano d'Abruzzo). This is one of Italy?s most prestigious DOCG's. Predominantly made from the local Sangiovese strain called Prugnolo Gentile, this is luscious structured and powerful wine with the potential to gracefully age for many years.

Brilliant ruby red colour tending to orange with age.

Ethereal and complex aromas, rather fruity and evolving into spicy tones.

Full and dry on the palate with lots of complexity and character

Commanding Pinot Noir from the oldest winery in Italy, dating back nearly 1000 years and situated high in the foothills of the Sudtyrol in north east Italy. This structured and statuesque Pinot Noir drinks beautifully now with its velvet smooth texture and great depths of flavour with bright bold red fruit and macerated cherries, expressing Pinot Noir at its best from the highest altitude vineyard in Europe, in the very north of Italy. This winery has been making wine since 1142.

The Abbazia di Novacella winery is one of the oldest wineries in operation in the world and has been making wine for nearly 1000 years from terraced vineyards at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level in the steep hills of the Tyrol. This wine is one of our most impressive Pinot Noirs in store; known correctly as Pinot Nero.

Produttori del Barbaresco was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation (itself nearly 700 hectares). This wine is a blend from various vineyards in the Barbaresco DOCG's limestone and clay soils, which are rich in calcium with sandy veins. 

Montefico is one of the richer of the Cru wines from Produttori coming from a warm clay soil site. A deep and lush wine that is more forward in its youth but that will still profit from long cellar ageing.

Made entirely from the highly structured, exceptionally age worthy Nebbiolo grape in the small and outstanding wine area of Barbaresco by Produttori del Barbaresco. This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme. 

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30?C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation in wood followed by a further nine months aging in bottle, prior to release. 

Fast facts on Barbaresco

Barbaresco as an appellation was created in 1894

Barbaresco was given DOCG status in 1980

This is a small wine production area with approximately 700 hectares of vineyards registered to make Barbaresco ? which must be 100% Nebbiolo and made within the same sub region in which the grapes are grown.