Wednesday 11 September 2013

Wines of Italy



Nothing goes better with Italian food than one of the country’s home produced wines. One of the oldest wine makers on the planet, Italy produces a wide variety ranging from fizz to hearty red to crisp and dry or sweet and fruity.

David Berry Green, the Italian wine buyer for the renowned wine merchants, Berry Bros & Rudd has been on a mission to snap up some authentic numbers.  Here are four which I have picked from his selection.

Chianti Classico, Bibbiano, 2010, Castellina-in-Chianti, £14.50 (£12.33 per bottle, when buying 12 until 16 October, bbr.com)
If a spaghetti in a simple tomato sauce makes you yearn for a good chianti to accompany it, then this elegant, yet delicate red-berried flavoured wine will slip down a treat.






Berrys' Barolo, 2009, Fratelli Alessandria, Piedmont, £24.95 (£21.21 per bottle, when buying 12, until 16 October, bbr.com)
Think of Piedmont and you think of barolo. Made from the nebbiolo grape, this corker produced by the Fratelli Alessandria family of Verduno, oozes red berry aromas with a hint of liquorice. It has subtle tannins with just the right amount of acidity. A good price for such a well-structured wine.

Cornarea, Roero Arneis, 2012, Canale, Piedmont, £15.95, (£13.56 per bottle, when buying 12, until 16 October, bbr.com)
A superb dry wine bursting with peachy aromas which comes from the Roero Arneis  area, where  the superior arneis grapes are grown. Probably one of Piedmont’s lesser known grapes, it works well with weighty pasta dishes. 






Franciacorta Satèn, Cantine Biondelli, Cazzago San Martino, £26.95, (£22.91 per bottle, when buying 12, until 16 October bbr.com)
A sophisticated chardonnay sparkler from Lombardy that tastes of  juicy white peaches and ripe pears. It has a restrained mousse and satiny feel on the plate. It makes a great aperitif.  


By Daralyn Danns