OK, so that stone I put on during the first lockdown and then managed — very smugly — to lose, thanks to my patented ‘don’t-eat-anything-white-and-ditch-the-chocolate-you-idiot’ diet… well, I’ve put the whole darn thing on again. Every bloody pound.
I was 13st 2lb, then 14st 2lb, then 13st 2lb and now I’m flipping well back to 14st 2lb. Grrr! As the pounds fell away, I gaily bought thin clothes online which now don’t fit. And since the fat clothes I used to wear were binned in a fit of misplaced optimism, I find myself somewhat between wardrobes. Thank goodness there’s nowhere to go, no one to see and Zoom — if one’s careful — is only from the neck up.
Happily, one thing does still fit: my nightly bottle of vino. One size fits all in this house. Unless Mrs Ray joins me and we head for the magnums. And no bottles have fitted better than this delectable, estremamente gustoso all-Italian selection from our canny chums at Mr Wheeler.
An eye-catching, all-Italian selection from five different regions
The 2019 Baccolo (1) from the Veneto is perfect first-drink-of-the-evening fare. Made from a blend of Garganega and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, some of which are partially dried before fermentation (the appassimento process, rare in white wines), it’s light, fresh, dry, lemony, appley and very smooth. £8.75 down from £9.95.
The 2019 Castelnuovo del Garda Lugana (2) is also from the Veneto and similarly textured, being very silky. Made from Turbiana — a grape once thought to be Trebbiano but which turned out to be Verdicchio — it’s fresh, crisp, dry and very easygoing. £9.75 down from £10.95.
The 2019 Vesevo Greco di Tufo (3) from the hills of Campania is enticingly crisp and lively, thanks in part to high altitude vineyards (some 700 metres above sea level) and cooling sea breezes that waft in from the Bay of Naples. 100 per cent Greco, it’s deliciously creamy, full of ripe pear and peach notes and perfectly dry on the finish. £13.95 down from £15.95.
The 2020 Trastullo Primitivo (4) from Puglia, in the very heel of Italy, is a tasty blend of Primitivo and Sangiovese. Almost black, it would seem far too young to drink but I was completely disarmed by its luscious fruit, its vanilla and chocolate notes and its ripe cherry richness. £11.95 down from £12.95.
The 2018 Zisola (5) from Noto, the exuberantly baroque town in south-east Sicily, is made from 100 per cent (bush vine) Nero d’Avola. There’s not a lot on the nose, but on the palate there’s plenty of generous, mouth-filling, sun-ripened black fruit rounded off by a long savoury finish. £17.50 down from £18.95.
The 2018 Fonterutoli Chianti Classico (6) from Tuscany is in cracking form and right up my alley. From an estate owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, just south of Castellina in Chianti, it’s a blend of Sangiovese with dashes of Malvasia Nera, Colorino and Merlot. It’s soft, giving and supple, with rich, dark, spicy fruit and bang-on acidity. It’s first rate. £19.50 down from £21.95.
Finally, because it kept catching my eye and I thought you’d love it too, I persuaded Mr W’s Mark Cronshaw to let us have the 2017 Centenero Amarone della Valpolicella (7) as an add-on by the six-bottle box only. I adore fine Amarone and have never had one so good at such a modest price. Made from partially dried Corvina and Rondinella, it’s velvety smooth and oh so drinkable. At 15 per cent volume one might think it brooding and brutal, whereas it’s a pussy cat of a wine that slips down alarmingly easily with its black cherry fruit, seductive vanilla and silky tannins. A true wine lover’s wine, there’s nothing quite like it. £24.95 down from £26.95.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1-6. Wine 7 is available by the six-bottle box only. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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