Feeling desperately fragile after a cocktail-soaked long weekend with Lunch Club in Berlin, I tried to appease an exasperated, eye-rolling Mrs Ray by vowing never to drink again. Wouldn’t touch a drop. As I rallied, though, and the Berliner katzenjammer slowly cleared, I pulled myself together and pointed out that there was work to do and fine Italian wine from Mr Wheeler to taste.
Mrs R is a sucker for top Italian vino so it didn’t take long for her to join me, and we had a merry couple of hours coming up with the following selection. She even made her signature pappardelle pasta with venison ragout to soak it all up, so all is well.
I’ve long enjoyed the Veneto wines of Guerrieri Rizzardi and used to drink buckets of them with my dear pa, whose favourite Italian winery it was. The 2022 Guerrieri Rizzardi Lugana (1) is as fine as ever, a blend of Trebbiano and splashes of Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grown by Lake Garda. Steel-fermented and aged on the lees for three months, it’s delicately peach blossom-scented and mouthwateringly fresh with concentrated white stone fruit and a long creamy finish. £17.25 down from £19.95.
The 2020 Cantine di Marzo ‘Vigna Ortale’ Greco di Tufo Riserva (2) is a single vineyard wine of which fewer than 300 cases were made. The Marzo family first produced wine here in 1647 and the winery – the oldest in Campania – remains in the hands of their descendants, the di Somma family. Made from the first pressing of 100 per cent Greco, the wine is steel-fermented, aged for nine months in tank and 12 months in bottle. It’s delightfully complex, being honeyed yet salty-savoury too. I love it. £22.50 down from £24.95.
The 2020 Enzo Boglietti Barbera d’Alba (3), from truffle country in north-west Italy, is excellent value given that Enzo Boglietti is one of Piedmont’s most celebrated producers. Made from 100 per cent Barbera aged in both barrel and steel for up to six months, it’s full of crushed strawberries/raspberries and soft, smooth tannins and has a fine acidity. £16.50 down from £17.95.
The Mazzei family have been making wine across Italy since 1435, and the 2020 Zisola Noto Rosso (4) comes from their estate in south-east Sicily. Produced from traditional ‘alberello’ bush vine Nero d’Avola, it’s full of spicy, peppery plum/blackberry fruit complete with a welcome freshness and hint of savoury black olive on the finish. The 2018 we offered a couple of years ago sold out and this is every bit as fine. £18.95 down from £20.95.
The 2019 Fattoria le Pupille Morellino di Scansano Riserva (5) from the so-called Ladies of Morellino – mother and daughter Elisabetta Geppetti and Clara Gentili – in Tuscany’s Maremma region is a striking example of this little-known wine. Made from 90 per cent Sangiovese (aka Morellino) and 10 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s a beguiling ruby red with cherries, herbs and spice on nose and palate and it makes a fascinating contrast to other reds of the region. £21.50 down from £26.95.
The 2020 Fonterutoli Chianti Classico (6), from the aforementioned Mazzei family and their estate near Castellina in Chianti, is as pukka a Chianti Classico as you’ll find for the price. A blend of six different Sangiovese clones with tiny dollops of Malvasia Nera and Colorino, it’s deliciously fresh, soft, smooth and enticing with sour cherries and touches of herbs. £22.50 down from £24.95.
Finally, for those who love top-class Italian wine, a fabulous deluxe selection (8) comprising two bottles each of the following: 2016 Enzo Boglietti Barolo Boiolo (Piedmont), 2018 Guerrieri Rizzardi ‘3 Cru’ Amarone della Valpolicella (Veneto) and 2019 Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione (Tuscany). These come in numbered wooden boxes of which only 50 are available. I’ve grabbed one and so should you.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1-6 and delivery, as ever, is free.
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