Ask any northern Italian where Abruzzo lies and they’ll more likely dismiss the region as being in the South, populated by ‘terrone’ (a pejorative term for ‘southerners’) supplying bulk wine (for the benefit of the north); in reality the Abruzzese seem a measured, impressive bunch whose fruit is being increasingly bottled (not sold off), and […]

Piedmont is without doubt the most beautiful vineyard region I have ever seen. It combines the discreet valleys and small vineyards of Burgundy, with a stunning landscape reminiscent of the Douro’s striking slopes. Driving south from Turin you are greeted by the fertile plains of the Po Valley, which for millennia have been a cross […]

This past year I’ve been ‘on my bike’ racing round the peninsula, snapping up authentic, delicious wines to offer you as part of a comprehensive range for drinking today or tomorrow. Approaching it in stages, our ‘Giro d’Italia’ kicks off in the South. Sicily’s Alberto Graci, on the slopes of volcanic Monte Etna, treats us […]

The news from Florence this week is of a ‘Chianti Classico Revolution’. Wow! Alas it’s more of a whimper. The Consorzio are not offering a dramatic delimitation of vineyards (‘menzioni geografiche’ as per the Langhe), nor an unprecedented classification of Grand or Premier Cru/Vigna sites, nor even of a study of the unique geological, terroir […]