With marriage on the cards, the most important thing for me now is looking after the honeymoon. I’m hoping all that wedding stuff will just fall into place by itself. Anyway, Tuscany is where the two of us will be spending our first proper holiday together as a married couple, so I’ll have the chance to check out some wineries if I’m allowed (oh the pain of the thought). At the top of the list will be Dievole, a superb winery who have an interesting project going on in Siena that has caught my attention.

Certosa di Pontignano is an ancient monastery bordering of the states of Siena and Florence. It has a rich history originating from its construction in the 14th century, which included a church, cloisters, cells and other buildings to house twelve monks, three lay brothers and their servants. Situated in open countryside it was once vulnerable to attack, first of all from a band of Florentines who broke in 1449, and during the “Congiura dei Pazzi” in 1478 (a conspiracy against the Medici rule). The monastery was set fire to and then immediately rebuilt before being plundered again in 1554 by German and Spanish militias. Who’d want to be a monk living in the 15th or 16th century?

Despite testing times the heart of Certosa di Pontignano has been kept intact through extensive restorations helped by renaissance contributions during the late 15th century. Since then it has been relatively untouched, and now it houses the University of Siena’s Congress Centre, as well as boasting guest accommodation and a restaurant.

In May 2002 Divole took over the management of the land of Certosa di Pontignano with the University of Studies of Siena entrusting them with the rebirth of the monastic culture. Within its walls an Agro-Environmental Park has been created with vineyards and olive groves. The park is divided into two sections, one for specific cultivation (vines, olives, cereals, aromatic and medicinal herbs), and the other mainly dedicated to the landscape vocation, trying to combine the needs of preserving the historical and agricultural archaeology, and at the same time to give new life to the territory through modern, sustainable landscape management.

Dievole are now carrying on the tradition in honour of the vine-loving Monks with the Certosa di Pontignano Chianti Classico, made from Sangiovese grapes grown on the grounds of the old monastery. These vines are still relatively young, but with rigorous, quality-focused selection and time in oak, it’s the kind of wine I hope to be enjoying a lot of come September. Fresh up front red fruit, and a dry tannic structure that I think will go rather well with that Tuscan cuisine they all say is so good. I look forward with great anticipation and excitement.

Zinfandel has curious history. Californian winemakers have made it famous, but its birthplace was not Napa. Far from it in fact.

Originating in Croatia, where it is known as Crljenak Kaštelanski, it landed in Puglia, the ‘heel’ of Italy, in the 18th century. This early ripening variety is thought to have been introduced by a priest, not an uncommon thing in those days as the Church were the original wine evangelists. The grape then found its way to East Coast United States by 1829, and by 1950 it had reached California. Some Italian winemakers who ship Primitivo to the U.S. label them as Zinfandel.

Puglia incorporates the Adriatic port of Bari (pictured), and in terms of volume is one of Italy’s most significant wine regions. The southeastern province of Salento is generally where the best reds come from, Negroamaro being one of the specialty grape varieties. Primitivo di Manduria makes colossally alcoholic reds from the Primitivo grape, but there are more winemakers than ever now who are managing to bring more restraint, and more importantly, better balance to the wines.

Primitivo vines are quite vigorous and grow best in climates that are warm but not too hot. Thin skins mean the grapes can shrivel if it does get too hot. With the fruit ripening early, the time on vine can be extended to produce a wine with a high sugar content. Weather permitting, the winemaker may even make late harvest dessert wine. Anyone who has tried the Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria will notice a sweetness from the high sugar, made even more noticeable by the relatively low acidity. This is quite typical of the richer styles of Primitivo.

Just because it is a vigorous vine and early ripener, it doesn’t mean that it’s an easy grape to work with. Uneven ripening means that to achieve better quality the winemaker must ensure unripened grapes are dropped, or that a rigourous selection process is carried out in the winery before vinification.

I think Primitivo, or Zinfandel, is a variety that most lovers of full-bodied red wines will really enjoy. They aren’t for the faint hearted, as the alcohol tends to be quite high, but Puglia winemakers are coming up with more and more fantastic, affordable Primitivo’s where the alcohol is lower (perhaps closer to 13% as opposed to 16% – good example here, just in). At its best, it’s fantastic. Like the aforementioned Manduria… “peaty, smokey, tobacco-like aromas and flavours. Throw in fresh cigar and a blast of incredibly smooth, rounded black fruit sweetness and you’ve got a winner.”

Some of you are already well acquainted with Solonio’s Cesanese and Fontanapiana. We’ve now landed two more wines from this terrific Lazio winery in the form of a delightful white made from the Malvasia grape variety, Solonio Rea Silva, and an incredible ripasso-method red made from partially dried Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Solonio Il Grottone.

Ripasso, meaning ‘repassed’, is produced using the leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of recioto and Amarone. Valpolicella wines can undergo an extended maceration period on these skins with the remaining fermenting yeast cells feeding on the additional food source to boost the alcohol level and give a fuller body and a richer flavour and colour. These wines are labelled Ripasso della Valpolicella.

Ripasso-method, or Ripasso-styled wines, can be made in the same way, or they can be produced using partially dried grapes, such as the Il Grottone. We were really impressed by this one on first taste, but it just got better and better when enjoyed properly at home. It’s the best ripasso-styled wine we’ve tried on the market. I reckon it needs food to get the best out of it. Mike thinks it doesn’t.

We had both wines open in the shop a few days after receiving them and the great feedback wasn’t only directed at the red. The white Malvasia was getting rave reviews also. Malvasia is one of those varieties that falls under the shadow of the noble grapes. It’s not as easily marketed as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, but that’s why we love it. Giving people the ‘wow’ factor from wines they wouldn’t otherwise try is what we’re all about. That’s where the ‘curious’ came from.

Give these two proudly ‘uncommercial’ wines a shot and you’ll not be disappointed. Normally €12.99, an introductory offer of €9.99 per bottle is valid through the end of December.

I would imagine balsamic vinegar is a household staple these days. I use it a lot in the summer when at least twice a week salad will be on the menu as an accompaniment to something else. But recently I was disheartened to find out that I’d never actually tried balsamic vinegar in my life. That’s the real balsamic vinegar I’m talking about.

I opened up the Travel supplement to the Sunday Times a couple of weekends ago to read an article by Anthony Capella on another one of Italy’s great gifts to the culinary world. It comes specifically from Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region, or the neighbouring Reggio Emilia.

Supermarket balsamic vinegar, the stuff that I and probably every other paddy (or Italian for that matter) is used too, is sweetened with caramel and darkened with molasses. Granted, even within this ‘not quite the real thing’ category, you pay an extra few euros for a 6 year old balsamic and you’re getting a far superior product.

The real thing is strictly protected under local consortium and EU law. It carries the very specific words Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, and prices start around £40 (that’s £, not €) for 100ml (that’s 100ml, not the standard 500ml we’re used to). Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes are harvested and then boiled for twenty hours, reducing down to thirty percent of its original volume. The natural wild yeast in the air gets to work as the juice lies in open oak barrels with only a linen cloth draped over the top. After a few weeks, the barrels are moved to the aceto (an aging room).

Not unlike fortifieds, the angels take their share. The barrels are porous enough for water to slowly evaporate, concentrating the vinegar. Over a number of years, the barrels will get smaller, and at twelve years the vinegar is blind-tasted by an independent panel. About a quarter gets rejected and the rest is aged for eighteen years, or as many as thirty years. By this stage, a litre or so will made been created from 400Ib of grapes, so you start to realise why this stuff is flogged for so much. If it costs less than £40, it’s probably not the real thing.

Any chance of a pay rise, @curiousmike? Okay, okay, imitation balsamic it is then.

Original article “World on a plate” by Anthony Capella, Sunday Times, 14/08/11

So you all know by now we’ve got some pretty amazing wines in our line up, but some are a little more fun than others when it comes to their packaging. Meet Barbera da Vine, our sexy new Barbera from Piemonte, north-west Italy. If you’ve yet to experience Barbera, you can read more about the variety here.

Inspired by the bomber art of the 40′s and 50′s, the Barbera da Vine character was created to mirror the personality of the wine. Sexy – but attainable, Italian, always good with food and the perfect conversational partner. Barbera da Vine is a little bit cheeky, vivacious and very fruity. Her tone of voice allows a little innuendo and just a like the pin-up characters of the 40′s and 50′s – would certainly raise blood pressure along with a few eyebrows.

Graham Wharmby, Winemaker

“I’m on a ridge in the Italian Piemonte Hills, waist deep in picture-perfect vineyards – I think I’ve found Barbera. She’s looking good, I need to know more. I try a little squeeze, Wow! This isn’t just Barbera, this is beautiful Barbera. Such intrigue. Vivacious and approachable, whilst underneath she’s as serious as a lightening strike! She’s warm, generous and… ooh, I want to say minerally, spicy, savoury, you get the picture. She’s deliciously graceful, vividly pretty and then she delivers that cheeky whip-crack of high-heeled acidity – I’m convinced! I took a lot of care with her… I think you’ll love her.”

Vineyards

Fruit is sourced from a number of growers with mature Barbera vineyards. Most of the fruit comes from around the town of Nizza in the heart of the Barbera d’Asti zone.

Winemaking

A detailed selection of the best grapes is made at harvest. Following the alcoholic fermentation a proportion (10%) of the fruit is matured in second and third year oak barriques for around 12 months whilst the remainder is aged in large Slovenian ‘Botte’. The two components are blended to give complexity and depth.

Tasting note

Barbera da Vine vividly displays all the best characteristics of this delicious variety. Impressively deep colour, almost black at the heart; …spicy notes of salami skin on the nose subtly underpin the rich cherry fruit aromas whilst the generous ripe fruit and that vibrant acidity combine to give the ‘oh-so-drinkable succulence’ to the wine. Barbera just has to be THE food wine bar none!

Barbera da Vine has been joined with another Barbera from Piemonte – BBQ Barbera. You can view our three terrific wines from the Barbera grape variety here.

Fresh off the boat, we’ve got four brand spanking new wines from Borgo Magredo ready for shipping to a home near you… or your home if you’re keen enough for a taste.

Two whites, a Pinot Grigio and a Friulano, and two reds, a Merlot and a Pinot Nero, will join our already well established Frizzante and Spumante Prosecco from the same producer.

The history of Borgo Magredo began in Grave del Friuli in 1973. Over the 20 years that followed, more than 200 hectares of vineyard have been planted, including cultivations that are experimental in this territory such as Moscato Rosa and Pinot Nero, which later became a great classic.

The wines of Borgo Malgredo currently present themselves in a new guise that’s original and extremely charming, bridging the gap between classic traditions and the modern trend-setting. But more importantly, it is the company’s drive to achieve the perfect combination of century-old enological culture and the contemporary drinking style that have made these wines an easy choice for us.

This style joins ancient flavours with contemporary taste. Friuli is known for varietal expression, and that’s just what you’ll get here. It’s a question of quality without compromise.

These hip new wines are available now at a very cool €11.99 per bottle.

You’d think they know best, wouldn’t you? Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in Italy’s north east corner, is very highly regarded by the Italian wine drinker for its pure, aromatic varietals. If you’re of the “when in Rome” mindset, you will know that relying on the knowledge and expertise of the indigenous people is quite a smart game to play.

So what is it that draws Italians to these wines in particular? Why, in terms of the national, homeland demand, is Friuli preferred over Tuscany, Sicily and Piemonte? Well, much of it lies in the style of wines being produced here. They are different to that of the western Piemonte and that of the southern regions. Italian consumers attach a high value to this because what is done here, and the style that is achieved, can’t be done as well elsewhere in Italy. But that’s not everything.

Importantly, what the terroir of Friuli brings is an incredible expression of variety like only a handful of regions around the world can do. This varietal expression is what wine connoisseurs pay the extra for. If you’ve ever tried our whites from Poggiobello you’ll have experienced a great example of the strengths and subtletess of a grape variety in its purest form, whether it was the Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Friulano. If you were conducting a varietal masterclass, it would be the white wines of Friuli that you would use.

Seventeen different grape varieties can be grown in Friuli’s two main DOCs, Collio (Goriziano) and Colli Orientali (del Friuli). The aforementioned white varieties are widely grown across these areas, along with Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), but the best reds come from the south western corner of Colli Orientali, in the foothills of the Dolomites. Merlot does well here, as well as local grapes such as Ribolla, Refosco and Schioppettino.

For the month of June, save €3 per bottle on each of the wines from Poggiobello.

Sometimes it is nice not to have too much of a good thing too often. Maybe you don’t see someone for some time, or don’t experience something, maybe for a few weeks, a few months or perhaps a number of years. Then you go back to be reminded of how good it is, all over again.

I was reminded on Sunday night of how much I love a good Sangiovese. In this trade, you have the fortunate opportunity of tasting a lot of wine. But that is ‘tasting’. Many would agree with me on this, you don’t really get to know and appreciate a wine unless you bring it home and spend time over it. Enjoy it in a relaxed atmosphere with friends and family. Oh, and in this case, have a bloody good meal to partner it.

In actual fact, I was looking for a wine to accompany the food. Not the other way around. My girlfriend was taking the reigns in the kitchen on this occasion. We like to take turns cooking for eachother. I told her the options I had at hand and she picked a Chianti, which had kindly been given to us by a supplier of ours.

Sangiovese and Chianti are one of the true great matches in the world of wine in terms of grape variety and terroir. Like Pinot Noir, it has a knack for taking on the characteristics of where it is grown. Although not an easy grape to work with, Tuscany provides the necessary heat, long growing season and fair autumns required for this late ripening variety.

I read over at Decanter that the French will now be experimenting with Sangiovese after Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo, the world’s largest cooperative nursery, sold about 170,000 vines to five Herault producers. That will be worth keeping an eye out for in the future.

We had the Bibbiano Montornello Chianti Classico with our meal, which had the trademark earthy, red cherry Sangiovese aromas and flavours, medium bodied with supple tannins and a striking backbone of acidity. Being such a great food wine, it turned out to be a fabulous match for our Beef Bourguignon, as well as a pleasent reminder of what I had been missing.

Poor Marsala. It’s had a rough time of it. A reputation that has been dragged through the gutters by none other than its own producers. For many people it has been reduced to a rather generic ingredient to add to the cooking pot. Even worse, there are still those syrupy, sickly sweet bottles on the market.

Like most things in this business, you can’t tarnish everything with the same brush. There have always been exceptions, just too few of them. But is Marsala now taking a page from the book of the reinvented Sherry?

The rules surrounding the production of Marsala have been tightened up in recent years to help reestablish a long lost demand. Just like the Sherry story, demand in the past wasn’t followed up with quality production and the industry suffered.

Marsala is made around the town of Marsala, in Sicily’s ‘wild west’. It was actually an Englishman, John Woodhouse, a merchant and Port, Sherry and Madeira enthusiast, who was responsible for first production. Today Marsala can only be fortified by adding grape spirit, as Woodhouse originally did back in 1773.

The process of ‘mutage’ involves ceasing fermentation, in this case by adding alcohol, thus explaining the higher alcohol content in the final product. Typically, the high yielding Catarratto is the main component, however, the Grillo and Inzolia are also used in the better quality versions.

With premium Marsala slowly edging back into the market, I would encourage folk to give it another chance, especially if you’re already on the Sherry and Madeira train. Only last week we added our first Marsala to our list – Vito Curatolo Arini Marsala Superiore Riserva. I can assure you this stuff ain’t for the cooking pot.

It sounds like a girls name, but in fact Cortese is another addition to your vast vocabulary of obscure Italian grape varieties. This is never going to be your next Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. It’s not a crowd pleaser in the way these noble grape varieties usually are. Cortese makes a curious wine for curious people, both of which we live for.

Mainly found in Piemonte, in the north west of Italy, Cortese makes delicate, light whites with soft and subtle fruity citrusy flavours. The better versions usually have some minerality and that nutty, savoury edge, but the wonderful acidity is the signature characteristic of most. The best expression of the grape comes from the Gavi zone, around the town of Gavi, in the south east of the province of Alessandria.

The 1960′s and 70′s saw great success for Gavi commercially, but as with many regions that enjoy such heightened popularity in a short space of time, prices rise and in some cases, quality dips, before consumers find the next ‘Cloudy Bay’ and move on. Since then, however, there has never been a better time to give Cortese another shot. You just need to know where to look.

A silver medal at the International Wine Challenge is another small step to putting Gavi back on the map. “Attractive light elegant. Complex herbaceous. Rich.” That’s what the judges had to say about Bricco dei Guazzi’s 2009 Gavi di Gavi. Music to the ears of Gavi producers, and curious wine drinkers alike.

The Bricco dei Guazzi range is on offer as part of the Italian sale (20% off) until the end of February.