We can't recommend this enough. A beautifully balanced dessert wine, lovingly crafted, and an absolute steal!

Tasting Notes

Nose

A nose of intense lemon curd, marmalade, and orange peel with fragrant honeysuckle notes.

Palate

The palate has lots of ripe apricot and acacia honey characters with honeyed sweetness, well-balanced by a fresh citrus zest bite on the lingering finish.

Production Method

Palazzina vineyard is on the Il Cascinone estate. Vine yield is 3000 liters per hectare. The fruit is hand-harvested in the second half of October (about one month later than the usual Moscato harvest). The grapes are dried on 'graticci' - a traditional Italian rush mat. During this time 40% of the fruit's weight is lost by water evaporation. In mid-December, the whole bunches are pressed and then a slow fermentation is undertaken in oak barrels for 2 months followed by 12 months ageing prior to bottling.

Producer

Il Cascinone was acquired by leading Piemonte producer Araldica in 1999 - an exceptional estate in the Monferrato hills which has undergone extensive restoration and replanting. Now around 70ha of the total 102ha are in full production, with the warmer, southwest-facing slopes used to grow Barbera, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - whilst the northeast slopes are ideal for more aromatic varieties Brachetto and Moscato, along with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

The 'Il Cascinone' range (and part of the Alasia range) is produced with grapes sourced from Araldica’s most prized vineyards, both on the estate itself and from other selected sites. This includes the further d'Annona vineyard in the village of Fontanile - purchased by Claudio Manera in 1998. This south-west facing vineyard is a source of premium quality Barbera, from vines over 60 years old. Grapes from d'Annona are brought to Il Cascinone for vinification.

All harvesting at Il Cascinone and d'Annona is by hand. The Araldica winemaking team of Claudio Manera, Lella Burdese and Carlo Manera oversee all production.

Awards

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Castel del Lupo’s impressive new release was made especially for Boutinot from grapes grown on the south-facing, chalky Ginestra vineyard. Like their Pinot Nero, this PG from the gently hilly Oltrepo Pavese DOC, the ‘Tuscany of Northern Italy’, has subtlety, depth and character. It’s a pure, gently aromatic style, crisp and lightly nutty, with fine citrus and peach fruit characters and savoury, textural finish from 4 months on fine lees.

Nose

A subtle, delicately aromatic and lightly floral nose with citrus and white peach notes.

Palate

The palate has fresh stone fruit and lemony characters leading to a gentle, textured mid-palate and an attractively crisp, saline finish.

Production Method

The Pinot Grigio grapes are organically grown, harvested by hand, and undergo careful selection. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature (17°C), and the wine is then kept on fine lees for at least four months.

Producer

Castel del Lupo, in the heart of Oltrepò Pavese, dates back centuries - and includes the eighteenth-century Palazzo Pegazzera. In 1974 three entrepreneurs took over this historic estate and began a regeneration process. Giovanni Doglio, whose father and grandfather were both Piemontese winemakers, has over 40 years of experience managing wineries. Recently joined by his daughter Federica, he has worked tirelessly to develop the estate. They have purchased more vineyards (to cover 100ha at around 300m altitude), planted new vines and built a new cellar. The vineyards are now certified organic. The winery's main focus is high quality bottle-fermented sparkling wine, and much of the vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir for this purpose. However, these vines are also the source of fine still red wines.

A Note on Sustainability

A proportion of the cantina’s vineyards are in conversion from sustainable to organic cultivation and will be certified as organic from 2020.

Awards

Specifications

A really pretty and perfumed example of the Frappato grape from south-eastern Sicily.

Tasting Notes

This organic red has delicious floral and red berry characters and is surprisingly fresh and delicate given the hot climate.

Nose

Delicate and lightly floral aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and wild berries, with hints of aromatic herbs.

Palate

The palate has vibrant red berry characters balancing fresh acidity.

Producer

Is there a more dynamic place to make wine in Italy than on Mount Etna in Sicily? Cantine Nicosia is based at the foot of Etna, on the east coast of Sicily, where Carmelo Nicosia, along with his sons Franceso and Graziano (5th generation), have developed their family business into one of the area's most important wine producers. Their Trecastagni winery is where tradition meets ultra-modern technology.

Trecastagni, at the base of one of the extinguished craters dotting Mount Etna and at an altitude of around 700m, is home to the ancient vineyards of Monte Gorna, with their distinctive lava terraces. The vineyards have been completely restructured and replanted, focusing on the native varieties used for Etna DOC wines: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the red, and Catarratto and Carricante for the whites. The extraordinary wealth of minerals found in Etna's volcanic soils can be credited with the very rich flavour and unique character of the wines produced here.

Just a few miles from the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula is the lively agricultural center of Vittoria and the Contrada Bonincontro district - home to the large and impeccably groomed Cerasuolo di Vittoria vineyards planted exclusively with Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Syrah.

Production Method

Frappato grapes are grown on sandy soil situated at approximately 200m above sea level. Grapes are hand-picked in September. The grapes undergo maceration and fermentation for approximately 10-15 at a controlled temperature of between 22-24°C. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats and 2 months in the bottle.

A Note on Sustainability

A proportion of Cantine Nicosia’s vineyards are certified organic by SIDEL, and its wines are certified as vegan by the Istituto Certificazione Etica e Ambiente.

Specifications