Primitivo di Manduria Primitivo di Manduria is a DOC zone in the Puglia region of Italy. Primitivo is not only grown within the Manduria region of Italy, in fact, some of the very best Primitivo is registered as ITG wine grown outside of the DOC zone around the Brindisi region. Gambero Rosso’s current Primitivo beau…

Villa Russiz Merlot Villa Russiz Merlot, and to be spot on, Villa Russiz Merlot Graf de la Tour, is the 7th Merlot of Merlot Month and the 2nd in the Friuli flight. Another recommendation from Mr Galloni and at one of the lowest price points of the 10 Merlot offerings I was keen to see…

Radikon Merlot Radikon Merlot comes in one jazzy bottle in a litre size with a shocking label. Radikon Merlot is one of the top Merlot bottlings of Friuli and as Merlot Month enters its final leg we are investigating the Merlots of my ‘hood, north eastern Italy and specifically Friuli. This is where the great…

Feudi di San Gregorio Patrimo Feudi di San Gregorio Patrimo is a 100% Merlot wine from the Campania region of Italy. Feudi di San Gregorio Patrimo 2004 is the vintage I chose for Merlot month and I was not disappointed. This is a pricey bottle of wine but I was always confident this would be…

Falesco Montiano 2001 Falesco Montiano 2001 is a 100% Merlot from Falesco (Lazio). Falesco Montiano 2001 is one of Lazio’s most famous wines and was a frequent suggestion as a top Merlot that I must try out for “Merlot Month“. The 2001 got some great reviews from Parker et al and as such I was…

Gaja Darmagi 2001 Gaja Darmagi 2001 is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine from the Piedmont. Gaja Darmagi is considered to be one of the most exciting Cabernets in Italy’s top vintages and I’m writing a quick blog entry to announce that we’re now carrying this wine and for those Gaja fans out there who haven’t…

Italian Merlot Italian Merlot month begins right here, right now. Italian Merlot is a hugely vast and exciting world with some excellent Merlots coming out of the Friuli and Tuscan regions. There are a handful of world famous Italian Merlots that I’m going to be trying this month, as well as some more obscure and…

Bruno Giacosa Spumante Extra Brut Bruno Giacosa Spumante Extra Brut is a Pinot Nero grape sparkling white from Bruno Giacosa. The grapes are actually bought in for this effort from Oltrepo Pavese but the Giacosa experience and vinification processes give added quality. I’m tasting this as part of “Nero Week”, not an actual term but…

Montefalco Umbria After my visit to the Arnaldo Caprai vineyards I took a quick ride into Montefalco itself, a medieval Umbrian hilltop town that gave the D.O.C.G wine its name (Sagrantino di Montefalco). Montefalco itself is located between Foligno and Trevi in the central Umbria area. Montefalco is all about wine, the town itself is…

Sagrantino di Montefalco, Sagrantino di Montefalco, without doubt the best kept red wine secret of Italy is about to be well and truly exposed. I am so excited about this wine for a multitude of reasons! Sagrantino di Montefalco comes from the Sagrantino grape grown around the hills of a town called Montefalco, a town…

Borgogno Barolo has been enjoyed in these parts since production began in 1761 making Borgogno one of the oldest winemakers in the region. Giacomo Borgogno e Figli, to give the company its full name, is a traditional style Barolo producer who were exceptionally trendy and revered in the 50’s and 60’s and their bottles, with…

Venice Wine Apologies for the long gap, my internet connection is limited to a green flashing box provided by Vodafone Italia who will cut my access if I dare to download anything longer than the mondo convenienza jingle. Internet access in Italy is still a long way behind the deals you get in the US…