Runcata Soave Superiore DOCG, Tenuta Corte Giacobbe I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tenuta Corte Giacobbe, to find out more about their top Soave Superiore DOCG called Runcata. Runcata is made only with the Garganega grape variety. It’s a single vineyard right up on the Eastern border of Soave. The terroir here has different characteristics from others in Soave, …
Tenuta di Ghizzano and a double anniversary
Tenuta di Ghizzano and a double anniversary The Tenuta di Ghizzano occupies the gently contoured hills of the Colline Pisane. Here, in coastal Tuscany, Pisa is less than an hour away. This 350 ha estate has been handed down through 26 generations of the Venerosi Pesciolini family since 1370. Today it’s in the safe custody of Ginevra Venerosi Pesciolini. Ginevra’s father, …
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Gvino: the wines of Georgia, Part Two
Gvino – the wines of Georgia, Part Two Following on from Part 1, about the wines of Georgia, Gvino is the word for wine in Georgian. This Part 2 has a baker’s dozen, selected from those available in the UK. I’ve grouped these firstly into those Gvino made “conventionally” and then those made in traditional Qvevri. With white, rosé, orange/amber …
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Stephane Derenoncourt and St. Emilion
Stéphane Derenoncourt and St. Émilion I don’t often write about serious Bordeaux reds. Not because I have an aversion to them, it’s more because I don’t get involved in the en primeur or auction/investment scenes. I prefer to drink my wines! Also, top Bordeaux Cru like St. Émilion commands prices ranging from expensive to stratospheric. However, looking back through my St. …
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Rebel.lia, Bodegas Vegalfaro 2017
Rebel.lia, Bodegas Vegalfaro 2017 At the recent Wines of Spain tasting, their annual show in London, there were many excellent wines of every description. However, my Wine of the Show was Rebel.lia. It’s from the excellent Bodegas Vegalfaro, in the heart of the DOP Utiel-Requena region of Spain, inland from València. Regular readers of these pages will know of my love …
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Antonella Corda, Stunning Sardinian Wines
Antonella Corda, Stunning Sardinian Wines Antonella Corda is from a family of Sardinian winegrowers and is an agronomist specialised in vine management. She inherited her family traditions in 2010, returning to Sardinia from Trentino, then making her first vintage in 2011. In so doing she has created a boutique winery producing outstanding Sardegnan wines that are subtle, authentic and refined. …
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Sicilian Wines, My Delightful Dozen. Baroque ‘n’ Roll, Part 2
Sicilian Wines, My Delightful Dozen. Baroque ‘n’ Roll, Part 2. Here are wines that I consider to be outstanding examples of Sicilian wines from all over the island. I’ve deliberately restricted the choice to only one wine per producer. I’ve also chosen different grape varieties and styles wherever possible. Hence it shows off the Island’s enormous diversity. Sometimes that’s made …
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Nero Oro Nero d’Avola Appassimento, DOC Sicilia, 2017
Nero Oro Nero d’Avola Appassimento, DOC Sicilia, 2017 Nero Oro comes from the Feudo di Santa Tresa estate in Sicily, in collaboration with a company called The Wine People. It’s intriguing in several ways, and not just because of the taste. Firstly, it’s 100% Nero d’Avola, a grape indigenous to Sicily and one of it’s best varieties. Since the 1990’s, …
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Le Mortelle, a rising star in the Maremma
Le Mortelle, a rising star in the Maremma Le Mortelle is one of Antinori’s more recent ventures, a new organic wine estate created in Tuscany’s coastal Maremma. Here’s a progress report on this rising star. The Antinori family has been in the wine business for over six hundred years, documenting this back to 1385, across 26 generations. Has anyone done …
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Wine of the Year 2017 – Gini Salvarenza
Wine of the Year 2017 – Gini Salvarenza – Soave’s Montrachet My Wine of the Year 2017 is Gini Salvarenza, Vecchie Vigne, Soave Classico, DOC 2014 13.5% Fanfare, please! Introducing Gini The Gini family have been winegrowers at Monteforte d’Alpone in Soave since 1600. These days, brothers Sandro and Claudio Gini run their 55-hectare estate. They own some of the best …
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