Description From up north savour a fresh and fruity red from the slopes of Friuli, combining Merlot with Italy’s unique Refosco, take in picturesque Chianti from Tuscany, succulent Montepulciano from the Abruzzo coast, a mighty Negroamaro Primitivo combo from Puglia and a powerhouse Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Lastly, Scipione Giuliani's Il Papavero combines key Italian grapes from several regions into one very popular 'Italy in a bottle' red.
If we had to rely on a single wine to capture the essence of Italy, it would be Il Papavero. Every year it comprises grapes from the country’s best performing vineyards for consistently brilliant results. Supple, ripe, and very characterful.
This rich, barrel-aged Nero d'Avola is a tribute to Dino Taschetta's grandfather and his vineyard. An earthquake struck in 1968 and the vines were abandoned until Dino nursed them back to life. Now the grapes make this rich, blackberry-spiced red.
If it weren’t for Angelo Maci, many of the last remaining century-old vines in Puglia would have been uprooted by now. But Angelo turns their tiny quantities of dark, spicy grapes into a very special red of remarkable depth and satisfying richness.
The talent behind this wine is the now legendary Angelo Maci of the multi-award-winning Cantine Due Palme winery. Angelo’s wines are always splendid, but he has truly excelled himself with this rare, gorgeously deep and richly fruity Susumaniello.
This is a thoroughly moreish red combining juicy Merlot with the dark chocolatey notes of Italy’s native Refosco. One of our favourite Italian winemakers, Alessandro Gallici, has created a red with a tasty balance of bright fruit and mocha richness.
For the last 25 years we’ve been championing the superb Tuscan wines from Paolo Masi and, before that, from his dad Renzo. This is our top-selling Chianti every vintage and for good reason – it captures deep cherry fruit and is always fabulous value.
