Our Wines - Italian
Amalia, Cascina in Langa, situated on the hills of Monforte d’Alba, is the ideal starting point for a journey of discovery of the tastes of Langhe. Beginning in 2003 the Boffa family – Luigi Antonio with his wife, Maria Angela Brosio, and son Paolo – bought the business, purchased over 10 hectares of vineyards, renovated the farmstead and built a state-of-the-art winery on site. Our vineyards are in Monforte d’Alba, in the respective areas of S. Anna, Montagliarotto and the prestigious areas of Cru Bussia and Le Coste.
“I was thoroughly impressed by the wine quality; both contemporary and pure. The value for money ratio coupled with the presentation is just outstanding. Organic and sustainable farming is practised.”
The Belisario Company was founded in 1971; it is one of the largest Verdicchio of Matelica DOC wine producers. All vineyards are held in the Alta Valle Esina. This valley is the difference, the continental and microclimate provides an accumulation of flavours, perfect maturation and a terrific array of sensory evaluation.
“I tasted all of their Verdicchios and I kept coming back to this wine. The style of the Verdicchios from Matelica is simply richer and more expressive than the better known Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi. I did love the precise floral aspect, strength, minerality and freshness as Matelica is renowned for. The company owns 24 hectares of Organic vineyards and practices sustainable farming.”
From Eastern Veneto lands, located between the hills of Treviso and the Adriatic sea, Pinot grigio has been cultivated in the commune for centuries and nurtured by the noble families of Venice whom produced fine wines they put on their own tables.
Thanks to their production rules and regulations the Wines of the Canal Grando line protect the quality of this historically prestigious land. Canal Grando forms part of a range produced by esteemed Bosco Viticultori which is located in Salgareda, a small town in the hearth of Veneto, a region of NE Italy with a historical tradition of wine making. Since 2009 the Company has been part of Vi.V.O. (Viticoltori Veneto Orientale – an association of Eastern Veneto wine growers), which is the major cooperative for NE Italy wine making.
Two centuries have passed since Vermentino landed in Sardinia. It immediately found its ideal habitat here in Gallura thus becoming a symbol for the entire island. It is precisely these soils, sandy but with a marked granite matrix, that gives the grapes their intense aromas and correct acidity.
The flagship of Cantina Gallura is the "Vermentino di Gallura," the only wine in Sardinia to be awarded, since 1996, of the much Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.
Cantine Galasso is a privately owned winery located in Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo Region, in one of the most qualified areas for vine growing. This area is harmoniously embedded in the landscape, between the Adriatic Coast and the Gran Sasso Mountain, made mostly of vineyards and extensive olive trees fields.
The Galasso family came from Northern Italy and has been operating in Abruzzo since the end of 1800. The, at the time, large patriarchal family that bought the land and settled in this area, has always been producing extra virgin olive oil, fruit and grape and trading their own products. In the mid sixties the patriarchal family underwent a complete change in structure and split dividing the business into various streams. Ettore Galasso, the present owner, took over most of the vineyards and in the seventies started bottling his own wine. In the past few years his daughter Stefania, joined her father in the business after graduating in Economy.
Montello and Asolo Hills: this area embraces a lot of history and traditions. Mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy, described by the sixteenth-century painter Giorgione, a lively centre of the renaissance court of Queen Cornaro (queen of Cyprus exiled to Asolo in 1450) and of the Serenissima Republic.The area offers incredible natural beauty, authentic and traditional architecture and superb oeno-gastronomic experiences. Vines have been cultivated in these areas for centuries and the wines they produce have always been considered among the best.
Since 1925 Fasoli Gino Winery produces white and red wines, coming from the lower Illasi valley at the east side of Verona country. This area has a great vocation for oenological productions thanks to the type of terrains and its particular microclimate. The vinery products are entirely made from biological farming. Fasoli’s first foray into organic cultivation came in 1980 and since 1984 all of our vineyards have become organic. In 1990 they were A.I.A.B approved. “The key words are innovation and experimentation, in addition to the use of organic and biodynamic viticulture, the winery is experimenting with a sulphite free production and use of indigenous yeast. Harmonious, seductive, full and intensely perfumed, are words that kept resonating.
Situated In the region of Apulia near the township of Lecce, this winery is in the very heart of Salento and its sun soaked landscape. Cosimo has reclaimed the philosophy of respect and tradition whilst improving and modernising the approach to winemaking. This rose made of 100% Negroamaro typifies that this region can produce wines which are vibrant, fresh, fruit driven and with some level of complexity.
“One of the other style of rose produced has a Greek slang name which means “to get drunk". With such a consumer ready style of wine, it is very simple to understand why.."
After twenty five years working with his brother Giulano, in 2005 Renato set up his own winery, producing the classic Piedmontese wines from his 7 hectares in Annunziata, La Morra.
“I was totally mesmerised by the quality of his wines and the depth of these Barolos, specifically the Rocche which took me to a different planet. Renato is a little eccentric, all adding to his charm, there were originally no websites, no tasting notes, social media is unheard of, and there are some fantastic stories centred on the ‘welcome' given to wine writers, or lack thereof. Regardless ,I fell in love with the virtue, purity and classic lines of his wines. The younger generation is assiting with a more modern approach, whilst the wines are reacing a new heights.
The Village of Castagnoli lies in the heart of Chianti, a region whose beauty is almost impossible to describe, and it rises from the heart of the Chianti Classico area, arguably one of the highest elevation in the district. The fortress is located on top of the hill, nestled among vineyards, olive trees and rows of cypress trees. The property owns over 800 hectares with only 75 planted.
“Castagnoli honed their wines by conducting a very extensive research across 134 Sangiovese clones, from those selecting 19, and finally working with the best 4. Among these 4, one was officially recognised and ratified by decree and called RDC, an honour befitting the calibre of this winery. Consequently Castagnoli produces Sangiovese and Chianti Classico with their own Clones. A traditional Tuscan producer, using a classic approach with precise winemaking and terrific fruit quality.”
The wine estate stands on the slopes of the San Biagio hill in La Morra, one of the eleven villages forming the area where Barolo wine is produced. The farm stretches out over 18 hectares (45 acres), and has belonged to the Roggero family for generations. Surrounded by splendid vineyards, it enjoys a spectacular panorama opening out onto the Langhe, a range of hills packed with history and castles. Old documents preserved in the village archives show that San Biagio hill was known of as far back as the middle ages. Indeed, the term Sancte Blaxius appears in a 1477 entry in the local land registry, when a Benedictine monastery (San Biagio Priory, 1050 AD) used to grow vines here. All the estate vineyards are part of the Great Vineyards of Barolo within the Commune of La Morra: with resolution no. 21 of 15 April 1994, the village council established the boundaries of the crus recognized as being prime sites for the growing of the Nebbiolo variety used to produce Barolo wine.
The old cellar is located in the original farmhouse dating back to 1923. Here, various vintages of Barolo age in large casks stood beneath a high, narrow-vaulted brick ceiling. A new winery was built alongside in the year 2000, equipped with a modern vinification area, and a floor underground providing the perfect surroundings for wines to mature.
The family-run business is co-ordinated by the company's owner, Giovanni, while agrotechnician Davide is responsible for looking after the vineyards and implementing plant protection measures in compliance with EU directives on environmentally friendly farming, and winemaker Gianluca handles the vinification, giving the wines their inimitable style and respecting their varietal qualities.
The heart of the winery lies in the centre of the farm estate in Imola, where only estate-grown grapes are vinified. All of the vineyards are managed according the principles of sustainable viticulture, which mandates inter-row cover-cropping and the lowest possible use of chemicals. In addition, recent years have witnessed surprising gains as a result of considering the phases of the moon in relation to certain vineyard management practices (one of the doctrines in biodynamic agriculture). The winemaking is animated by a philosophy of minimal intervention. Every step is carried out with full respect not only for the integrity of the fruit, but above all for the unique character of each growing year.
“What a discovery! Amazing value-for-money wines, a novel approach and the embodiment of biodynamic principals. The Petrignone is synonymous with Sergio the founder, firm, expressive, cheeky and full of life.”
This Amarone della Valpolicella is produced in the hills or Colline de Valpolicella near Verona, from parcels drawn around the township of Ilasi.
The blend is made from the traditional varieties Corvina, Rondinella and Mollinaro. Amarone della Valpolicella is about as distinctive as red wine gets. Of the world’s major reds sought out by consumers and collectors, Amarone is the only wine that is made by air-drying the grapes for months prior to pressing them. It’s the air-drying, or appassimento, of grapes that gives Amarone many – but not all – of its distinctive qualities.
Very deep ruby. Aromas and flavors of coffee and cocoa complement red cherry and dark plum nuances. Smooth and dense with hints of raisins and figs macerated in alcohol emerge with aeration on the long smooth finish. Easygoing yet very concentrated Amarone that boasts noteworthy purità. My guess is this will be ready to drink sooner than most other 2013 Amarones. Spends two years in oak and clocks in at only 14.5% alcohol, which is positively light for a modern-day Amarone yet is in line with the style of the wines of Negrar / San Pietro which are usually the fruitiest.
International Wine Challenge 2017 - Silver Medalist