Nostra Italia: Our Italy

Here at SVS we are deliberately tilting towards offering more Italian wine. The most important reason is that the proportion of Italian wine we sell grows year on year: we need to go where our customers are buying. Another factor is that our shop in Stockbridge is managed by the Piemontese Federico Firino, who enthusiastically promotes Italian wines to all! As important, to a business very much focussed on delivering value to our customers, there has unquestionably been less cost inflation coming out of Italy than in France over the last five years. (As an example, in 2016 we offered the Boasso, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba at £29.50: nine years later it’s only increased 10% to £32.50 – remarkable!). There’s a clear argument to be made that many of these wines now offer better value against those of their neighbour. 

With this growth in mind we offer wines from two new estates in this list: Borgo Paglianetto, a top estate in the north of the Marche, specialising in Verdicchio di Matelica; and Castel Juval Unterortl, our first estate from Alto Adige, who deliver scintillating Pinot Bianco and Riesling from stunning mountain vineyards. They join a small but select portfolio of largely small family-owned estates, almost all committed to organic farming, and almost all exclusive to SVS in the UK market – Nostra Italia!