Italian Red Wines
The complexity of Italy is remarkable: so many different grapes, most autochthonous (i.e. native to Italy) and many only grown regionally.
The two key quality red grapes are: Sangiovese, grown all over Tuscany and beyond, and best known for Chianti, and reds made at Montepulciano and Montalcino; and Nebbiolo, the top red of Piedmont, best known for the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco.
Beyond that there are splendid red grapes which can thrive in southern Italy’s heat, from Nero d’Avola and Negroamaro to Aglianico and Primitivo; and the lighter reds of Italy’s north, from Dolcetto to the west; and east of Milan Corvina and Rondinella, the grapes for Valpolicella and Amarone.
The success in the 1970s of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown on the Tuscan coast at Bolgheri persuaded many in Tuscany and further afield to plant these varieties, plus Syrah; but more recently growers seem to be pulling back from producing these so-called "Super Tuscans".
Italian wine production is marked by two strong and mutually supportive initiatives: the Slow Food movement, which started in Italy, and which celebrates small-scale, artisanal cellars; and a widespread adoption of organic cultivation. Several of our growers, including Di Filippo, Il Palagione and Fiorano farm organically.
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Conviviale, Primitivo, Salento, 2023
Medium bodied
Gutsy grape of Croatian origin (aka Tribidrag), genetically identical to Zinfandel. Bittersweet...
OriginItaly
RegionPuglia
ColourRed
ABV14%
Bottle75cl
CodeCNV123
GrapePrimitivo
Buy 12
Save £14.34
Rocca, Negroamaro, Salento, 2022
Medium Bodied
Well-made example of this masculine southern grape, aged part in stainless steel and part in...
OriginItaly
RegionPuglia
ColourRed
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeROD222
GrapeNegroamaro
