Last week we presented a selection of new wines to our tasting group. Gathered in the waning heat of the hottest April day since 1949 it felt more like summer than the early days of spring so we were trying these wines with the great outdoors in mind – alfresco dining, BBQs and picnics. Let’s hope that glorious weather returns soon!
The Wines:
Monte Schiavo Pallio di San Floriano Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC £12.40
This was the perfect start – incredibly zesty and fresh this brought our hot and weary tasting group to life! ‘Tastes like it should be a sparkling wine’ perfect refreshment for a sunny afternoon.
Pieropan Soave Classico DOC £16
The favourite white of the evening – wonderfully elegant with a delightful rounded fruit that lingers through the almond finish. Under screw cap (controversially for Soave – Pieropan fought hard for the right to use the closure) this is a definite winner.
Curatolo Arini Zibibbo IGP £18.40
A bit of a wildcard – with its perfumes of rose or ‘turkish delight’ it’s a bold wine! The palate shows rich, ripe stone fruit with a surprisingly elegant finish. This wine was a bit of a hit for it’s uniqueness – we’ll have stock of this arriving in the next few weeks.
Terrazze della Luna Pinot Grigio Rosato Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT £9.30
Very pretty pink in colour and delicate on the nose, the palate shows a surprisingly intense array of red berry fruit. Crisp and dry on the finish this will be the perfect picnic partner when the sunshine arrives!
Montresor San Pietro Valpolicella DOP £11.80
A very fresh, crunchy cherry filled Valpolicella which slipped down rather easily with the group – for those really warm days this wine will be even better lightly chilled. The group were very keen (!) on both reds, but this one inched ahead slightly.
Vallone Susumaniello Salento Rosso IGP £12
This wine is shaping up to be our summer BBQ red – plump and ripe red berry fruit but with a balancing acidity on the finish to keep this wine fresh and vibrant. Susumaniello (that’s the grape) means ‘little donkey’ possibly due to the heavy load the vines bear (or possibly its stubbornness about where it grows…!)