To celebrate 25 great years of Pillastro, this special 25th anniversary edition uses the darkly spiced Primitivo grape that you know and love, but with extra oomph and intensity. The legendary Angelo Maci added two special parcels of grapes to the blend – a cuvée that enjoyed a full six months ageing in barrel for an extra spicy kick, and grapes that enjoyed extra hang time on the vines to ensure even more concentration and richness. The result? A velvety, lusciously deep spiced-berry Italian red, taken up a notch in intensity. It's amazing, take it home at 49% off now.

Not surprisingly for a dance that’s evolved over a thousand years, the origin of the tarantella is shrouded in mystery. Some say it was devised in Taranto, Puglia, as a cure for the tarantula’s bite (provided victims danced for three days and nights); others say it was an antidote to the morso (bite) d’amor. Less mythical, but equally enchanting, is the origin of its namesake wine.

Discovered by our Buyer in a wild area of bountiful sunshine, ancient vineyards, olive groves and trulli, Tarantella Merlot instantly won over customers with its ripe plum and sweet spice character. Not to mention its enticing value for money! Decant and savour in generous glasses by candlelight with pasta ragù, tender loin of beef and your partner of choice.

If you enjoy the food-friendly reds of northern Italy, especially the Valpolicella Ripasso style, you'll love this. We have worked with Italian Winery of the Year Cantina di Negrar for years. They own a vineyard in the Marano Valley and they’ve offered us a deal on their Rosso Veronese – a wine usually reserved for their Italian fans. It’s named after Bartolomeo Lorenzi, whose epic 18th-century poem of rural life made Valpolicella wines famous the world over.

The Marano Valley is especially cool, so grapes take longer to ripen, which adds depth, character and freshness to the wines. Also included is a dash of dark Amarone. With black cherry fruit and Christmas cake spice, it’s hard to imagine a more appealing Veronese red. Great with game.

Founded in 1965 by Alfo Bartolommei, this remarkable family estate is one of the region’s star performers. It used to be part of the great Pieve Santa Restituta and is also a neighbour to the renowned Soldara. All in all, with its 21 hectares of vines, the property is perfectly situated to produce some of the very finest Brunellos. Every vintage, their wines gain top scores. Alfo’s three children – Paolo, Paola and Manuele – now run the estate, with grandson Giacomo as winemaker. They’ve been ratcheting up the quality in recent years, so it's remarkable how this domaine has remained relatively under the radar. Despite his youth and dynamism, Giacomo keeps methods fairly traditional, as well as organic. This is a mesmerising, complex red.

A region that offers “undreamed-of character and potential,” and “reds that give you a lot of wine for your money” (Decanter).

It comes to us courtesy of the legendary Feudi di San Gregorio, one of Puglia’s finest estates, renowned for being among the first modern wineries to champion the region’s native grapes. It regularly garners 90+ point scores from the likes of The Wine Advocate and top critic James Suckling, and their wines are literally fine pieces of art.

Ognissole Primitivo hails from the prestigious Gioia del Colle DOC (“jewels of the hill”) and the 400-metre-high plateau it sits on is considered to be the homeland of the Primitivo grape. Organically grown, the fruit enjoys beautiful breezes from the Adriatic and Ionian seas which give the grapes much needed relief from the warm Italian sun, creating rich, velvety and intense wines. The result is a lusciously decadent red packed with sumptuous berry fruits, a mouth coating texture and delicious spice kick.

This wine is what we term a 'cleanskin', or the Italian, an Edizione Limitata. It's a top-quality wine with minimal information on the label – part of the deal of getting 5-star Brunello at a great price. What we can say is that it comes from a beautiful estate in Castelnuova Berardenga, in the south of Chianti Classico. The Romans were the first to plant vines here, while its buildings date back to 1099.

The current owners purchased it in 1984 and, in a very short time, have made its wines some of the most sought after of the region. It is 100% organic and solar powered too. From the warm 2017 vintage, this Brunello offers a panoply of ripe cherry, plum, rose and violet notes, with polished tannins. Open early and decant or cellar.