We've worked closely with the Masi family in Tuscany's superb Rufina district for 30 years now, first with Renzo and now with his son, Paolo. They are like family. In fact, you may well have met Paolo and his wife Anna Rita at our wine shows. They come every year. Paolo took over the family estate in 1990 having passed his wine studies top of the class. And that talent shows in every one of his wines. Their beautiful property lies high on a hill overlooking the Argomenna valley – it's a prime spot for Sangiovese, placed on a par with Chianti Classico since the 18th century. One of his wines even won '3rd Best Wine of Italy' in 2020. Enjoy the cherry fruit and silky texture of his great-value Chianti - ideal with chicken or pasta.

Wine Enthusiast calls Amarone “one of the 15 icons in Italian wine”. They are certainly some of the most prized reds from Italy, made by the ancient tradition of sun drying grapes before fermentation. This gives them an amazing richness, a glorious combination of power and complexity that cellars well, too. No wonder they are prized the world over. This 2018 from the renowned Cantina Negrar is named after the 18th century poet Bartolomeo Lorenzi, whose epic poem celebrating rural life made Valpolicella wines famous. The grapes are from the ancient, dry, stone terraces of the cool Marano Valley, where they ripen slowly. They are then air dried for 120 days to intensify flavours. A superb bottle to enjoy now with hearty dishes or to cellar.

These wines kick started the region's renaissance and became some of the most exclusive and expensive in the world. Saracosa is from the Barbanera family estate, overlooked by the Saracosa hill near Montalcino. Half the vineyards are in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, and the remainder just beyond. In the fine 2019 vintage Saracosa's old vines delivered exceptional concentration.
The fruit was then part-aged in French oak barriques to lend a toasty layer of complexity. Dense, dark cherry and chocolatey tones make this a serious choice for pasta with pork ragù or bistecca alla fiorentina (steak with cannellini beans in tomato sauce).

It's from maestro of Puglia, Angelo Maci, and his pride and joy winery that has twice been voted southern Italy's finest. A regular customer top favourite.

Antonio Federici is a small, 3rd-generation cellar in Lazio, just south of Rome. As you'll taste here, its wines are both authentic and delicious. Normally, they only supply their meagre output to top restaurants in Rome.

But with most shut in 2020, we managed to gain a small allocation of this superb, cherry-scented red. And again, the following year. On fine limestone soils (the rocks of which were used to build some of Rome's most famous buildings) they grow some of Italy's most characterful native grapes.

From these they make a small range of award-winning wines. No doubt the skill of top Italian consultant Franco and Matteo Bernabei comes into play, as well as the commitment and passion of the family.

A silky, smooth, easy red.

La Parrina is a tiny DOC, situated in the Orbetello peninsula on Italy’s Tuscan coast. It's part of the renowned Maremma zone and only one estate exists there – Antica Fattoria La Parrina. The wines are made by Valeria Vittori, a Montalcino winemaker renowned for her critically acclaimed HK$450 Brunello – so you know you are in good hands here.

Muraccio is Valeria’s special blend of Tuscany’s hero grape, Sangiovese, plus Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, all from vineyards close to the winery. Aged for 10 months in oak barriques before bottling, it has juicy red and black cherry flavours mingled with plummy fruit and notes of Mediterranean herbs. It’s a fullbodied wine with layers of deep flavour – yet wonderfully easy to drink. We love it. And we think you’ll love it too. We’re not the only ones who are impressed. The renowned international critic, Antonio Galloni, awarded Muraccio 92 points and called it “a real charmer”. James Suckling was equally impressed, awarding it 92 points as well.