After all, right across Italy Prosecco is the bubbly of choice and as much a part of daily life as gelato or an espresso.

This wine is from northern Italy's Alessandro Gallici. He knows every grape grower worth knowing, every premium vineyard, and has spent his life making outstanding wines.

We first met him when he was head winemaker at a large winery. Every vintage, he'd impress us, but he was also keen to go out on his own.

We were delighted and promised we'd be his first customer. We're still championing his great wines today.

His fizz is beautifully fresh and, served chilled, makes a tasty aperitivo.

If you’re a long-standing customer, the chances are you’ll have come across Scipione Giuliani’s ‘poppy wines’. About 20 years ago, Scipi blew critics away with his original Il Papavero – a humble ‘vino da tavola’ that offered near boundless drinking pleasure and astonishing value for money. Since then, he’s expanded the range, with every new release always offering the discerning drinker plenty of flavour for the money. And this mouthwatering rosé continues that trend.

It’s crafted from Nero d’Avola, a southern Italian variety that’s normally used to make big, juicy reds. Scipi sourced his Nero in vineyards planted on slopes overlooking the sea, where cooling breezes contributed to this wine’s irresistible freshness. The perfect aperitif.

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.

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 exceptionally delicious.

Normally, they only supply their meagre output to top restaurants in Rome. But with most shut in 2020 and 2021, we managed to gain a small allocation of this superb, cherry-scented red.

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 highly awarded, rule-breaking wines.

No doubt the skill of top Italian consultant Franco and Matteo Bernabei come into play, as well as the commitment and passion of the family.

A great pizza or pasta red.

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).