Northern Italy
The Italian Alps, curving round Northern Italy, provide a large range of terroirs – vineyards are found on steep, cool mountain sides; on sheltered valleys in the foothills; and on flat plains, shadowed by Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Grapes grown at cool, high altitudes produce delicate and crisp flavours and both reds and whites; while the more sheltered spots benefit from a long and hot ripening season, producing softly creamy and fruity whites, and big, intense, tannic reds.
White
Fresh citrusy acidity, balanced by notes of ripe orchard fruits with hints of honey and peach.
A delicate dry white with notes of lime, stone fruit, petrol, and lemongrass, with good minerality.
Fresh and crisp, with notes of apple, pear, peach, honey, florals and white spice, with a nutty finish.
Aromatic and zesty, with notes of apple, lime and white flower, and a lovely creamy texture.
White peach, pear, lime and gooseberry are balanced by crisp acidity, minerality, and a textural finish.
A light and refreshing white with crisp, mineral notes and flavours of pears and yellow plum fruit.
Notes of tropical fruits such, papaya, citrus, florals and herbs, with elements of savoury minerality – wet stone, iodine. Well balanced, with a citrusy acidity. Trebiano di Lugana 100%
| WHITE | ||
| Conviviale Pinot Grigio | £8.50 | vv |
| Tenute Il Cascinone Fontanino Riesling | £10.50 | vv |
| Bottega Vinai Trentino Nosiola | £11.00 | vv |
| Gavi La Battistina | £12.50 | vv |
| Gavi di Gavi Nuovo Quadro | £14.50 | vv |
| Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco | £18.00 | vv |
| Il Bepi Lugana Riserva £24 | £24.00 | vv |
Red
A rich Italian red, with punchy flavours of ripe black cherry, damson and dark chocolate on the finish.
Delicately fruity, with bright crunchy red fruits and light florals. Bitter cherry and almonds on the finish.
Distinctive notes of cherry jam, vanilla, balsamic vinegar, dried fig, and black pepper.
A rich and voluptuous: notes of blackberries, black cherries, spice, toasted oak, and dark chocolate.
Fresh cherries and a hint of baking spice, with a smooth and refreshing texture and a lightly dry finish.
Plum, leather, woodsmoke, spice, and delicate violet aromas, with ripe tannins and complex savoury notes.
Full of crunchy blackberry, vibrant cherry and strawberry, with elegant hints of violet and sweet dried herbs.
Full bodied, and abundant with plum and cherry notes, coffee, spice and hints of dried fruit and chocolate.
This wine spends a year in tank and 10 more years in barrel, but is still beautifully fresh and fruity! Notes of strawberries and rose.
A warm and elegant red. Plums, dried figs, leather, herbs, spice, and savoury meaty notes. The fine tannic structure and level of acidity means that this wine will age and improve for many years.
The grapes undergo a unique drying process (Appassimento) in a loft, concentrating their flavour and sugar content. The result is an incredibly rich red – notes of black fruit, prunes, raisins, earth, and savoury meatiness. Corvina 45%, Corvinone 40%, Rondinella 10%, Oseleta 5%
| RED | |||
| Tenute Il Cascinone Crocera Barbera | £10.50 | vv | |
| Montresor Bardolino | £11.00 | vv | |
| Valpolicella Ripasso Belvedere | £17.00 | ||
| Rive Barbera D’Asti | £17.00 | vv | |
| Alois Lageder Pinot Noir | £22.00 | vv | |
| Alasia Barolo | £23.00 | vv | |
| Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d”Alba | £27.00 | vvo | |
| La Colombaia Amarone | £29.00 | vv | |
| Balgera Valtellina Sassella | £32.00 | vv | |
| Bussia Barolo Dardi le Rose | £45.00 | vv | |
| Musella Amarone | £45.00 | vvo |
Sparkling
A light and fruity Prosecco with hints of apple and peach and a fresh, delicate fizz. Glera 100%
A fresh and dry sparkling rosé with pretty red berry flavours. Glera 90%, Pinot Noir 10%
A creamy italian sparkling wine, with notes of lemon and nuts. Cortese 100%
An exuberant Italian fizz with lively citrus flavours, and soft sweet notes of golden apples. Chardonnay 95%, Pinot Nero 5%
| SPARKLING | ||
| Lunetta Prosecco Spumante | £11.00 | vv |
| Lunetta Rose Spumante | £12.00 | |
| Gavi Spumante | £14.00 | vv |
| Ferghettina Franciacorta Brut | £24.00 | vv |
Central Italy
To the East, vineyards lie on gentle hills stretching towards the Adriatic, with the cooling sea breezes tempering the Mediterranean heat. Here, the styles of wine tend towards thirst-quenching, with racy acidity and bright and lively fruit flavours. The West is dominated by red Sangiovese wines, and home to Italy’s most famous wine region: Tuscany. The rolling hills and warm climate produces the flavours we all associate with big Italian reds – generous flavours of red fruit with elegant notes of spice.
White
A light, crisp, and dry Pinot Grigio with notes of lemon, green apple, and blossom.
Dry, crisp and full flavoured, with a bouquet of flowers and pleasant ripe fruit finish.
Sweet, fruity and floral bouquet, with a fresh acidity, and long and persistent fruity finish
Beautifully creamy, with notes of bitter almonds, pine nuts, and savoury herbs, and a dry finish.
A bright and fresh dry white, with notes of sweet fruit, flowers, and a fresh acidity.
Notes of apricot, pineapple, orchard fruit, white flower and citrus, underpinned by racy acidity and a touch of salinity.
| WHITE | ||
| Altopiano Pinot Grigio | £10.00 | vvo |
| Feudo Antico Pecorino Terre di Chieti | £12.00 | vvo |
| Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Grechetto Umbria | £13.50 | vv |
| Di Majo Norante Falanghina Rami | £16.00 | vvo |
| Sccaciadiavoli Montefalco Bianco Umbria | £16.00 | vv |
| Feudo Antico Pecorino Biologico Tullum | £18.00 | vvo |
| Tenute Pieralisi Verdicchio Classico | £20.00 | vv |
Red
Unoaked to preserve fresh, fruity flavours of red berry fruits, wild cherries, and violets.
Full bodied, with notes of red berry fruits, wild cherry, violets, and spices.
As the name suggests: a classic chianti! Fresh cherry and bramble flavours, with elegant spiciness and cedar.
A punchy red blend – big flavours of tart cherry and bramble, with a touch of savoury herbs, and a hefty tannic finish.
Elegant, full fruity notes of red berries with a lovely warming spiciness and rich tannins.
Ripe crushed black cherries and raspberries, with light touches of violets, liquorice, spice and tobacco.
Medium bodied, with supple notes of fresh raspberry, herbs and flowers, and balanced tannins.
Textured, complex notes of black cherry, blackberry, spice, herbs, and tobacco, with juicy acidity.
A bright and fruity red blend: ripe cherries, forest red berries, with hints of balsamic and spice, and a bracing acidity.
Intense notes of ripe plums, red berries, herbs and spices. Grippy tannins are softened with leathery barrel flavours.
A marriage of Tuscan and Bordeaux styles: the structure and depth from the french grapes, with bright fruity acidity from the local sangiovese. Notes of blackberries, violets and spice. Merlot 50%, Sangiovese 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
An expansive and complex red. Notes of wild berry fruit, plum, aromatic cedar, tobacco leaf, and tanned leather, with meaty flavours, fine-grained tannins, and a fruit-filled finish with notes of graphite.
| RED | |||
| Altopiano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | £9.50 | vvo | |
| Feudo Antico Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | £12.00 | vvo | |
| San Felice Chianti Classico | £15.50 | vv | |
| Sccaciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso Umbria | £16.00 | vv | |
| Rigogolo Di Castellina Toscana | £16.00 | vv | |
| La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino Di Scansano | £18.50 | vv | |
| Damiano Ciolli Cesanese Di Olevano Romano Lazio | £20.00 | on | |
| Campogiovanni Rosso Di Montalcino | £20.00 | ||
| San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva | £21.00 | ||
| Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano Riserva | £23.00 | ||
| Scacciadiavoli Sagrantino Umbria | £25.00 | vv | |
| Le Volte dell’Ornellaia Toscana | £26.00 | o | |
| Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino | £44.00 |
Southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia
The ‘foot’ of Italy juts out into the blue waters of the Mediterranean, and basks in unrelenting sunshine. The heat and fertile, volcanic soils make this part of Italy one of the most prolific wine-producing ares in the world – infamously known as Europe’s “wine lake”. The overproduction of wine has also (unfairly) given Southern Italy a reputation for making “plonk”, but it’s warm climate makes it the perfect home to expressive and juicy grapes like Nero D’Avola, Greco, and Primitivo (the same grape known as Zinfandel in the USA). Modern winemakers have also focussed their attention on ancient local grape varieties (like susumaniello and cannonau) to deliciously express this unique terroir.
White
Skin contact lends this wine grippy texture and a golden hue. Notes of sweet apple and herbs.
An elegant white, with fresh citrussy notes and crisp apple and a long, minerally finish.
Savoury herbiness is balanced with fruity pear and grapefruit, with hints of florals, anise, citrus and chalk.
A zesty and vivacious wine, with a wildflower bouquet and lots of peachy and grapey notes.
| WHITE | ||
| Ciello Bianco | £10.00 | vvon |
| Rallo Bianco di Evro Insolia Sicilia | £16.00 | o |
| Villa Raiano Greco Di Tufo | £17.00 | |
| Agricola Punica Samas | £18.00 | vv |
Orange
Richly textured, with fruity and bright wild-fermentation flavours.
| ORANGE | ||
| Baglio Antico Catarrato | £17.00 | vvon |
Red
Fresh forest fruit flavours, with a touch of black pepper, balanced with a tangy acidity.
A full-flavoured, spicy red: strawberry, black cherry, bramble, bitter chocolate, and structured tannins.
Rich notes of bramble fruit, plum, black cherry and a hint of sweet spice and dried figs.
Generously fruity: black cherries, tart plum, and a whisper of moreish liquorish.
Plum, blackberry and ripe cherry aromas, with a round taste and smooth tannins.
Mature, complex flavours of cherry, ripe plum, dried fruit, spice, and savoury notes.
Vallone were pioneers in bringing back the native, rich and plummy grape, susumaniello.
Cherries, blackcurrant, ripe red fruits, and a hint of spice, with a full, rounded texture.
A powerful red: wild plum, bitter cherry, smoky/tarry notes, with a taut acidity and ripe tannins.
A powerful and smooth red – notes of red fruits, cherries, and spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Mellow and balanced: soft and comforting flavours of red fruit and vanilla, with a smooth finish.
Unoaked to preserve fresh flavours of berries, with notes of violet, spice, and coffee, with soft tannins.
A gorgeous intense red – full of luscious red fruits, with an elegant touch of liquorice and soft, rounded tannins.
An elegant red with notes of fresh raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant, hints of liquorice and leather, and supple tannins.
Layers of spicy black fruits, liquorice and dark chocolate, with spicy, smoky, and meaty notes, and hints of sour cherry.
Red and black berries, plums, sweet spices, brushwood and Mediterranean scrub.
A fresh and fruity natural wine – notes of red berries, delicate spices, with a defined minerality. Nerello Mascalese 85%, Nerello Cappuccio 14%, Field Blend 1%
| RED | |||
| Ancora Sangiovese | £8.00 | vv | |
| Ca di Ponti Nero D’Avola Sicilia | £8.50 | vv | |
| Conviviale Primitivo | £9.50 | vv | |
| Ciello Rosso Nero d’Avola Sicilia | £10.00 | vvon | |
| Tenute Rubino Negroamaro | £12.50 | vv | |
| Vallone Salice Salentino | £13.00 | vv | |
| Vallone Susumaniello | £13.00 | vv | |
| Rallo Il Principe Nero d’Avola Sicilia | £14.00 | o | |
| Villa Raiano Aglianico | £15.00 | ||
| Masseria Li Veli Orion Primitivo | £16.00 | vv | |
| Rallo Il Manto Nero d’Avola Sicilia | £16.00 | o | |
| Mora/Memo Nau Cannonau Sardinia | £18.00 | vvo | |
| Agricola Punica Montessu Sardinia | £21.00 | vv | |
| Masseria Li Veli Askos Susumaniello | £24.00 | vv | |
| Villa Raiano Taurasi | £25.00 | ||
| Masseria Li Veli Askos Primitivo | £25.00 | vv | |
| Etnella Tracotanza Etna Rosso Sicilia | £26.00 | vvon |
Key:
v = vegetarian
vv = vegan
o = organic
n = natural