Felice Anno Nuovo!!!

First of all…best wishes for the Year 2020!!!

Many of us in Hong Kong had our wine experience mostly from French produce. For various reasons, Australian and New Zealand wines also seem to be quite popular. What about Italian wines?

In terms of geography and climate, Italy has all it takes to produce great wines. The slopes of its mountains stretching from north to south within the right latitudes, soils and gravels of volcanic and limestone ensure all the conditions for the many grape varietals to marvel. No wonder it is the largest wine country in the World in terms of output.

For a long time though, Italian wines were probably not as famous for their quality. Wine labels were complicated with too much (could even be confusing) information as producers tried to impress. Things began to change some 50 years ago, with the authority introducing a classification scheme as the Italian answer to France’s Appellation Controlee system. These days, one can find really elaborated Italian wines while at the same time also so many good valued ones that are immensely enjoyable.

And just to list some of what we are carrying currently from different regions of Italy:

2017 Antinori Cervaro della Sala (JS99) at $440/bottle – From Umbria, this Chardonnay blend is vibrant, full bodied and has an amazing depth with notes of dry mango and green papaya. The wine critic James Suckling has made this no. 4 in his 2019 Top 100, the highest ranked white wine, and he called it the Batard-Montrachet of Italy.

2012 Collosorbo (JS95) at $290/bottle – Generous Brunello di Montalcino with flavour of dark fruit, sun-dried cherry, blue flower and spicy tobacco.

2013 Isole e Olena Cepparello (WA97) at $550/bottle – Medium bodied Sangiovese from Tuscany with stunning elegance and balance, one that delivers a mellow bouquet of ripe cherry and fragrant blue flowers, with a hint of spice and cinnamon surfacing towards the end.

2016 Argiano Solengo (WA95) at $380/bottle – Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Tuscany, this is a terrific wine, full bodied but not exaggerated, with aroma of dark fruits, spice and sweet tobacco. It is balanced and with depth and momentum. Only some 25,000 bottles produced.

2015 Grattamacco Superiore (WA97) at $470/bottle – A Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend from Bolgheri of Tuscany, there is depth and power, offering plenty of dark fruits and an overlapping melody of tobacco, spice and grilled herbs. Can be drunk now with enough airing and would really reward those who have the patience for another few years of cellaring.

2015 Petrolo Galatrona Valdarno di Sopra (WA96) at $600/bottle – Galatrona makes one of the best Merlot in Italy. The 2015 vintage is luscious, soft, soothing and yet intense, with lasting flavour of dark fruits, spice, chocolate and expresso.

2010 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro Roccamonfina (WA97) at $450/bottle – Intense and full-bodied red from the Campania region, this is an exotic melange of fruit, tar, smoke, graphite, savoury herbs and with an expressive finish.

2014 Paitin Barbaresco Sori Paitin (WS95) at $400/bottle – Intense aromas of cherry, raspberry and flowers from this silky, delicate Piedmont red, which is firmly structured, with dusty, assertive tannins. Notes of tobacco and mineral are woven into the long, detailed aftertaste. Around 14,000 bottles made.

2013 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis (WA96) at $520/bottle – From Piedmont, this wine shows a beautifully exuberant but elegant bouquet of fruits and spice, wrapping up with a silky and long finish.

2010 Ceretto Brunate (WA95) at $850/bottle – A great named Barolo, there are always dark fruits in concentration with the aromas of white peppercorn, licorice, mint and crushed granite...overall a gorgeous effort.

Please feel free to click www.vinopolis.com.hk to see our full wine list. You can make purchases through this online platform, send us an e-mail or even by WhatsApp to 9195-7383.