Castello Montedoro 2005 Antica Vigna

I like Italian wine. I like the way it's often a surprise, I like the way it tastes like someone actually made it rather than it coming from a factory, I like the way that sometimes it's a bit odd. I like how it makes me think about sitting in local bars in Italy drinking wine out of a tumbler and laughing happily with local folk who just don't care that I don't understand what they're saying to me.

We had a Castello Montedoro 2005 whilst vegging out in front of Frasier. Hardly the Tuscan hills or the glories of Rome, but enjoyable none the less. It comes from Castel del Monte, an absurdly pretty town in Abruzzo.

It tastes good. It has spicy oak and cooked cherries along with a slightly dried herbs character more at home in Provence. At about £8 it's not an absolute bargain, I'd probably expect it to be closer to £6-7 to make it unmissable midweek drinking, but it made me feel happy, and that's all you can ask from a wine.

Gavi La Lancellotta 2007 - Celebrating with Ricco

Ricardo Ricco of Italy took the sixth stage of the Tour in an exciting last kilometre climb which saw the yellow jersey splatted into the road with a silly wheel clip mistake.

We celebrated for him with a Gavi La Lancellotta 2007. It's very pale with a zippy scent of grapefruits and peaches. Bone dry it had a zingy acidity, medium body and alcohol level. The flavour was intensely fruity with lots of fresh grapefruit backed by a little sweeter apricot. The flavour lasted well, and it was delightfully more-ish.

Not your standard forgetable bianco, this wine was a 'buy again' at ��7.50, but it's currently on sale at Majestic for ��6 in an Italian multibuy offer. If you're a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but want to try something different that will still make your steely tastebuds smile give this a go.

Sella e Mosca Terrerare 2000 - Sardinian Success

During a recent game of Hannibal: Rome vs Carthage Corsica and Sardinia turned out to be a key battleground. We had a bottle of Sella e Mosca Terrerare 2000 Riserva to keep us going through the campaign. I'd never knowingly tried a Corsican or Sardinian wine, and this was a pleasant surprise.

It was deep, dark garnet with thick colourful legs. It smelled rich and dark too, with thick black fruits and warm spice from oak. The tannins were soft with a little pepperiness. It packed quite a punch with 13.5% alcohol and a full body. It finished smoothly.

This wine comes in at ��10-12 a bottle, and was good value for a weekend diversion. I lost Corsica and Sardinia, and the game. Next time I play I think I'll try an Iberian wine instead.

Villa Icona - Rest A While

We had a Villa Icona Sangiovese 2005 with dinner, from La Marche rather than Tuscany. It's a region better known for Verdicchio, but I'd heard good things about the reds recently.

It was a medium purple-red and smelled of sharp bitter cherries. Very dry it had green chunky tannins which felt almost chewy. It had a medium body with medium alcohol. The fruit led some oaky vanilla and spice, but it didn't seem to fit together comfortably, just a little under-mixed.

I used up the last of it in some spaghetti sauce. It worked really well adding colour and depth, but I don't plan on using full ��6 bottles of wine purely for cooking. There's a second bottle taking a rest in the wine rack. I'll give it another try in a year or two when it'll either be better or awful. It'll be interesting to find out.

Villa Masetti - Weedy

People often complain that Pinot Grigio is a dull, flavourless wine with little to recommend it. I've often defended the poor maligned grape as I've had some really bright and flavourful examples.

Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio 2006 however is not one I'll be standing up for. It barely stood up for itself. It had a vaguely citrussy aroma, and tasted very slightly like wine. It's perfect for people who don't much care for wine but want to graduate from alcopops, but at around ��6 a bottle there's a world of better wines to choose from, give this one a miss.

Langhe Nebbiolo De Forville 2005

It's cold out so we've been eating hearty comfort food, so I've been raiding the cupboard for hearty wines that can stand up to them. Last nights' choice was Langhe Nebbiolo 2005 De Forville. It's made from the same grape as Barolo, in the same general neighbourhood, give or take a few miles, and comes in at around ��7 at Majestic.

It's a rich plum colour with strong legs, it has a fairly full on aroma with a mix of tar, plums and cherries. It's dry with a medium tannin level, I'd have expected higher. Reasonably full bodied with medium-high alcohol, it feels quite big. It has a fairly earthy flavour with tar and red-black fruits, and quite a punch.

It wasn't a big success, but used to stew some wild and dried mushrooms it redeemed itself wonderfully.

Radcliffe's Barolo 2001

We had a Radcliffe's Barolo 2001 this weekend. It had been hanging around in the wine rack for about a year, waiting for its opportunity to shine.

It was dark with a slight tinge of brick around the edge. 2001 isn't old for an old style Barolo, but this one was made for relatively early drinking. It smelled of bitter cherries and a little chocolate with a reasonable hit of oak vanillins.

It was dry with high acitity and tannins, some soft, some still quite firm. Medium-full in body it had a rich blend of cooked cherries and vanilla, with a surprising hit of spice.

It certainly wasn't a traditional Barolo, but at around ��15 retail, or ��10 as part of Threshers standard 3-4-2, slightly less with the Threshers voucher this week, it's certainly not priced like a traditional Barolo, and makes for an enjoyable excursion.

Pasta Wine

With autumn well and truly here I made an industrial lasagne at the weekend with plenty of vegetables and wine stewed in. I chose a '1489' Toscana IGT 2006 from Baroncini to go with it. It's called 1489 because thats when they claim the family started making wine. It came from the area around San Gimignano, and area I'd cycled through along the Via Francigena.

It was a 100% Sangiovese, with a ruby colour and a rich cherry aroma, more like morello than cherryade. It had medium tannin and felt rounder than a young Chianti. 12% alcohol felt about right, and was pleasantly light. At just ��6 a bottle from Tesco it was good value and went really well with the lasagne. Unfortunately there weren't any wine leftovers. The freezer is full of lasagne portions, I'll just have to try other wines with it.

Ghost Of A Wine

Whilst watching the fun of a teenage Halloween party going on around us I was challenged to a Halloween wine. Delivered in its costume of a silver ice jacket I weas asked to 'guess the wine'. It was tricky. It was pale with reasonably robust legs. It smelled clean, but with a very low intensity. It didn't smell of much except maybe a hint of lemon.

The quizmaster considered it a bit too cold, so that may have hidden some aroma. It was bone dry with a crisp acidity. Again there weren't too many clues as to the wines identity from the flavour. It was a little bit lemony with a slight almond bitterness.

It was Italian, and I thought, probably Tuscan. Beyond that I didn't have any inspiration. I panicked and opted for Vernaccia di San Gimignano. On reflection it lacked the body I'd expect from that, but 'guess the wine' always puts me under pressure.

It was a Sainsbury's Orvieto Classico 2006. I wasn't too far away geographically. We polished it off with an M&S fish pie as the teens recycled their Trick or Treat haul by giving their swag to Trick or Treaters as they came by.

Zipping ahead

Paulo Bettini successfully defended his World Championship road race title this weekend so time to celebrate with an Italian wine. M&S recently had a sale on Italian wines. Always reasonable value, with 20% off it would be rude not to pick up a Marks & Spencer Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2006.

It was pale and bright with a zippy, grapefruity nose. It had a sharp acidity and was very dry. That worked really well to clear the palate. The grapefruit flavour kept it refreshing, whilst some peachiness and almond biterness added flavour and body. It had a clean finish and was rather more-ish.

For ��4 it was a great deal, for the normal retail price of ��5 it's a good choice to partner a midweek seafood meal with a wine with character.

M-M-M-My Verona

So AC Milan are European Campioni, a bit of a poor show with three English teams in the semi finals, but as they lost out despite being the better team in 2005 it seems only fair they take the trophy after a disappointingly dull final.

I had a Radcliffe’s Regional Classics Valpolicella Classico 2005 to celebrate. It was by happy coincidence that this particular wine was made by Pasqua, partner and official supplier to AC Milan. Maybe Inzaghi enjoys a glass.

It’s a deep purple which promises to stain your teeth and table cloth into Milan colours. It’s dry with a high level of acidity and some chunky tannins. It has masses of cherries and plums on both nose and palate, and instantly brings to mind the wine served in tumblers in everyday Italian restaurants. It took me back to Italy and complimented our stuffed peppers ad tomatoes wonderfully.

As with many Radcliffe’s Classics this wine is a solid example of the DOC, not outstanding, but just what you’d expect if you turned up at a pizzeria in Verona. At under £5 a bottle it makes perfect sense to have a little burst of Italian style on a rainy weeknight.

Simple pleasures

There's something life affirming about Verdicchio. It tends to come in a fun, curvacious bottle, although as the wines get more serious the bottle often does too.

I had a 2006 Moncaro Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico to go with some fusilli bucati with broccoli and tomatoes - a quick, cheap and happy meal.

The wine itself is dry with a crisp acidity. There's a little blossom on the nose, and plenty of crisp lemon on the palate. The slightly bitter, lightly cherry-almond finish went well with dinner. 12% alcohol is perfect for midweek wine. It's at its best served cold with simple food to hungry people.

At under ��4 a bottle this Verdicchio offers a flavour and characterful alternative to generic Californian or Australian wine-lake fayre, and just think of the food miles you'll be saving.

Cherry Red

It���s Red Nose Day so a red wine makes sense. Last night a friend came over, he���s off to Italy soon and wanted to plan out a driving route from Florence to the Marche. I cycled through Tuscany in 2005, and our only cross over point was Sienna but it was fun to pore over the maps anyway, and what better to accompany the planning than an Allegrini 2005 Valpolicella Classico.
It was wonderfully cherry red, covering black cherries out to red cherries with a cherry blossom rim, and it smelled of cherries too. There were plums and damsons and Mediterranean herbs too.

It was dry with a high level of acidity as well as plenty of firm tannins making it work well with tomatoes as well as holiday planning. The cherries carried on to the palate, as did the herbs, making it wonderfully more-ish. 13% alcohol means a second glass is do-able - a third is tempting but not on a school night.

At around ��6 a bottle this is an excellent value wine and a fine example of how good Valpolicella can be when it���s made by a family that cares about its wines.

Picnic emergency

If you happen to find yourself out and about on a day in early March where the sun is shining and it���s warm enough to eat outside you just have to declare a ���picnic emergency���. That may not be a legal requirement, yet, but if I ruled the world it would be, or at least of ���snow day��� status.

In such an emergency Marks and Spencer is perfect for grabbing sandwiches, salads, smoothies, fruit, curious cured pork products and snack sized bottles of wine.

I had a Gargenega Pinot Grigio del Veneto 2005. Oddly it was bottled for a French negociant but hey, that added a wider European feel to lunch. It was pale, but it was in a plastic cup so any colour would be fine. It smelled lightly floral with some citrus fruit. It was dry with a crisp acidity, light in body with a reasonable hit of fruit above the acid.

For a snack sized bottle of wine it was fine, good even from a plastic cup and it fought off the diesel fumes well. 250ml is quite a big serving, I certainly wouldn���t want to drive after a bottle at 12%, but it added an even warmer glow to the first spring like day of the year.

Everyday pleasures

I stopped off at Pizza Express for dinner and a gossip with a friend this evening. For those of you who've never been, it's a very slightly upmarket pizza restaurant, serving wine, Italian style pizza and good coffee. It allows middle class folk to go out and eat themselves silly on pizza with rocket or truffle oil on whilst looking down on people who eat junk food.

I'm a big fan of the Fiorentina, but was tempted by the new Padana with goats cheese, spinach and caramelised onions. We had a house Nero d'Avola-Shiraz which was surprisingly good for under £12. It was warm and plummy with a slightly overcooked taste, which worked quite well with its spiciness.

If I'm going to eat junk food, I do like to have a glass of simple, easy drinking wine to wash it down with!

Marche On

I’ve had a bit of a thing for scallops lately, and last night had some with pasta and a bottle of Verdicchio dei Castelli Jesi Classico 2004 from ‘Monticelli’ Azienda Agricola Monte Schiavo.

It was a clear, bright, pale lemon with sheeting legs. It had a clean nose with some yeast and nuts with a surprising hit of broad beans. Tinned broad beans.

It was blisteringly dry with a high acidity and just a prickle of tannin from skin contact. A medium bodied wine with medium alcohol. It was oily with lots of minerality with lemons, nuts and lots of yeast.

There was a lot going on, which didn’t really hold together on its own, but went fabulously well with the seafood pasta. Late harvested at high altitude this wine was made with care, and is just made for food.

Expect to pay about £6 which is reasonable value.

Comforting Chianti

My new sofas are here. Hurrah. I had the good sense to order them in a colour described as ‘Aubergine’, that’s red wine colour. My old ones were slightly red wine coloured, but they were green when I bought them.

I’m celebrating with a bottle of Chianti – it really doesn’t matter if I spill it. It’s a Paolo Masi Chianti Rufina 2005 and it’s a rich ruby colour, leaving strong legs. It smells of fresh forest fruits with cherries and cinnamon.

It’s dry with a medium high acidity and plenty of firm tannins. It has a medium body and 12.5% alcohol which blends in well. It tastes of cherries and red berries with some spiciness and a pleasantly bitter touch of almond.

It goes fabulously well with roasted vegetable pasta, which I have kept away from the new furniture.

This is good value at around £7-8 a bottle, bringing a comforting Tuscan warmth to a cold and rainy night.

Easy Going

I had dinner this week with some friends at a country pub with a roaring fire. We chatted, laughed, watched the snow fall and drank La Casada Primitivo 2004.

It was a rich ruby red with strong legs. It smelled warm and fruity with a little spice, working wonderfully with the fire. Dry with a medium acidity, medium alcohol and body, it won out on being juicily fruity with raspberries, blackberries and a vaguely bubblegum sweetness which hinted at carbonic maceration.

Not a wine to set the world alight, but perfect for a mixed group looking for a quaffable red to drink with or without food.

If No-one Orders The Merlot I’m Leaving

I was treated to a really nice Italian wine this week. My friend thought it would be amusing to give me a Tuscan wine and let me guess. I hate it when people do that.

It was clear with a garnet colour and a tawny rim indicating some age. It had good thick legs. It had a pronounced aroma, dominated by tertiary aromas of cedar wood, leather and tobacco. There was plenty of vanilla too with plums and hedgerow fruits.

It was dry with a medium high acidity and plenty of tannins, some chunky, some firm. It was quite full bodied with lovely flavours of plum jam and smoke with cedar and some chocolate. It felt rich and warm and went wonderfully with a rich and creamy wild mushroom risotto. The flavour went on for ages.

I suspect it’s just on its way past its peak, but it was lovely nonetheless. I didn’t guess what it was – a 1995 “Lamaione” Tenuta Castelgiocondo from Marchesi de Frescobaldi. A 100% Merlot IGT, commonly known as a ‘SuperTuscan’ from the wonderful hills of Tuscany, in a single vineyard at high altitude planted with Merlot in 1976.

It was good, but I’d expect that for the £35 a bottle price from a retailer and certainly would at a restaurant mark up rate.

Gentle wine of Verona

After all the excesses of Christmas in both gluttony and expenditure it’s quite nice to relax with simple food and simple wine. Lamberti’s Valpolicella Classico Santepietre 2005 with some spaghetti with roasted tomatoes, garlic and parmesan really did the trick.

It’s a deep purplish ruby with reasonable legs. It smells of fruit and herbs, nothing fancy, just hedgerows and markets. It’s dry and acidic with plenty of firm as well as green, chewy tannins.

It tastes herby with cherries, blackberries and just a little bit of grassy, vegetably, well, dirt. At 12.5% it’s perfect for midweek drinking. The £6-7 price tag works well too.

This isn’t fancy, classy, fine wine, but it’s good, and the pasta’s good too.