This white Piedmont is produced from the cortese variety. In 2017, the grapes were picked early to retain much needed freshness as it was a very hot vintage (comparable to 2003). Bright light straw with a glimmer of green. Apples, pears, floral and a pinch of citrus zest. A soft …
Read More »Donnafugata La Bella Sedara 2016
The label is worthy of a Renaissance painter. So captivated, how can a mesmirised consumer resist a glass? Donnafugata is a household name in Sicily. La Bella Sedara is brimming with ripe Nero d’Avola black fruit that has a delicate spiced sweetness very quickly swept up by supple tannins and a …
Read More »St Paul’s Goldmuskateller 2014
Made from the muscat giallo grape, this light, dry white is so very enjoyable as an aperitif and to pair with dishes including – last Saturday night – frito misto and burrata and tomatoes at No Menu, my favourite Italian restaurant in Singapore. The two starters effortlessly lapped up the grapey/honeyish fruit and balancing …
Read More »Bellavista Saten 2015
The first vintage of this pure chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Franciacorta was 1984. Produced only when the quality warrants it, Saten is the local Lombardian name for a kind of silk. The allusion is fully justified because Saten is truly silky. In fact, it is even more indulgent in texture. …
Read More »Roberta Picco on Bellavista
Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo 1974
Barolo, produced entirely from nebbiolo, is one of the most long-lived reds in the world. Full of structure, acidity, and pent-up fruit that releases itself like a slow-motion incoming tide, this great Italian is never in a hurry to impress. The occasion of this bottle was five school friends born …
Read More »Lis Neris Terre di San Lorenzo Pinot Grigio 2015
Italian pinot grigio is associated with a light, zippy white wine. Over in Alsace, France, pinot gris takes on extra body and extract and is made in more expressions ranging from dry to vendange tardive to selection de grains nobles. The Lis Neris Family has been growing grapes in Friuli …
Read More »Primo Franco • Revolutionary of Prosecco
A lot of Prosecco reminds of bubble gum water trying to become wine. Drinking them is as exciting as watching a slow motion video of a sloth descending from a tree. You just want to stop the video. And the wine. Nino Franco Prosecco, on the other hand, is a …
Read More »Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 2013
One of the regrets I have to live with is not having driven up into Montalcino. I passed the picturesque hilly town rushing to an appointment. This was more than a decade ago and I am blushing in embarrassment and shame. In spite of my gross neglect, I have, fortunately, not …
Read More »Bellavista Franciacorta La Scala Brut 2013
La Scala, in Milan, is the temple of Italian opera. Inaugurated 241 years ago on 3 August 1778, it remains a magical magnet for music and lyrical lovers the world over. In 2004 – after two painstaking years of restoration – La Scala was reinvigorated with all the aplomb due to …
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