Raise your glass May is the perfect time to discover the great wines of southern Italy…
We here at ‘The Grape to Glass’ love the wines of Italy,
Now to mention a few, to tantalise the taste buds, and I have
especially the deep south. There is a serious charge of
just one page in this fine example of a local publication, so
popularity from all our regular customers, so much so, that we
you’ll have to pop in to discover the rest…
can’t help bringing in more varieties and styles.
J SQUINZANO, Apuglia (DOP) Cantine due Palme – Varieties: The wines of the south have been rising in popularity of late. Prosecco and Pinot Grigio have had their growth story in Italian wine over the past generation. Perhaps you’ve heard?
Negroamaro/Malvasia Nera Seductive, fruity aromas of dried fruits and exotic spices. Juicy, dark damson and black berry fruits on the palate with an intense and long spiced finish.
Unless you’ve been spending too much time filling your boots with Brunello, Barolo, and Reserva Chianti, maybe not, it feels like the story has just begun for the rise of this great part of
J AGLIANICO del Beneventano, Campania (IGT) Cantine Tombacco – Variety: Aglianico Often referred to as the Barolo of the south! This structured
Italy, and certainly for us too as a stockist and venue. Southern
wine is complex with enjoyable hints of cherry and red
Italy: I’m talking about the lower half of the Cavalier’s boot. From
berry notes, followed by a marked vanilla and spicy note.
below the knee that is Rome, all the way to Puglia’s steep heel and including the island of Sicily off the big toe. (No foot fetish here, just a love of wine and geography. But mostly wine.)
J IMPERIO ‘LXXIV’, Manduria, Apuglia (DOP) Feudo Croce – Varieties: Primitivo This wine presents a complex panorama of aromas with marked notes of ripe red fruit, spices, slight hints of cocoa
The deep south is an ancient land of historical vineyards, offering hundreds of grape varieties and vastly improved winemaking techniques.
and a balsamic vein. A harmonic balance of fruit and toasted French oak.
J SOGNO del SUD, Sicily (IGP) Baglio Gibellina – Varieties: Grillo This delightful wine is straw yellow in colour. An intense but
The old days where most production was used to be the
pleasant nose with notes of exotic fruit and spice. Fresh and
source of bulk wine destined for blending elsewhere, is now
soft on the palate, well balanced with a persistent aftertaste.
flourishing with new and older generations of winemakers proudly bottling their own cuvee styles.
Iechyd da! Tim
You’ve got to be open-minded to embrace most southern Italian wines given the unfamiliar grape varieties and flavours, the wines really ought to be judged on their own terms, or at least
Tim Watson runs The Grape to
with a view to how it might pair with food or just plain old
Glass Wine Shop and Tasting
good company.
Room in Rhos-on-Sea which, as well as offering wine from
If you prefer to play things safe with Prosecco and Pinot Grigio
far reaching lands, also stocks
all the time, stick to the north; it’s churning out plenty of those
locally produced beers, wines and spirits
wines to go around. Try something different! Not only do Mark and I adore the array of wine available to
The Grape to Glass Wine Shop and Tasting Room
showcase for you, they speak for themselves when you
8b Rhos Parade, Penrhyn Avenue, Rhos-on-Sea, LL29 7RE
taste them!
01492 545934 www.thegrapetoglass.co.uk
NWM 2018 Page 67