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the drop
Italian For wine lovers, Italy has long been a beguiling prospect, but the wines of the less well-known Romagna region are, for many, still an undiscovered treasure. Happily, Wickhams has just got its hands on some fabulous wines from Garden of Italy. Be prepared to discover some new favourites
treasures
A
ll wine lovers are passionate about their favourite countries, but there is something that makes Italy especially enticing to many. Perhaps it's the treasure trove of local grapes that draws us in, or the diverse regional styles of wine. Or maybe it's the effortless way in which Italian wine pairs with food and lies at the heart of wonderful sociable feasts. Some devote a lifetime of fine-wine drinking to Italy. None more so than Rob Oades who founded wine importer Garden of Italy as a second career after his first as a financier. Italy has always been in Rob's blood: his mother was born and raised on its Adriatic coast and met his English father who was posted there with the
RAF during the war. The couple moved to the UK after their marriage but retained close family ties, with Rob often travelling to Italy on long holidays to visit his relatives. Rob remembers wandering around sundrenched vineyards, the gatherings of the generations around a groaning table, and his dad giving him an occasional taste of wine – at first, diluted with water. Then there was his Italian aunt's famous fish restaurant. This background instilled in him a great love of Italian food and wine, a passion that has found its expression in Garden of Italy which specialises in wines from family-owned and independent wineries.
ORDER NOW at wickhamwine.co.uk or call 01803 467547
