Italian Treasures

All 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.

The company currently focuses on the wines of the Romagna region, the southeastern part of Emilia-Romagna near Bologna in north-east Italy. This area has been somewhat overlooked in the past by the UK, Rob believes, mainly because it's comprised of many small producers making limited quantities of each release.

‘You have to go out and track them down,’ he says. He is helped in this task by his cousin Simone Sacchetti who works with him from a base in the region.

Rob and Simone in the vineyard at Montaia

Garden of Italy provides Wickhams with a range of four wines from the Montaia winery: a softly sparkling Pignoletto, a fine Chardonnay, a Sangiovese and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Rob is especially enthusiastic about the Sangiovese grape, describing it as ‘So distinctive and so important in Romagna’.

And don't just take his word for it, as the best Sangiovese di Romagna is described in The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson as being ‘Gutsy and sophisticated enough to show why some of the clones most popular with discerning Tuscan producers come from Romagna’. Chianti lovers, take note!

Matching dishes to the wines is one of Rob's passions. ‘There is nothing more important to Italians than food and wine,’ he says. With his beloved Sangiovese he suggests serving rib of beef, roasts, and rich tomato pasta dishes, while the Montaia Cabernet Sauvignon is particularly good with lamb, steak and hearty casseroles. Rob pairs the Montaia Chardonnay with roast chicken and buttery, parmesan-rich risotto, and the Pignoletto is cracked open to accompany seafood canapés.

Another appealing feature of Wickhams' Montaia range is the design. The bottles are all a distinctive dark glass in a shorter, broad-shouldered shape and feature vivacious, brightly coloured, gold-edged labels by renowned artist and poet Tonino Guerra (who was born in Romagna). They stand out on a packed dinner table and make perfect gifts for the many devotees of Italian wine.

Wickhams Garden of Italy Selection

Garden of Italy tasting notes

MONTAIA PIGNOLETTO VINO FRIZZANTE, ROMAGNA, ITALY (12.5%, £13.50)

A softly spritzy sparkler with the scents and flavours of fresh pears and red apples. The Pignoletto grapes for this grow in the relatively cool Imola hills of Romagna, balancing the fruitiness with a refreshing edge and light bubbles. The finish is dry and elegant – a definite step up from everyday Prosecco.

MONTAIA RUBICONE CHARDONNAY, ROMAGNA, ITALY (13%, £12.99)

An unoaked but complex Romagna Chardonnay, rounded with a buttery note and creamy texture. The flavours of ripe orange and baked apple are long and satisfying – this is a white that demands food, especially chicken, salmon or a rich parmesan risotto.

MONTAIA RUBICONE SANGIOVESE, ROMAGNA, ITALY (12.5%, £9.99)

Red cherries and freshly picked strawberries leap out of the glass in this refined and elegant Sangiovese. It's tangy with a subtle edge of tannin, a versatile wine which can be enjoyed on its own or with roast poultry or lighter pasta dishes. It could be chilled to bring out its succulent fruitiness, especially in hot weather.

MONTAIA RUBICONE CABERNET SAUVIGNON, ROMAGNA, ITALY (13.5%, £13)

This wonderfully aromatic and smooth Cabernet is made from grapes grown in Montaia's own vineyards in the Cesena foothills overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Look out for plenty of juicy cassis and blackberry, soft tannins, and some savoury notes with twists of pepper and sweet spices like cinnamon.