Alright, have to admit, we are biased. We are obsessed with Italian red wines. But what not to like? Ripe fruit flavours, cheeky tannins and tingling natural acidity - all in one simple bottle of red wine. Or not that simple?
We have picked 5 best red wines from different regions of Italy: Abruzzo, Sicily, Veneto and Tuscany. All unique in their way, the wines are great to dive in the Italian culture and explore new amazing wine styles.
MASCIARELLI Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC "Gianni Masciarelli"
Montepulciano is a great way to start off your Italian red wine journey. Medium to full in body, acidity and tannins, the wine will be a great first step. The vineyards located on clay and limestone soils. Produced with 100% Montepulciano, it shows a bright ruby red colour and an intense and lively bouquet with hints of cherry and black currant, violet and tobacco. Aged in steel tanks for one year, the wine stands out for its freshness, balance and extraordinary versatility, able to exalt the winter flavours of Italian cuisine as well as exotic dishes such as goulash and Cantonese duck.
PALADIN Merlot "Drago Rosso"
The vineyards from Veneto and Tuscany are selected with the best exposure to sun to ensure a perfect ripening of the fruit. The grapes are left to slightly over-ripe to ensure a decisive aromatic charge and an enveloping structure of the wine. Then they are vinified at a temperature of 25°C to enhance the intensity of the colour, while maceration continues for over 18 days. It follows alcoholic fermentation in steel tanks and a passage in large barrel, where the malolactic fermentation takes place and gives pleasant aromas and noble tannins of wood. This wine is pleasantly dry - perfect for any Merlot lover.
LE CLIVIE Nero D'Avola Sicilia DOC Appassimento
Fuller body wine style with loads of tannins as it comes straight from Sicily - an Italian region with hot and dry climate, responsible for rich reds. Deep red coloured wine with garnet hues. Intense on the palate, sweet ripe black fruit jammy notes due to "Appassimento" winemaking method of drying the grapes before pressing them, thus concentrating more sugar. The wine can be slightly "hot" on alcohol volume, let it aerate or decant for at least 30 minutes. Serving temperature 18 - 20°C. Ideal for first courses with meat sauce, barbecue, grilled meat and medium cheeses.
PALADIN Syrah
Multi-awarded wine from Veneto and Tuscany, and our absolute best-seller, maturated in wooden barriques of 3/4 passage. It is done to slow down the oxygenation through the wood and give softness to the maturing tannins in the wine. The wine has intense red colour with garnet reflections. The perfume is enveloping with notes of red fruit, as blackberries, raspberries and black cherry. Fruity and fresh, with hints of spices and black pepper. The cherry in spirit and coffee on the palate. This wine has quite a sugar content, about 20-21 grams per litre, and that is what makes it so unique compared to its international counterparts.
ELIA PALAZZESI Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Brunello di Montalcino is considered one of the most expensive and noble Italian wines. It is 100% Sangiovese, grown in the dry climate where the grapes ripe to its full potential. This red wine has good depth and intensity. Rim, denoting ageing, seems terracotta in colour, then garnet. Very intense fragrances with the hints of tobacco and lavender, typical of a prime Sangiovese. Soft and rich at the start with very good structure, generous and lingering, very persistent finish. Aromas are also fully expressed in the mouth with the presence of balanced wood exalting the aromatics of the variety.