LA PASQUA features a selection that is sure to impress over Easter. These pure, vibrant wines are just the thing for the festive table.
ALEX DELLA VECCHIA
Pedecastello Rosato Frizzante 2022
Veneto, Italy
Pinot Nero from young vines planted some six hundred metres above sea level at the foot of the Dolomites. The fruit spent twelve hours on the skins, before being pressed off to tank to rest until the following spring when it was put into bottle with a concentrated must made from passito grapes to cause a second fermentation in bottle. A hazy shade of pink in the glass, this dry, delicate sparkling wine offers refreshing notes of alpine strawberries, minerals and herbs, and screams aperitivo time.
Pinot Nero
GUTTAROLO
Amphora Bianca 2023
Puglia, Italy
Trebbiano from old vines planted over the limestone of the Murge Plateau. Half of the grapes were destemmed and fermented on the skins for a week, whilst the remainder were pressed directly to terracotta amphorae, where the wine rested for a year. The result is a pale, golden wine perfumed gently with citrus, chalk and brine. Framed by the faintest of tannins, a pleasant saltiness adds layers of intrigue.
Trebbiano
GAZZETTA
Bianco Trilli 2023
Lazio, Italy
Mostly Vermentino from a vineyard planted over limestone in Pitigliano, blended with a little Malvasia and Procanico from forty year old vines planted over volcanic soils in Bolsena. The grapes were destemmed and the wine fermented on skins for three days, before being pressed to vats for just under a year of rest. A pale, hazy shade of gold in the glass, this draws you in with its perfume of wildflowers, lavender and thyme, making for an invigorating wine that is perfect for aperitivo time.
Vermentino, Malvasia, Procanico
ROMUALD VALOT
Beaujolais Villages 2023
Beaujolais, France
When it comes to Beaujolais Villages, Romuald’s really punches above its weight. The majority of the fruit here comes from hundred year old vines surrounding his home in Beaujeu, with the balance being from an old parcel he farms just down the hill in Quincié. The combined elevation of 400-500 metres above sea level lends great freshness. Wild, rustic and moreish, it is a wine that makes so much sense on the table, especially alongside the robust cuisine made famous in the bouchons of nearby Lyon.
Gamay
GRÉGORY GUILLAUME
Mystère 2023
Ardèche, France
Syrah from a thirty year old vineyard. This spends ten days infusing as whole bunches, before being pressed off to cuve for a year. From a cooler year, this is beautifully put together, pairing black fruit, herbs and brine to brilliant effect. This shows the grape at its most charming and sums up everything we love about the Ardéche.
Syrah
LE COSTE
Rosso 2022
Lazio, Italy
Mostly Sangiovese, with small amounts of Ciliegiolo, Cannaiolo and Vaiano, planted together as is tradition in the area. The grapes were destemmed and the wine spent three weeks on skins, before being pressed off to large casks of chestnut and oak for a year of rest. Bright red in the glass, it is soft and supple, offering a refreshing hit of sour cherry, earth and leafy herbs. A joyful wine that carries a beautiful sense of place.
Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Cannaiolo, Vaiano