Red Wine Zeni Amarone della Valpolicella Barriques 2015. Decant 1 hour before serving. Set in the hills of Bardolino overlooking Lake Garda, the Zeni family have been crafting top quality local wines here since the 1950s when visionary winemaker Gaetano Zeni relocated the winery to this spot. The family’s roots in the area go back to at least the 1870s when the winery was first founded, and their strong local connections help them to source top quality fruit to supplement what they grow on their 25 hectares of estate vineyards. This sumptuous Amarone is one of their flagship reds and makes a great introduction to this powerful and opulent style of wine. The fruit is carefully hand selected from their hilly vineyards set on limestone, marl and basaltic sedimentary soils. Once in the winery the grapes are left to dry out over the winter, the classic process used for making Amarone which helps concentrate the sugars and flavours. The fruit is then vinified as normal and transferred to French oak barrels for 12-24 months depending on the vintage. The result is a decadent full-bodied red that’s bursting with dried figs, raisins, crushed wild berries and notes of woodsmoke, vanilla, spice and dark chocolate. The first sip reveals an intense dark core of fruit along with firm tannins, a smooth texture, and a well-developed structure that will help this wine mature beautifully in the cellar. Enjoy now with hearty red meat dishes or wait a few more years to appreciate the complexity of this punchy Amarone.
2015
Red Wine Zeni Amarone della Valpolicella Barriques 2015
Red Wine Zuccardi Serie Q Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. Today a household name in Argentina and other Malbec-loving countries, Zuccardi winery actually began as a test vineyard for a new irrigation system. Engineer Alberto Zuccardi planted his first vineyard in 1963 to show off a system popular in California at the time. Despite having no training or expertise in winemaking, five years later Alberto built his own winery on the same plot. These days the estate is run by his son, José, and his grandson, Sebastian, who are passionate about expressing Argentina’s finest terroirs in their diverse range of wines. Their Zuccardi Q series celebrates the grape varieties that thrive in Mendoza, like this stunning Cabernet Sauvignon which begins life in two prime vineyards in the Uco Valley. Sitting at 1100-1300 metres above sea level, these vineyards offer ideal conditions for producing premium Cabernet thanks to the warm, sunny days and cooler nights which allow the grapes to ripen slowly. Great care is taken once the fruit reaches the winery, with the grapes macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks for 25 days. The young wine is then transferred to French oak barrels for ageing, adding enchanting notes of spice, woodsmoke and cedar to the luscious dark fruit character from the Cabernet grape. This is a powerful red with ample tannins that’s ideal to pair with hearty dishes like barbecued ribs, rich meat stews, or a fine Argentinian steak.
2015
Red Wine Sette Ponti Poggio al Lupo Maremma 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. Opening with a deep jewel-like garnet hue and heady aromas of crushed blackberries, dried rosemary and cedar wood, this is a wine to sip and savor over the course of an evening. On the palate intense flavours of blueberries, blackcurrant and sweet spices are complemented by silky smooth tannins and a generous full body. Try serving this powerful yet easygoing Cabernet alongside a platter of hard cheeses, an informal summer barbecue or even a prime steak to really showcase the versatility of this delicious wine. Poggio al Lupo or Hill of the Wolf” is named after the 115 acre estate in the wild and rugged Maremma region of Tuscany which was purchased by Antonio Moretti in 1999. The principal vineyard here is set on a southerly-facing hillside near the coast which provides gentle cooling Mediterranean breezes in the hot summers. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which go into this wine are all carefully hand-harvested and then macerated and fermented with the skins for 25 days to extract an optimal amount of colour, flavours and tannins. After vinification the wine spends 18 months maturing in new French oak followed by at least 6 months resting in the bottle before it is ready for release.
2016